You can hear the sound of her accordion playing
Each afternoon by the subway stairs
She plays a battered pearl grey Hohner
Same color as her hair
And she's got the case wide open at her feet
And people throw money in as they rush by her
She's got a postcard pinned to the lining
Of the savior with his heart on fire
She's the singer of the sacred heart
You can hear a little melody
Ringing out on her accordion
Down at Berri-de-Montigny
Ah, listen to her play
Listen to it ringing through the whole subway
Ah, she's the singer of the sacred heart
Did her momma say it wasn't right
For a girl to play accordion day and night?
But there were things that her momma didn't know
How times can change, how a life can go
Now, she's playing for the savior, she's playing for the rent
And she smiles as you throw in your fifty cents
That old accordion is like her heart
Squeezed together and pulled apart
She's the singer of the sacred heart
You can hear a little melody
Ringing out on her accordion
Down at Berri-de-Montigny
Ah, listen to her play
Listen to it ringing through the whole subway
Ah, she's the singer of the sacred heart
Listen to her play now
In the middle of the rush and haste
There's no room for the old and the sad of face
But she lights a little candle, says a little prayer
And picks up that accordion and heads down the stairs
She's the singer of the sacred heart
You can hear a little melody
Ringing out on her accordion
Down at Berri-de-Montigny
Ah, listen to her play
Listen to it ringing through the whole subway
Ah, listen to her play
Throw a dollar or two her way
Ah, she's the singer of the sacred heart
Whoa, whoa, whoa
She's the singer of the sacred heart