1. |
Yukon Gold
03:49
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Beyond the Rockies and Chilcoot Pass
Lies a little Nugget of Northern Class
Heading straight north, you're right on course
To get lost all in her charms
Oh, Whitehorse
Cruise her small shops,
Walk her snowy streets
Strike up some talks with Ontario escapees
The night falls fast, starts to get cold
Stop in to the Inn for a glass
of Yukon Gold
The stories never get old
With a glass of Yukon Gold
The Warm hearts don't mind the cold
You'll never want to leave
So I'm told
Sittin on my own at the open mic
Dan calls me over to have a pint
Into the stories he soon did delve
He went on and on and on
About the war of 1812
His stories never got old
With a pint of Yukon Gold
His Warm hearts don't mind the cold
You'll never want to leave
So I'm told
Now jamming once again with Peggy an Roxx
The life of this town, her very own Jukebox
And into the stories we soon did go
They went on and on and on
Til' well past close
Their songs never get old
With a pitcher of Yukon Gold
Their warm hearts don't mind the cold
You'll never want to leave
You'll never want to leave
You'll never want to leave
Now I'm sold...
On Yukon Gold!
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2. |
Under the Northern Sky
03:58
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Sittin on my cabin stair, breathin cool clean
Feet planted in soft snow, under Orion's glow
I look up high, to where the Raven flies
A silent green, dances before my eyes
Under the Northern Sky
Under the Northern Sky
Snowshoeing late at night, guided by starlight
A fire going to keep us warm, at minus 45 you feel reborn
The moon beats down, on the snow all around
We see just fine, we don't need flashlights
Under the Northern Sky
Under the Northern Sky
A quiet cat stalks the land, tracks take me by the hand
Past steep cliffs and through the old growth, over frozen lakes and through deep dry snow
A new day's end, comes at 3PM, the sky ablaze,
Oh these Winter days....
Under the Northern Sky
Under the Northern Sky
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3. |
Chilcotin Dream
04:10
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Built herself a cabin on the top of a hill
Where the sun beats down and the pines stand still
High above
Red sunrise on Finger Peak,
Cold water running through the Kleene Kleene,
Her Chilcotin Dream
Livin her Chilcotin Dream
Livin her Chilcotin Dream
Outsiders come and escape the rat race,
Mountains bring a quiet smile to their face,
And their hearts
Cowboys wear their finest clothes,
A neighbour needs a hand and everyone goes,
Their Chilcotin Dream
Livin their Chilcotin Dream
Livin their Chilcotin Dream
The Old ways of Buckskin and Teepees,
To childhoods of lake hockey, talking on CB's
To trying times of pipelines and broken treaties,
It's all part, of this beatin heart,
The Chilcotin Dream
She wrote a book and never got it edited,
Took off from Europe and spent the winter here instead,
Built a Lodge and no one ever visited,
It's all part of this beatin heart,
The Chilcotin Dream
No I'm waking up at dawn with the frost all around,
Slept out last night with the dogs on the ground,
Safe and Sound
Now I'm takin in the view of Finger Peak,
Listenin to the roar of the Kleene Kleene
The Chilcotin Dream
Livin my Chilcotin Dream
Livin my Chilcotin Dream
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4. |
Prairie Souls
04:24
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Dropped of at some dusty station,
Waiting in anticipation,
For the voice I heard on the phone
He picked me up in his dirty truck,
Threw my stuff into the truck,
And drove off to stay at his home
A Bison skull marked the lane,
I started to think he was insane,
but it changed the more that we spoke
Oh "drag up a stump, Let's talk for a while,"
He said to me with that bearded smile,
"You know I never finished school,
So Let's just get one thing clear,
and I've lived many's a year,
You know I ain't a fool.
I know the sights, I know the sounds
I grow my food, I hunt these grounds,
Live by my own rules."
