1. |
Let 'Em Ride
03:27
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He drove BC Rail 3716 out of Pemberton barrelin’ down the track
Said the best thing that I know ‘bout drivin’ them trains is you pull the throttle and never look back
For the 35 years that he was an engineer he’s brought many folks far and wide
And his motto for dealin’ with train hoppin' hobos is they got it rough, then we’ll always let ‘em ride
We'll Let 'em ride, let 'em ride
All across BC we'll let 'em ride
We'll Let 'em ride, let 'em ride
We'll bring 'em where they need to be, we'll let 'em ride
We'll let 'em ride
A hobo had hopped on a train bound for Rupert for there's many jobs in the port
FOR? The engineer had found him ridin' in a chip car in shambles and all out of sorts
His face was all black from the dirt on the train, his clothes were tattered and torn
But the engineer smiled at that train hoppin' hobo and he said come ride in the engine where it's warm
We'll Let 'em ride, let 'em ride
To the North West coast we'll let 'em ride
We'll Let 'em ride, let 'em ride
And we'll hope he gets good luck on his side
We'll let 'em ride
Where the mountain goats are plenty and the snow flies early and the winters they are so cold
There lived a man in a cabin, engineers knew him well, stories of him they have told
But one winter proved to be too much for that man, for in his cabin they found he had passed
They took his body to the train he had ridden many times, this time it would be his last
We'll Let 'em ride, let 'em ride
To his family so they could say goodbye
We'll Let 'em ride, let 'em ride
To his final resting place, we'll let him ride
We'll let 'em ride
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2. |
Tete Jaune Road
04:13
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I was born on the Tête Jaune Road
In a stand of trees where the willow grows
In a little house made of earth and wood
Is a place that I call home for good
In seventy-five the wind came down
Tore the trees right from the ground
When they’d all been taken away
You could see the hole from outer-space
You could see the hole from outer-space
Darlin’ you were in my moon
But you set behind the hill too soon
So now I stumble in the dark
Waitin’ for the mornin’ lark
Yes I'm waitin’ for the mornin’ lark
Johnny come from Belingham
He ran away from Vietnam
Now he lives down in Dome Creek
Makes his livin’ haulin’ trees
Yeah he makes his livin' haulin' trees
Well the days are long and the sun rolls high
With the fireweed and the chamomile
So I took a job at the Penny mill
When spring had come I had my fill
When that spring had come, I had my fill
We slash and burn at harvest time
Plant the pine and spruce in lines
But the forest ain’t no work of man
We’re just another grain of sand
Yeah we're just another grain of sand
The slow cold burn of rotting leaves
Feeds the hunger of the seed
Where deep inside a memory waits
For the day to cast it’s shade
A whistle blows right through my mind
Standing in the hiring line
I pay my taxes when I can
But I won’t let them take my land
I was born on the Tête Jaune Road
In a stand of trees where the willow grows...
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3. |
Lorne Creek Mountain Man
03:07
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There lives a man way up Lorne Creek, far in the woods and seldom seen
But you might catch him by the railroad tracks in a worn out coat and old grey slacks
Workin' as a trapper doin' what he can, he's the Lorne Creek mountain man
Makin' a livin' from the goldpan, he's the Lorne Creek mountain man
Met him on a train headed out west, said "the mountain life's tough but its the best
I got everything I need in my twelve foot shack, I know the modern life and I'll never go back"
Workin' as a trapper doin' what he can, he's the Lorne Creek mountain man
Makin' a livin' from the goldpan, he's the Lorne Creek mountain man
One time a raven had a broken leg, so he fashioned him a wooden peg
And afterwards that raven stuck around with the new mountain friend that he had found
Workin' as a trapper doin' what he can, he's the Lorne Creek mountain man
Makin' a livin' from the goldpan, he's the Lorne Creek mountain man
He's allied with the keepers of the land, pays respect to the Gitxsan
And he ain't into that corporate mining, he'd defend the land or die tryin'
He's workin' as a trapper doin' what he can, he's the Lorne Creek mountain man
Makin' a livin' from the goldpan, he's the Lorne Creek mountain man
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4. |
Grandson of Farmers
03:51
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My father is a tradesman, his dad before him too
Before Grandad took up his tools he'd farmed a whole life through
And I go down, down to where I'm from
The spring wheat hadn't ripened but he left behind his plow
And hit the road into the west with one son underground
I go down, down to where I'm from
'Cause I'm the grandson of farmers
I got soil in my veins
From the Rhine River Valley
To the Saskatchewan plains
And toil as I must to learn a forgotten way
I put my hands into the land and pray, oh, that I can stay
The oldest of her sisters worked by her mother's side
She never feared or worried 'cause she knew it'd be alright
And I go down, down to where I'm from
The soldiers cross the river, their footprints in the sand
Were a mark of a beginning of a war against the land
And I go down, down to where I'm from
Early in the morning I cross that river wide
I work another day with pay I got nothing here to hide
I go down, down to where I'm from
They're cookin' down wood fibre, you see it tread the sky
Someday I'll have a piece of land, my children by my side
And I go down, down to where I'm from
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5. |
Lookin' for a Home
04:20
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Burnin' on down the highway, one hand in the wind
I'll tell you somethin', I gotta find a way to pay my bills
There's a man down in Bulkley Junction, said I could find work here if I try
I tell him with a smile, well I don't drink my blood is dry.
