Tournament of Hearts
The Weakerthans Lyrics

Now the lounge is full of farmers for the 7:30 draw
The bar is full of farmers here to participate in the curling tournament.

Teammates all left before they had to buy a round
The team members left before it was their turn to buy drinks so they could avoid spending money.

When they pull the 50/50 and I've lost again, I'll go Maybe have one more brown one for the snowy road
When they announce the winner of the 50/50 raffle and the singer hasn't won yet again, they will have one more drink before heading out onto the snowy roads.

All the championship banners going yellow on the wall And my name when it gets closer to last call
All of the old championship banners are turning yellow with age, and it becomes apparent that the artist won't be a champion. As the night goes on, the artist becomes increasingly drunk and his name is called for last call at the bar.

So Elvira brings my bottle, hold it up and let it bend Figures of two rinks battling in extra ends And I'm peeling off the label as they peel a corner guard Dance down the sheet to the tune of "Hurry, Hurry Hard"
The bartender, Elvira, brings the artist another bottle of alcohol. The artist watches two curling teams battle it out in extra ends while peeling the label off of their bottle. They start to imagine dancing down the ice to the tune of the classic curling chant "Hurry, Hurry Hard".

And my popcorn squeaks with the question, wonders why I'm not at home Where you wait beside a silent telephone Doodle circles within circles all alone Have to stop myself from climbing on the table full of empties to yell
The singer's popcorn makes a noise, which leads them to question why they are not at home. They imagine someone they care about waiting for them by the phone. Feeling lonely, the singer doodles circles within circles, until they have to remind themselves not to climb on top of the table of empty bottles and yell.

"Why, why can't I draw right up to what I want to say?" "Why can't I ever stop where I want to stay?" I slide right through the days, I'm always throwing hack weight
The singer questions their communication abilities and why they can't seem to express themselves properly. They also wonder why they can't stay in one place or job for long. They feel like they're just going through the motions of life, always using a technique called hack weight in curling to slide through their days.

Right off, no never never ever ever
This repeated phrase represents the growing frustration and hopelessness the artist feels, with no clear solution in sight.

Now the senior Bonspiel winners circa 1963 Are all staring, glaring disapprovingly From their frame in that old photograph
The old Bonspiel tournament winners from 1963 are captured in a photograph and seem to judge the artist with their stares and glares.

And I know you're out there waiting For an answer, I can't give you So tell me
The artist realizes someone in their life is expecting an answer from them, yet they cannot fulfill this request. They plead for the person to tell them what to do.

We roll right through our years We drift right through our months I slide through our days I'm always throwing hack weight Right off, no never never ever ever
The singer reflects on how quickly time seems to pass them by, and how they are always doing the bare minimum to get by, without achieving much of anything. They continue to feel hopeless and frustrated with their life.

Right off, no never never ever never Right off, no never ever never ever Right off, no never never ever ever Right off, no never never ever never Right off, no never never never ever Right off, no never ever never ever Right off, no never never never ever Right off, no never ever never ever
Once more, the artist repeats the same phrase to emphasize their ongoing feelings of hopelessness and frustration.