His beard blows with the sweetgrass,
His feet move with deer tracks,
His heart beats with that buffalo skin,
And he breathes that prairie wind
Under the sky so grand,
Oh man of the land
I walked into his handmade life,
had the pleasure to meet his wife,
She felt like some long lost Mother,
And all her plants were her friends,
Introduced me to their medicine,
Felt their cure like no other
She talked to me of life and spirits,
And explained that way out here,
It's easier to discover
And her hair blows in the howling prairie wind,
Her feet glide the earth by moccasin,
Her hand brushes through the stall sage,
As she roams the valley,
In her old age
Under the sky so grand,
Oh woman of the land
Well they live in the palace of reclaimed wood,
With hardly a neighbour our in their neighbourhood,
Staying put there til the day they die,
Under that Prairie sky,
On the Fields of green and gold,
Oh Prairie Souls
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5. |
The Griffon
04:59
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Taken by the words whispered of a land out there,
Beyond the ocean fair
Called upon by God then left the life of prayer,
Enchanted by the dare
Oh a vision only you could see,
A journey only luck could bring,
A calling only you did hear
Trailed by your failures and pockets not your own,
Onwards you did go
To make you stand in winter on a shoreline cold and bare,
To build her and prepare
Oh you hacked her from the trees on the spot,
Her rustic glory met the springtime thaw,
When you slipped her home past the rocks
Upstream toward a dream,
So young though she may seem,
Tall and free on the inland sea,
Now a whisper from the deep
A paradise of bounty mirrored on her waters fresh,
Oh Huron's rolling crest
Her gales showed no mercy on the fervid dreams of men,
At the summer's end,
Oh another winter marches on
Ship and crew lost for months,
You scoured the frozen earth to find but none
Upstream toward a dream,
So young though she may seem,
Tall and free on the inland sea,
Now a whisper from the deep
Now I dive below and I see some old remains,
They whispered me your name
"The Griffon still lives on where the light begins to fade",
The endless blue cascade
And the lighthouse danced so red in the night,
As I scan the horizon line,
For to chance her ghost sail on by
Upstream toward a dream,
So young though she may seem,
Tall and free on the inland sea,
Now a whisper from the deep
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6. |
All I've Ever Known
04:31
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I was born on this land,
Of the pine and endless lake,
Raised by ancient hands,
Who knew of the old ways
Now an elder I stand,
On the shores of my birthplace
All I've ever known,
Were the rocky shores of home,
Of first light, where the old trails go,
And how those golden rays and darker days,
Dance the year away
Told by the white man,
To shed my savage ways,
Their school I began,
To learn and integrate,
I'd become a workin man,
Live life their "Normal way",
Well all I've ever known,
Were the rocky shores of home,
Of first light, where the old trails go,
And how those golden rays and darker days,
Dance the year away
So I made up a plan,
To get out of their race,
Go where Spirit Rock stands,
In the last untouched place,
Now the last one I am,
To be Anishnabe
Well All I've ever known,
Were the rocky shores of home,
Of first light, where the old trails go,
And how those golden rays and darker days,
Dance the year away
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7. |
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Standing alone in his kingdom come,
He gazes into the rolling valley hills,
Memories of being on the farm,
Come to him as the light fades with his thrills
He tries to let it go,
There's no place like home
The old log home he'd always known,
Leans and sags in it years alone,
And all the barns that begin to fall,
Let him know, he's gotta make the call,
It's time to leave the homestead,
That Mom and Dad created
Marks in his face tell the story line,
The words he speaks come from another time,
A handbill life shows it's age,
Brother to eleven turning a final page
He tries to let it go,
There's no place like home
The old log home he'd always known,
Leans and sags in it years alone,
And all the barns that begin to fall,
Let him know, he's gotta make the call,
It's time to leave the homestead,
That Mom and Dad created
Weathered boards, weathered hands,
Empty pockets, empty lands,
Shattered windows, broken doors,
Hidden treasure scattered on the floor,
It's time to leave the homestead,
That Mom and Dad created
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8. |
Valley Summer's Night
03:11
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Oh how I long for a fine summer's night,
Up that old dirt road,
Where laughter shines with the firelight,
Til' a weary sunrise glows,
That August moon,
Fades too soon,
'Til we meet again
The songs and the stories pass on and on,
Under smoke drawn near,
Just two left standing in the early dawn,
When first light hits Combermere
That valley gold,
for all to hold,
and bring where we may go
Here for a time,
Under twilight,
Valley summer's night