Lookin' for a home
Lookin' for a home
I'll find it, if I try
A place to lay my bones
A family to call my own
I'll find it, if I try
It's a helpless situation, and it's an awful god-damn shame
When I tell the story, it makes me feel I've gone insane
I loved you when you're tired, baby, I loved you when you're sad
Oh baby I loved you, when you took everything I had.
When the darkness greets the mornin', I'll stand and face the sun,
I'll tell her all my secrets, I tell her all the things I wish I’d done
'Cause it's the money that keeps me movin', and it's the movin' that keeps me sane
But sometimes in the evenin', I get that old familiar pain.
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6. |
Hammer and the Rail
04:13
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Won't you take me up the Fraser River?
The air is cold and the aspens shiver
Hey, I get some peace of mind
All I have is what I carry
I’ll build a home for the woman I marry
Oh, in my good time
'Cause I took the train from Nova Scotia
Sailed across the stormin' sea
Left the land that bore my family name
For the nail, the hammer, and the rail
I'm the youngest of my seven brothers
They broke their bread and left me lone to wander
Hey, I look across the sky
I trade my wings for a workman's wages
The days they pass me like I'm flippin' pages
Hey, Oh I get a worried mind
Well my fists are closed and my heart's wide open
I walked outside and not a word was spoken
Hey, you watch it all unwind
'Cause we built our homes on a cemetery
The stones are gone but the graves are empty
Hey, you look and you can find
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7. |
Pourin' Rain
03:38
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It's been nothing but heat since I don't know when
The sun is blazin' on Palling bluffs in love is where I been
And the rosehips are ready to pick as summer starts to wane
Well you plant your lips and move your hips well it ain't no ball and chain!
Oh baby
Hit me with the pourin' rain
Don't want the sun to shine, don't want the wind to blow
Hit me with the pourin' rain'
Thunder and lightning, passion's in our head
the rain it pours but we both want more, it's easier done than said
And the engine's boiling over, you're feeling like a runaway train
Sex is the coal that makes you rattle and roll, it ain't no ball and chain!
Oh baby
Hit me with the pourin' rain
Don't want the sun to shine, don't want the wind to blow
Hit me with the pourin' rain'
Clouds a-thunderin' and passion's in our head
the rain it pours but we both want more, it's easier done than said
And that lightning lights up the night, a release we can't contain
Call it love or call it what you will but it ain't no ball and chain!
Oh baby
Hit me with the pourin' rain
Don't want the sun to shine, don't want the wind to blow
Hit me with the pourin' rain'
Just hit me with the pourin' rain'
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8. |
Shady Money
03:17
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I got money think I'm gonna spend it
I got money think I'm gonna spend it
I got money think I'm gonna spend it, spend it all on you
Well I'm tired of being poor, tired of livin' on the ground
Found me a dollar bill I'm headed way downtown
Gonna buy a brand new house and a big black Cadillac
All you call me Johnny Cash, ain't nothing that I lack
I got money think I'm gonna spend it
I got money think I'm gonna spend it
I got money think I'm gonna spend it, spend it all on you
Oh now I don't wanna be a man up in tower
Saving all his riches 'til his final living hour
When I got some money I'm gonna spread it all around
See me comin' down the road with that jinglin' janglin' sound
I got money think I'm gonna spend it
I got money think I'm gonna spend it
I got money think I'm gonna spend it, spend it all on you
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9. |
Broke Hustler Blues
04:01
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Well a-hundrded hours of workin', seems I cannot get ahead
Well the man says tell you something, "You're gonna work here 'til you're dead"
And I drink my coffee black, leave my dreamin' in my bed
I'm tryin' to survive these Broke Hustler blues
Now boss man says nothing, he just stares me in the eye
I'm feelin' like walking or I might just break down and cry
Guess I'm headed for the basement, don't you worry I'll be fine
'Cause I'm trying to survive the Broke Hustler blues
My heart is full of sadness and my belly's full of wine
You know drinking and working is bound to get you in a bind
Now my body's achin', I'm goin' out of my mind
I'm tryin' to survive these Broke Hustler blues
Yes, I'm tryin' to survive these Broke Hustler blues
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10. |
Gypsy Soul
04:10
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Well it was dark and it was snowing in an empty highway town
I watched them storm clouds rollin’, they howled curses at the ground
Through a hidden door she took me, led me by a gentle hand
A whisper like mountain sage smoke, said “better run now while you can”.
She’ll fly away
Like a bird from her cage
She has your heart
She gonna tear it apart
She's got a Gypsy soul!
I felt as though I was falling, plummeting out of control
Her presence was all consuming, and it grabbed me by the scruff of my soul
We made love like the world was on fire, I was drunk on the smell of her skin
The devil didn’t even bother hiding, he knew he was safe well within.
Every night I am awoken by a fitful and restless sleep
This curse that binds my subconscious mind lets her wander into my dreams
When they lay me in the casket, when they bury me deep in the ground
Speak these words at my funeral, to warn any fool left in town.
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Black Spruce Bog Prince George, British Columbia
With roots set deep in the northern soil, Black Spruce Bog brings a sound and tells the stories of people and the land they live on. The mossy floor of a spruce bog is not an easy place to thrive; but with the right mix of rhythm, rhyme, and ruckus, any sapling can find the light. ... more
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