Niagara
Boards of Canada Lyrics


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'this is a... uh... map of the plan of William T. Love for a model industrial city...'
'please do tell!'
'... this plan was to dig a canal from the Niagara River to the Niagara Escarpment.'
'we are located at the upper Niagara River gorge. above the gorge itself is a residential community, the university.'




Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Boards of Canada's song "Niagara" are mysterious and evoke a sense of intrigue. The dialogue in the opening lines of the song is actually a real-life conversation between two people discussing a model industrial city created by William T. Love. Love's plan for this city was to dig a canal from the Niagara River to the Niagara Escarpment. The purpose of this canal was to provide hydroelectric power to the city, as well as create a transportation route for cargo ships.


The mention of the "upper Niagara River gorge" and the "residential community, the university" suggest that the singers are standing in an area close to the location of Love's proposed city. The lyrics seem to be describing a scene of a deserted city or an abandoned project, with the sounds of the rushing water of the Niagara River and the wind giving a sense of isolation and melancholy.


Boards of Canada's use of this conversation as an intro to their song "Niagara" adds a layer of depth to the already atmospheric and haunting composition. It provides a real-life historical context to the music, blending the past and present, and evoking a sense of nostalgia.


Line by Line Meaning

this is a... uh... map of the plan of William T. Love for a model industrial city...
We are presenting a diagram of William T. Love's blueprints for a new kind of metropolitan area, which would be centered on industry and modernity.


please do tell!
We invite you to ask us questions about the aforementioned master plan, which we will happily divulge.


... this plan was to dig a canal from the Niagara River to the Niagara Escarpment.
The scheme involved constructing a channel that would stretch through the Niagara River down to the Niagara Escarpment.


we are located at the upper Niagara River gorge. above the gorge itself is a residential community, the university.
Our present whereabouts are situated at the higher altitude of the Niagara River gorge. Adjacent to it is a residential area - the university.




Contributed by Alex L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@greg91163

🍁 Niagara 🍁 Lyrics
Speech:
Man #1: "This is a ... uh ... map of the plan of William T. Love for a model industrial city ...."
Woman: "Please do tell!"
Man #1: "... This plan was to dig a canal from the Niagara River to the Niagara Escarpment."
Man #2: "We are located at the upper Niagara river gorge. Above the gorge itself is a residential community, the university."
Source: bocpages


My apologies to Babes Papes, companion Boards of Canada fans and Boards of Canada for any errors in the lyrics or any other information I've posted. I do welcome and appreciate corrections and will try to make edits to the lyrics or my comments in general when I find time. I have Asperger's Syndrome and want what I post to be correct but I can make mistakes. Boards of Canada incorporates lyrics into their music in more creative ways than any other artist I can think of so it is a challenge and maybe even impossible to get all the lyrics right. (That's just my opinion)

I sourced the website 'BOCPAGES' for many of the lyrics. I sort of have the impression that the Boards of Canada lyrics we know or think we know are sometimes really just a person's best interpretation of what the lyrics really are. As far as I know Boards of Canada has never released official lyrics which leaves us with a seemingly infinite expanse full of mysteries to explore and investigate. Thanks for your observations!

Many thanks to Babes Papes for uploading Boc Maxima individual tracks!

@samrose3205

Thank you

@babespapes

if you like this sound, like us or lick us @ http://www.babespapes.com
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