Visions of some old pioneers
and a lonely cross-cut saw,
reappear when the smoke is clear in their
Fine red mackinaws,
That August moon,
Fades too soon,
'Til we meet again
Here for a time,
Under twilight,
Valley summer's night
That valley gold,
for all to hold,
and bring where we may go
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9. |
Acadiana
02:39
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Instrumental
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10. |
St. Mary's Bay
03:16
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Salt water plenty, and bountiful
Lived on by many a mouth at home,
But now we're fighting, for the gold
Beneath the buoys, down below
There was a time, not long ago\
We shared the waters, the bays and coves
Now we fish for, the whole globe
And for the profits, of CEOs
No one gets their way in St. Mary's Bay
Where the lobster traps are laid
They'll shout and blame, Set the wharf aflame
Each year it's the same
The cops tell us they can't do much,
But watch and take their pay,
How times have change din st. Mary's Bay,
With millionaires at play
We all remember Phil Boudreau, shot for his poaching along the coast
Well what to do when all our woes,
Fall on deaf ears, we're on our own
So I'll dream of days, of smaller boats,
Of simple living, no CEOs
We'd all prosper, here at home,
Upon these waters, they've long since sold
No one gets their way in St. Mary's Bay
Where the lobster traps are laid
They'll shout and blame, Set the wharf aflame
Each year it's the same
The cops tell us they can't do much,
But watch and take their pay,
How times have change din st. Mary's Bay,
With millionaires at play
How times have changed in st. Mary's Bay,
Far cry from yesterday
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11. |
Far From Shore
04:42
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I wanted a boat like my dad,
To live out the dreams we once had,
But boats became trawlers and rigs,
And life on the sea vanished quick
Now buckets fill with rain on the floor,
A cold gale howls at the door,
Walk then I did from the dream,
To earn another living,
Oh I traded the hot rocks that once warmed my bed,
For a heater and plumbing, sound roof overhead,
I sure made ends meet once I walked out the door,
For an illusion of more, I landed so far from the shore
I had for kids of my own,
But found work a long ways form home,
I traded my time for the pay,
The kids all grew up and left the bay,
They traded the bounty for some oil in the sand,
The sea for the scar cut across the mainland,
They sure made ends meet but there's locks on their door,
For an illusion of more,
They landed so far from the shore
Here I stand seventy three,
Catching Smelt when the inland ponds freeze,
Hushed now I gaze pas the foam,
To the dream far adrift I'd once known
Now I'll not trade my boat for some fancy new car,
I'll not give the harbour for a huge parking lot,
I still make ends meet, keep the wolves from the door
How could I want any more, than to live out my days by the shore?
Oh, to live out my days by the shore
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12. |
Tickle Cove
03:14
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Economy crashed years ago,
She's still at home, clinging to her birthplace
Downright stubborn to a fault,
It's home sweet home
Still they keep a plow to the roads
hand to the wharf and shovel to the potholes
Taking care of everything
As they've always done
Still clothes on the line,
Wood in the stove,
Nothing's Changed but the tide
In Tickle Cove
Government came and paid 'em to go,
They were met at once with a hard no
So they struggled on
with no money to show
Still the ghosts stomp their feet
In kitchens bare, through old broken windows
Melodies drift on the breeze
On up the road
Still clothes on the line,
Wood in the stove,
All has changed but the tide
In Tickle Cove
Now the Nets and flakes and traps
Rot in the sun
Left and forgotten
Will they ever feel young hands
Work them again?
Goldrush towns of the west
Now the shacks scattered at the ocean
Will they live to hear
The stories told of them?
Still clothes on the line,
Wood in the stove,
Nothing's Changed but the tide
In Tickle Cove
Still clothes on the line,
Wood in the stove,
All has Changed but the tide
In Tickle Cove
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13. |
Buried in Old St. John's
03:04
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She's a damn cold and blustery town,
When the smoke curls up the beer goes down,
It's a long hard pull til the summer comes round,
And it happens every year the same old way
But this dark wind took them all,
Blowing sideways it didn't really fall,
The whole Avalon was buried in the squall,
When January brought a hurricane
Buried in Old St. John's,
Chips, cheer and old songs,
When Snowmageddon came our way
Buried in Old St. John's,
Chips, cheer and old songs,
Some peace and quiet for as change
It buried the signs and cars and bars,
Ploughs got stuck could't get real far,
Best call in the national guard,
Before we disappear into a bank,
Well life went on in Winter's dawn,
We all made due til the snow was gone,
Wasn't but a week until the noise begun,
Oh why did it ever have to change?
