Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Gordon Lightfoot Lyrics
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When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real
But time has no beginnings and hist'ry has no bounds
As to this verdant country they came from all around
They sailed upon her waterways and they walked the forests tall
And when the young man's fancy was turnin' to the spring
The railroad men grew restless for to hear the hammers ring
Their minds were overflowing with the visions of their day
And many a fortune lost and won and many a debt to pay
For they looked in the future and what did they see
They saw an iron road runnin' from sea to the sea
Bringin' the goods to a young growin' land
All up through the seaports and into their hands
Look away said they across this mighty land
From the eastern shore to the western strand
Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
We gotta lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
Open 'er heart let the life blood flow
Gotta get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow
Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
We're gonna lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
Open 'er heart let the life blood flow
Gotta get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow
Get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow
Behind the blue Rockies the sun is declinin'
The stars, they come stealin' at the close of the day
Across the wide prairie our loved ones lie sleeping
Beyond the dark oceans in a place far away
We are the navvies who work upon the railway
Swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Livin' on stew and drinkin' bad whiskey
Bendin' our old backs 'til the long days are done
We are the navvies who work upon the railway
Swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Layin' down track and buildin' the bridges
Bendin' our old backs 'til the railroad is done
So over the mountains and over the plains
Into the muskeg and into the rain
Up the St. Lawrence all the way to Gaspe
Swingin' our hammers and drawin' our pay
Drivin' 'em in and tyin' 'em down
Away to the bunkhouse and into the town
A dollar a day and a place for my head
A drink to the livin' and a toast to the dead
Oh the song of the future has been sung
All the battles have been won
O'er the mountain tops we stand
All the world at our command
We have opened up the soil
With our teardrops and our toil
For there was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real
And many are the dead men too silent to be real
The first verse of Gordon Lightfoot’s Canadian Railroad Trilogy describes a time when the majestic mountains of the Canadian land stood alone against the sun and the green forest was too silent to be real. However, as time passed, people from all around came to this verdant country by sailing on its waterways and walking the forests tall. They built mines, mills, and factories for the good of all. The railroad men grew restless to hear the hammers ring, and when the young man's fancy was turning to the spring, the railroad men’s minds were overflowing with visions of their day. They looked into the future and saw an iron road running from sea to sea, bringing the goods to a young growing land, all the way up through the ports and into their hands.
The chorus “Look away, said they, across this mighty land, from the eastern shore to the western strand, bring in the workers and bring up the rails, we gotta lay down the tracks and tear up the trails” describes the workers’ zeal to lay down tracks for the railroad. The following verse describes the workers who are called navvies working upon the railway, swinging their hammers in the bright blazing sun, laying down tracks, building the bridges, and bending their old backs till the railroad is done. Over the mountains and the plains, into the muskeg and the rain, up the St. Lawrence, all the way to Gaspe, the workers drove the tracks, tying them down and heading away to the bunkhouse and the town with a dollar day and a place for their head.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
There was a time when there was no railroad in Canada
When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
The mountains were untouched by civilization
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
This was a time before the arrival of white men and the invention of the wheel
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real
The forest was untouched and undisturbed which made it seem unreal
But time has no beginnings and hist'ry has no bounds
History has no starting point and no end point
As to this verdant country they came from all around
People from all over the world came to Canada
They sailed upon her waterways and they walked the forests tall
They traveled across Canada on water and on foot
Built the mines the mills and the factories for the good of us all
They built mines, mills, and factories for the betterment of everyone
And when the young man's fancy was turnin' to the spring
When young men were dreaming of their future
The railroad men grew restless for to hear the hammers ring
Railroad workers were eager to build the railways
Their minds were overflowing with the visions of their day
They were filled with dreams and ideas
And many a fortune lost and won and many a debt to pay
There were winners and losers with debts to pay
For they looked in the future and what did they see
They looked into the future with hope and dreams
They saw an iron road runnin' from sea to the sea
They imagined a railway crossing Canada from ocean to ocean
Bringin' the goods to a young growin' land
The railway would bring goods to a developing Canada
All up through the seaports and into their hands
Goods would be transported to seaports and then to people
Look away said they across this mighty land
They looked across Canada and dreamed big
From the eastern shore to the western strand
From one coast of Canada to the other
Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
Workers were needed to build the railway
We gotta lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
They had to put down rails and remove obstacles
Open 'er heart let the life blood flow
The railway was essential to the growth of Canada
Gotta get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow
They needed to hurry because they were taking too long
We are the navvies who work upon the railway
They were the railway workers
Swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Working hard in the hot sun
Livin' on stew and drinkin' bad whiskey
Living on little food and drinking cheap alcohol
Bendin' our old backs 'til the long days are done
Working hard until the end of a long day
Layin' down track and buildin' the bridges
Building railroads and bridges
So over the mountains and over the plains
The railway spanned across Canada
Into the muskeg and into the rain
Even through difficult areas like muskeg and rain
Swingin' our hammers and drawin' our pay
Working hard and earning their wages
Drivin' 'em in and tyin' 'em down
Putting in the rails and securing them
Away to the bunkhouse and into the town
Going back to rest and into civilization
A dollar a day and a place for my head
They earned a dollar a day and had a place to rest at night
A drink to the livin' and a toast to the dead
Celebrating life and remembering the dead
Oh the song of the future has been sung
The future has been predicted and dreamed of
All the battles have been won
All the challenges have been overcome
O'er the mountain tops we stand
We stand on the mountaintops of Canada
All the world at our command
The world is looking to Canada
We have opened up the soil
We have developed Canada's land
With our teardrops and our toil
With hard work and dedication
And many are the dead men too silent to be real
Many died in the creation of the railway and their sacrifice is often overlooked
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gordon Lightfoot
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben - Moderator
on Is There Anyone Home
We have now corrected this above
Glenn
on Is There Anyone Home
The note state that this song ("Is there anyone home?") was released in 1998 on the album "A Painter Passing Through". That is not correct, the song doesn't even appear on that album at all. The original release date was 1974 on "Sundown" album. Easily verified on Wikipedia or a hundred other websites.