The Night Juan Came to Halifax

Genre: Maritime Rock / Dramatic Folk Rock Instrument Suggestions: Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, fiddle, piano, bass, drums, harmonica, pedal steel, deep toms, atmospheric wind and thunder

Title: The Night Juan Came to Halifax

Spoken Intro:

September twenty-eighth, two thousand three. Halifax went to bed knowing a hurricane was coming. Just after midnight, Juan came ashore, and by morning, the city had been changed forever.

Verse 1:

It was just after midnight,
On a September night,
The harbour was restless,
The moon was out of sight.

A hurricane was coming,
But nobody could know,
Just how much of Halifax
Juan was about to blow.

Verse 2:

Then the wind came screaming,
And the power lines went dark,
Trees began to tumble,
From Bedford to the Park.

The streets became a maze,
With branches everywhere,
And Juan came roaring through the city,
Like he didn’t even care.

Chorus:

This was the night Juan came to Halifax,
The night the whole city went black,
One hundred fifty-eight kilometres an hour,
And nothing was gonna hold him back.

Verse 3:

The eastern eyewall came charging through,
Across the harbour and the town,
A million trees in Nova Scotia
Were going down.

Point Pleasant lost its forest,
Ninety percent was gone,
Thousands of trees that stood for generations
Were lying on the lawn.

Verse 4:

The harbour rose with Juan,
The waterfront took the strain,
And waves came crashing through the harbour,
Driven by the wind and rain.

More than three hundred thousand
Were waiting in the dark,
While trees blocked roads and streets,
From Dartmouth to the Park.

Chorus:

This was the night Juan came to Halifax,
The night the whole city went black,
Trees on the streets and boats in the harbour,
And there wasn’t a turning back.

Verse 5:

The schools stayed closed,
The businesses stood still,
For days the sound of chainsaws
Echoed across the hills.

Some would lose their homes,
Some would lose their lives,
And candles burned in windows,
While Halifax struggled to survive.

Bridge:

But morning brought a sunrise
That nobody could forget,
A city scarred and shaken,
But standing there yet.

The cleanup would take weeks,
The memories would remain,
And every fallen tree
Would tell the story of Juan’s reign.

Final Chorus:

This was the night Juan came to Halifax,
The storm we’ll never quite forget,
September twenty-ninth, two thousand three,
The night the city met Juan.

This was the night Juan came to Halifax,
When the harbour met the sky,
When the trees came crashing down,
And the power lines went dry.

But Halifax stood together,
And somehow made it through,
The night the city met Juan,
And the morning after too.

Spoken Outro:

Hurricane Juan made landfall near Shad Bay and Prospect at twelve-ten in the morning on September twenty-ninth, two thousand three, as a Category Two hurricane. Sustained winds reached about one hundred fifty-eight kilometres an hour, with a peak gust of two hundred thirty-two kilometres an hour recorded in Bedford Basin. About one million trees came down in Halifax, more than three hundred thousand people lost power, and eight people ultimately died in Canada as a result of Juan and its aftermath.

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Title: The Night Juan Came to Halifax Spoken Intro: September twenty-eighth, two thousand three. Halifax went to bed knowing a hurricane was coming. Just after midnight, Juan came ashore, and by morning, the city had been changed forever. Verse 1: It was just after midnight, On a September night, The harbour was restless, The moon was out of sight. A hurricane was coming, But nobody could know, Just how much of Halifax Juan was about to blow. Verse 2: Then the wind came screaming, And the power lines went dark, Trees began to tumble, From Bedford to the Park. The streets became a maze, With branches everywhere, And Juan came roaring through the city, Like he didn’t even care. Chorus: This was the night Juan came to Halifax, The night the whole city went black, One hundred fifty-eight kilometres an hour, And nothing was gonna hold him back. Verse 3: The eastern eyewall came charging through, Across the harbour and the town, A million trees in Nova Scotia Were going down. Point Pleasant lost its forest, Ninety percent was gone, Thousands of trees that stood for generations Were lying on the lawn. Verse 4: The harbour rose with Juan, The waterfront took the strain, And waves came crashing through the harbour, Driven by the wind and rain. More than three hundred thousand Were waiting in the dark, While trees blocked roads and streets, From Dartmouth to the Park. Chorus: This was the night Juan came to Halifax, The night the whole city went black, Trees on the streets and boats in the harbour, And there wasn’t a turning back. Verse 5: The schools stayed closed, The businesses stood still, For days the sound of chainsaws Echoed across the hills. Some would lose their homes, Some would lose their lives, And candles burned in windows, While Halifax struggled to survive. Bridge: But morning brought a sunrise That nobody could forget, A city scarred and shaken, But standing there yet. The cleanup would take weeks, The memories would remain, And every fallen tree Would tell the story of Juan’s reign. Final Chorus: This was the night Juan came to Halifax, The storm we’ll never quite forget, September twenty-ninth, two thousand three, The night the city met Juan. This was the night Juan came to Halifax, When the harbour met the sky, When the trees came crashing down, And the power lines went dry. But Halifax stood together, And somehow made it through, The night the city met Juan, And the morning after too. Spoken Outro: Hurricane Juan made landfall near Shad Bay and Prospect at twelve-ten in the morning on September twenty-ninth, two thousand three, as a Category Two hurricane. Sustained winds reached about one hundred fifty-eight kilometres an hour, with a peak gust of two hundred thirty-two kilometres an hour recorded in Bedford Basin. About one million trees came down in Halifax, more than three hundred thousand people lost power, and eight people ultimately died in Canada as a result of Juan and its aftermath.

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