Buried in Old St. John's,
Chips, cheer and old songs,
When Snowmageddon came our way
Buried in Old St. John's,
Chips, cheer and old songs,
Some peace and quiet for as change
"What doesn't kill ya makes you stronger",
I thought I heard a ploughman say,
"Just toss the snow into the harbour,
Everything down there anyway"
The soldiers came and found some wives,
The island set now to double in size,
They dug us out fast then COVID arrived,
Oh but then we were world's safest place!
Buried in Old St. John's,
Chips, cheer and old songs,
When Snowmageddon came our way
Buried in Old St. John's,
Chips, cheer and old songs,
Some peace and quiet for as change
She's a damn cold and blustery town,
When the smoke curls up the beer goes down,
It's a long hard pull til the summer comes round,
And it happens every year the same old way
But this dark wind took them all,
Blowing sideways it didn't really fall,
The whole Avalon was buried in the squall,
When January brought a hurricane
Buried in Old St. John's,
Chips, cheer and old songs,
When Snowmageddon came our way
Buried in Old St. John's,
Chips, cheer and old songs,
Some peace and quiet for as change
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14. |
O'Reilly's Set
03:25
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Instrumental set of three tunes: Sheepskins and Beeswax (Quebecois), Jim Hodder's Reel, Breakwater Boys Breakdown (Newfoundland tunes by Emile Benoit).
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15. |
Pad's Song
04:17
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It was up with the dawning and down to the stage,
And haul on your oil clothes each morn;
Put your nine-foot oars across her
and leave the land behind,
Head her out through the fog on the scend.
And 'twas haul all day in the cross handed way,
And hope that the dogfish wouldn't run;
Curse the old black punt
just to keep your spirits high,
Keep your eye to the westward for the squall.
Now, the cross-handed set was the Paradise way,
It was slow, but the man was on his own;
And you owed no man a penny,
bought your 'baccy with cod oil,
And your pride was in the strength of your arm.
As the years they passed by
there were three daughters born,
With no sign of a boy coming on;
But your woman didn't worry,
she was young and fair and strong,
And she smiled from her garden on the hill.
Then with two boys born and coming into their own,
All your comrades went chasing a dream;
And ya died never knowing of
the wealth that you have done,
For it's only now it started to be seen.
And 'twas haul all day in the cross handed way,
And hope that the dogfish wouldn't run;
Curse the old black punt
just to keep your spirits high,
Keep your eye to the westward for the squall.
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16. |
The Wealth of Labrador
03:12
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I have travelled over the mountains,
Viewed the Labrador Sea,
I have travelled the old traplines,
My Father left for me,
Now the world is changing,
You might ask "what will become of me?",
I was born a trapper's son,
And so I shall always be.
There are good years and bad ones,
But still I'll not complain,
If I fail this winter,
Next year I'll just try again,
The earth she gives and takes away,
Her gifts I do receive,
For all I have I am thankful,
For I have most all I need
Those who live so far away,
Might think that I am poor,
But I don't want their sympathy,
Of this they can be sure,
For I am richer than many,
Though money I might rarely see,
I have a good life here as a trapper,
My good friends and family.
The value of life is made in the mind,
So wealthy then I must be,
Living here on the Labrador,
I'm as rich as ever I'll be,
Oh Labrador, dear Labrador!
Home you are to me,
You share the wealth ion your forests,
Mountains rivers and sea,
And home you are to me!
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Adam Ruzzo
My original music springs from my experiences roaming Canada; stories of folks who live unapologetically, a simple and rewarding life; living on the edge, from the North West Territories, to Newfoundland. I find inspiration in the wild landscapes of Canada, including Algonquin Park and through my original compositions, try to convey musically the awe inspiring beauty so evocative of these places. ... more
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