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The Ballad of Jake and Rachel

from Folk Songs and Renovations by Tim Chesterton

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about

My son Nick and I were playing guitar in my Mum and Dad's living room in England in the spring of 2007, and we made up this tune by accident. A couple of days later I wrote the lyrics for it, which I've tweaked a little since then. At the time I was studying the history of the Mennonites and the history of their migrations from Russia to Canada in the 1920s crept into this song. I often describe it as my 'Canadian prairie Russian Mennonite immigrant family history love song'!

lyrics

The Ballad of Jake and Rachel
© 2007, 2011 Tim Chesterton

Jakob the farrier’s son
fled from Russia in twenty-one;
cleared land in Saskatchewan,
and there he built his home.

Rachel was newly wed
when/Hans was murdered by the Reds;
all the family fled
to a land they’d never known.

Jake rode to town one day,
goods to buy and bills to pay;
Rachel was passing that way,
and so she caught his eye.

She wasn’t easy to win -
the light of hope was burning dim -
but/in the end she married him
beneath the prairie sky.

Times were tough but smiles were cheerful;
cash was short but love was strong.
Work was hard but sleep was easy,
Though the days were long.

Children came along:
they had four girls and then one son;
always chores to be done,
and clothes to make and mend.

Crops failed in thirty-five,
they barely managed to stay alive;
somehow the farm survived
with help from all their friends.

Times were tough but smiles were cheerful;
cash was short but love was strong.
Work was hard but sleep was easy,
Though the days were long.

Times were tough but smiles were cheerful;
cash was short but love was strong.
Work was hard but sleep was easy,
Though the days were long.

Now they’re a flourishing tribe –
the family tree grows deep and wide!
Grandkids on every side
with children of their own.

Love flows on and on
Though Jake and Rachel now are gone;
God watches over them
in their heavenly home.

credits

from Folk Songs and Renovations, released May 13, 2013
Lyrics: Tim Chesterton.
Music: Tim Chesterton/Nick Chesterton
Guitar and Vocals: Tim Chesterton
Mandolin and Vocals: Alex Boudreau

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Tim Chesterton Edmonton, Alberta

Tim Chesterton is inspired by the rich heritage of traditional folk music of the British Isles and North America, and enjoys interpreting traditional songs as well as writing new songs in the traditional style.

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