The Jewel of Paris

There were rough seas and rain On the day that I came To the new world, this year of our lord I'd barely made land When a Papal command Insisted that I stay on board I was given a child Born in the wild Long and distant from Ville Quebec's hold He was brown in the shade when billowed sails made and barely a month or two old So mon petit We are borne 'cross the sea To the council of good king Louis There is hot bread and tea For my bébé and me And the wonder of all of Paris And there's strong drink in hand On the on the day we made land Our arrival was met with such joy I was taken to work From morning 'til dark And erstwhile I cared for the boy So quickly he grew Before he was two He was bigger than boys twice his age A marvel for sure A heart brave and pure Impressing both subject and sage So mon petit You were born 'cross the sea In a country beyond Acadie And though your people were free They were destined to be In bondage, the slaves of Paris But the boy grew up tall A wonder to all In the court of Louis XIV There was hot bread and tea In the court of Louis And a wonderfully rare human being In becoming aware He'd soon understand That he was not born like the rest He was tall, brown, and lean His eyes dark and clean And a different heart beat in his chest So mon petit You were born 'cross the sea To the heron of Ville Sainte-Marie You just happened to be Entrusted to me To bring you as the jewel of Paris There was terror inside On the day that she died The first time that he'd been alone He knelt by her bed And picked up her head And with her last breath she made known That through all of her days And from each of her pays She'd committed near half what she'd made And she put it away So that on this day The price of his freedom was paid And she said, no, mon petit You were not born to me But I have loved you as though you might be I have saved, mon petit So that you can be free Return you to Ville Sainte-Marie And so mon petit Took a boat 'cross the sea To the countries beyond Acadie To the Ville Sainte-Marie In heron country The young man arrived proud and free.