Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian indie folk band which formed in 2003 in W… Read Full Bio ↴Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian indie folk band which formed in 2003 in Wainfleet, Ontario, Canada. The band began with Tony Dekker (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Erik Arneson (banjo, guitar, harmonium), Bret Higgens (bass), Julie Fader (keyboards, vocals) and Greg Millson (drums). Julie Fader subsequently left, and Miranda Mulholland, on violin and backing vocals, joined.

Fifty-five years ago, Marilyn Bell took a plunge and traversed Lake Ontario. Back then, being a Great Lake swimmer was a big deal; now, it's an astonishing physical feat taken for granted. It's a rapidly forgotten part of history, like a faded map or a tattered photograph. Or a lost channel.

Tony Dekker's Great Lake Swimmers have spent the past seven years performing on stages around the world - though, like Bell, they should never be taken for granted. LOST CHANNELS, their fourth album set for release on March 31st, finds them once again recording at historic locations. This time in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario and New York state, telling tales of hidden histories, still "mining for light in the dark wells," still "tuned to an instrument of greater and unknown design."

The instrument in question is the singular voice of Tony Dekker, a voice that summons ghosts from times past. It’s a voice that is capable of conveying heartache and comfort all in the space of a single phrase. Though his supporting cast has changed over the years—with the exception of longtime right-hand man Erik Arnesen — Dekker has always encircled him self with sympathetic players who value spacious arrangements that frame his vocals. Over time, the band has evolved from a sparse, delicate and hushed unit into a well-rounded folk rock band, sacrificing none of their original intimacy while upping both the volume and tempos when necessary.

Dekker chooses to record in old churches, community halls, abandoned grain silos and rural locations. It's easy to hear why. His voice doesn't need any studio embellishment, standing at its strongest when bathed in natural reverb and enriched by the historical context surrounding it.

To record LOST CHANNELS, Dekker and company went upstream on the St. Lawrence River to the Thousand Islands, halfway between Toronto and Montreal, a historic and picturesque area that straddles the Canadian/American border, and has been designated a World Biosphere Region. Great Lake Swimmers arrived at the invitation of fan and Thousand Islands photographer/regional historian Ian Coristine (www.1000islandsphotoart.com).

Coristine was able to arrange for the band to record in a number of acoustically unique spaces within the region, including one of the area's most storied landmarks, Singer Castle on Dark Island, near Hammond, NY (www.singercastle.com); as well as the historical Brockville Arts Centre (www.brockvilleartscentre.com); and at St. Brendan’s Church in Rockport, ON.

Additional recording took place at Halla and the Lincoln County Social Club in Toronto and the album was woven into a cohesive whole at the House Of Miracles, in London, ON, with long-time Great Lake Swimmers collaborator, Andy Magoffin.

That the album was created in both rural splendour and urban Ontario makes perfect sense for a band that has always navigated the parallels between natural and urban rhythms. River imagery recurs throughout LOST CHANNELS; the title of the album is a reference to a certain passage of the St. Lawrence, close to the recording locale, where a reconnaissance boat from a British warship went mysteriously missing in 1760. There’s no specific reference to the incident in the lyrics, though there are plenty of night skies, howling winds and raging rivers in almost every song which captures an elusive sense of mystery. As the album closes, Dekker sings the final lyrics—“Like the unstoppable river… Your beauty is gentle/ but forceful, and fast”—before the band ends on a suspended note. There is no resolution there, only eternity, a continuum, an endless river.

LOST CHANNELS also features the talents of Julie Fader (flute/backing vocals), Greg Millson (drums), Darcy Yates (bass), with appearances by Erin Aurich on violin; Mike Olsen on cello; and Paul Aucoin on vibraphone; along with special guests / Swimmers collaborators Serena Ryder with vocals on “Everything Is Moving So Fast” and Bob Egan on pedal steel.

Four albums into an already-rich and storied career, Great Lake Swimmers’ live show has won them ever-expanding audiences in the United States and Europe, and of course their native Canada. In 2008 Great Lake Swimmers shared the stage with an impressive list of artists, including Feist, Bela Fleck & The Sparrow Quartet, Hayden, Goldfrapp, Bill Callahan of Smog, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.

See You On The Moon!
Great Lake Swimmers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I grow up maybe I'll be a veterinarian
I'll take care of little animals
Like ponies and parakeets
And I'll give them food to eat
And the puppies go "yip, yip, yip"
And the kitties go "meow, meow, meow"
And thank you veterinarian

Maybe I'll be an astronaut and work for NASA
Maybe I'll see you on the moon
I'll see you on the moon
I'll see you on the moon

There's lots of things that you can be
When you grow up, just wait and see

When I grow up maybe I'll be a farmer
Grow all kinds of food to eat
Like shiny apples red or green
Or fields of corn for dinnertime
I'll drive my tractor in the sun
While the chickens go "bock, bock, bock"
And the cows go "moo, moo, moo"
And thank you farmer

Maybe I'll be an astronaut and work for NASA
Maybe I'll see you on the moon
I'll see you on the moon
I'll see you on the moon

When I grow up maybe I'll be a carpenter
And build a big, long house
For people and their families
And I'll build it out of wood and bricks
With a porch where people can sit
And the hammers go "knock, knock, knock"
And the saws go "chop, chop, chop"
And thank you carpenter

There's lots of things that you can be
We are free to be you and me

When I grow up maybe I'll be a singer in a band
And I'll drive all across the land
With my friends all in the van
And I'll sing into a microphone
But when it's over, I'll come home
While the people go "clap, clap, clap"
And the drummer goes "tap, tap, tap"
And thank you singer

Maybe I'll be an astronaut and work for NASA
Maybe I'll see you on the moon
I'll see you on the moon
I'll see you on the moon

There's lots of things that you can be
When you grow up just wait and see

There's lots of things that we can be
When we grow up, just wait and see, see

Overall Meaning

The Great Lake Swimmers' song "See You on the Moon!" is a soft and touching melody about the innocence of childhood and the limitless possibilities of the future. The lyrics express a sense of hope for the future through the eyes of a child who dreams of what they might become when they grow up. The song starts with the child's dream of becoming a veterinarian and taking care of animals, to an astronaut and space exploration, a farmer, a carpenter, and a singer in a band.

The song encourages children to dream big and reminds us that there are no limitations to what we can achieve. The repetition of the chorus, "Maybe I'll see you on the moon," reinforces the message that anything is possible if we dare to dream and work hard. The song serves as a beautiful reminder that hope and imagination are the building blocks of our future.

Overall, "See You on the Moon!" is a beautiful and heartwarming song that inspires listeners to reflect on their own dreams while reminding us of the power of imagination in shaping our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

When I grow up maybe I'll be a veterinarian
As a child, I dream of taking care of and feeding cute, little animals like ponies, parakeets, puppies, and kitties as a veterinarian.

Maybe I'll be an astronaut and work for NASA
My aspiration is to travel to space and work for NASA, and possibly meet you there on the moon, where we can share the awe-inspiring experience of space exploration together.

There's lots of things that you can be When you grow up, just wait and see
As a child, I am hopeful and open to the endless possibilities of what I can become when I grow up, where anything is possible if I wait and see.

When I grow up maybe I'll be a farmer
Another possible career choice is to become a farmer, someone who grows different kinds of food such as shiny apples, fields with corn, and raising animals such as chickens and cows for meals.

When I grow up maybe I'll be a carpenter
Another dream of becoming a carpenter excites me, a skilled person who can construct a big house using wood and bricks, along with creating a porch where people can relax and enjoy the outdoors.

When I grow up maybe I'll be a singer in a band
Finally, imagining myself being part of a band as a singer and traveling across the country on tour is another thrilling idea, where I can sing my heart out into a microphone and have everyone applaud while my friend on drums taps along.

There's lots of things that we can be When we grow up, just wait and see, see
The song concludes with a reminder that there are infinite possibilities of what we can become when we grow up, telling us to stay hopeful and patient for all the opportunities and adventures that await us.

Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: TIFT MERRITT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS