Red Poppies

This is a song that has been with me in various forms for many years. I wrote the original version thinking of my grandfathers who came to Canada from the Ukraine. One of the things that the Ukrainian immigrants brought with them was red poppy seeds. I remember my grandfather growing these beautiful red poppies in his garden. The flowers were not grown only for their beauty, however. They were grown for their seeds. The poppy seeds were used in cakes and breads and some other dishes for their sweetness. In a time that was very difficult, cold, and hard, the poppy seeds would provide some sweetness in their lives—especially around Christmas and Easter time.

I also wrote this as a simple love story where a man goes down to the creek to meet his sweetheart. But, really is there anything better in life than that? If so, I haven’t found it yet. There are many Ukrainian folk songs like this. They are beautiful melodies but very simple lyrics. I am emulating that kind of Ukrainian folk tradition with this song.

I almost always play this song in my live shows. With the band, it becomes a Hendrix-like rock song whereas solo, it becomes a minor-keyed ballad. This is the rock version!

Red Poppies

Verse 1:

Quarter mile down a road, she waits to meet him;

On a bridge by a creek, day’s complete;

Sun paints the sky springtime orange.

She fills with joy, birds softly sing...

Chorus:

Red poppies growing, wheat fields blowing,

We planted a seed, watch it growing.

I have my freedom, looking over the prairie,

In the grace and beauty of it all.

Verse 2:

He’s been working all day breaking prairie,

On a ten-dollar claim, fields he made

The work is done, he’s going to see his love

As the sun, settles low.

Repeat Chorus:

Red poppies growing, wheat fields blowing,

We planted a seed, watch it growing.

I have my freedom, looking over the prairie,

In the grace and beauty of it all.

Instrumental break:

Repeat Chorus 2x

Instrumental Coda:

Love

In the summer of 2010 I went on a pilgrimage to find the original site where the Manitou Stone rested for centuries until the McDougall family removed it from its sacred location. If you know my music, you know that the story of the Manitou Stone is one that keeps compelling me in various ways. Please view my video of the song on my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/marvmachura.

When I was up on the hill where the Manitou Stone originally rested, I started to play guitar and the first words of the song just came to me: “One God, one law, one rule—love.” The rough outline of the song was finished within the hour.

In my opinion, this is one of my best songs because it has so few words but says everything I want it to say—and is a statement of my life-long mantra: “make the most of every moment.”

Love

Verse 1:

One God; One law, one rule, that’s all.

One touch, one kiss, one life, that’s it.

Love…

Verse 2:

One boy, one girl, that’s all, the world.

One time, one line, one touch to find

Love…

Refrain:

No use in turning around when you finally found

Love…

Bridge:

Reach out you’ll see;

Heaven’s waiting for you and me!

Verse 3:

One life, one way, one chance, don’t wait

Love…

Refrain:

No use in turning around when you finally found

Love…

Coda:

You found love

Don’t turn around

Love…

I Want You

This song is a straight-ahead rock song about sex. But perhaps it’s not so straightforward? The connotations and religious allusions are deliberate. Sexual desire and sexual satisfaction are two of the most potent parts of our spirit. Sex can never be fully divorced from its spiritual meaning. And when it is, unhappiness usually results—and this is certainly NOT a sad song! Cheers! And enjoy your sexuality in healthy ways!

I Want You; I Need You

Verse 1:

Just my kind, freedom’s child, hair blowing in the wind;

Let’s do it again; it’s not a sin; let the rapture begin!

Chorus:

I want you; I need you; I can’t stop thinking about you. (2x)

Verse 2:

Dance with me; don’t care who’s near; you have no fear;

Hold me close like your holy ghost and whisper in my ear.

Repeat Chorus:

I want you; I need you; I can’t stop thinking about you. (2x)

Bridge:

Sacrifice is worth the pain;

This is why we came…

Repeat chorus:

I want you; I need you; I can’t stop thinking about you. (2x)

Instrumental Break:

Verse 3:

Take me down, one more time; I want to taste your scent;

Be swept away in this passion play and not come down yet.

Repeat Chorus:

Instrumental Coda:

Seventeen

This song is one of those songs that has taken twenty or more years to write. I typically only write songs that come to me in a flash of inspiration—I’m not the kind of writer that sits around with a pen and paper just to see what comes out. The flash for this song has been waiting in the wings for a long time and there have been many attempts to get it right.

This is a love song about growing up in a rough (and poor) part of town, falling in total and complete love with a beautiful girl, planning a beautiful future together—but having it all taken away. The drugs and booze, the cars and the parties, the pride, the desire, the dreams, etc…of a young man also from the neighbourhood: a tragic story that has unfolded itself to me too many times.

Seventeen

Verse 1:

She was just 17, a teenaged beauty running free

On the tough side of town, dreaming life out loud.

We fell in love; promised never to give up;

Burning like falling stars,

Fire and lightning in our hearts.

Chorus 1:

Every word was true; things we’d say and do

On the outskirts of town;

Starring at the stars; talking heart to heart;

She’d never let me down…

Verse 2:

But too many drugs and too much booze,

And that crowd that I knew;

Had it all in a paper cup; riding on pride and luck.

Chorus 2:

Had a Chevy 62, painted metallic blue

Cruising round at the top of the world.

Tires squealing breaking glass—it happened so fast

The night I lost that girl.

Instrumental Verse

Verse 3:

I carried on from day to day;

It wasn’t my fault that’s what they say;

Life can just fall apart; how do you fix a broken heart?

Chorus 3:

Every word was true; things we’d say and do;

On the outskirts of town;

Starring at the stars; talking heart to heart

She never let me down…

Coda:

She was just 17, a teenaged beauty running free

But it was plain to me; my heart was gone and I believed.

I Love the Rain

Where I live, in the dry prairie/parkland of Alberta we do not get much rain or moisture during the summer months. As a result, when it rains, it is usually a good thing. The dust gets settled and there is a wonderful sound and smell coming from the ground that takes a deep and satisfied drink.

Also this song is about finding love after a long period of “dryness” –as in not having someone to hold, someone to love. And of-course, we are typically happiest in those first few weeks of finding it! Much like the first few days of rain after a long drought.

I Love the Rain

Verse 1

A couple years of drought have gone by

The sun has baked the land so dry

But now it’s started to rain.

A broken heart, a broken home

A couple years spent all alone

But now that’s started to change.

I see you standing in the rain

And I’m falling in love again!

Chorus

I love the rain falling down

Washing tear drops down

Everything feels brand-new

In the summer time in this prairie town

Let the rain come pouring down

Do you feel it too? ….I love the rain.

Verse 2

No dust hanging in the air

Splashing water everywhere

Walking down the lane

Don’t have to say much

I feel it in your touch

In the rhythm of the rain

Let me kiss you one more time

And feel your heart beat close to mine!

Repeat chorus

Coda

I love the rain falling down

Washing the teardrops down

Only You

I write songs typically about things in my life that are true and good. This is one of them. Once in a lifetime we might be lucky enough to find that special person who moves us so much that we literally lose our breath in the embrace and kiss.

Only You

Verse 1:

In my dreams, searching for you…

Now it seems, my dreams have come true!

Chorus:

Only you, take my breath away

Only you, know just what to say

Only you, in a moment like this

When we kiss—only you!

Verse 2:

Hold me close, so complete.

Love’s the most, and I can’t breathe!

Chorus:

Only you, take my breath away

Only you, know just what to say

Only you, in a moment like this

When we kiss—only you!

Bridge:

I have been drifting, lonely and blue

How did I know, I was searching for you!

Instrumental:

Coda:

Only you in a moment like this

When we kiss, only you.

Connie

The change of season from fall to winter in Alberta where I live is always a spiritual time. I typically love the embracing resonance of the first snow. I will spend hours outside walking as the snow starts to fall.

But not everyone feels this way.

The song addresses this problem in a very tragic way with Connie leaving the land and her boyfriend. The boyfriend walks out into the snow, looking over the frozen fields, realizing how empty they are and how empty he feels. But somehow the land heals him and reminds him of who he is and what he stands for. He knows he can never give up. He will leave the farm (or quit the music business) only when the big Guy or Gal up there calls him away. But for now, he’ll stay where he is—he can still write one more song!

Connie

Verse 1:

Connie is leaving, leaving today: she said I’m just dreaming

As she turned and walked away;

Snow was falling; she laid it on the line;

She said I’m wasting my time.

Verse 2:

We were going to make it, on the land

But everybody’s moved away; they’re working for the man;

We’d sing and dance all night; play until the dawn

When the town was our own.

Chorus:

Connie is leaving, leaving today;

She said I’m just dreaming as she turned and walked away.

Verse 3:

I follow my foot prints, down the fence line.

The first winter storm may change her mind.

Give me one good year. Pay for one more show.

This time I won’t let go.

Chorus:

Connie is leaving, leaving today.

She said I’m just dreaming as she turned and walked away

Here I stand; here I stay;

Carry on; there aint no other way.

Coda:

I’m still hanging in;

I can write another song;

Connie’s leaving, she’s gone.

I’m not prepared for this: the winter’s coming on

And Connie is leaving,

She said I’m dreaming;

Connie is leaving, she’s gone.

Vancouver

For a boy growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, Vancouver often represents a type of escape from the small-town, narrow-mindedness of his home. It basically comes down to the question: “Who do you think you are?!” People here don’t like to stick out.

For example, I know that to call myself “Edmonton’s hottest folk rocker” is a type of kiss-of-death here. But on the other hand, everything is a kind of kiss-of-death here. To “make it” you have to leave. So I keep using it as a kind of irony: but I’m sure not too many people get it.

Nevertheless, when a person leaves Alberta for Vancouver, the city has a way of kicking your ass and destroying your dreams. And to make it worse—it is so damn wet!

I am deliberately alluding to one of Ian Tyson’s songs “Alberta’s Child” in this song: that was one of the songs that set me on the course that I am continuing to follow over 20 years later.

Vancouver

Verse 1:

I left Alberta headed out in the rain

Made the coast in a day

Parked my truck near the beach on English Bay

As daylight was fading away

Verse 2:

I had a vision, I had a dream

You would meet me by the sea

I guess I’m happy now, still wild and free

Waiting just for me

By this western sea

Chorus

In Vancouver, where it’s raining down, in Vancouver

Verse 2

I see the big grey ocean

Cold and wet by the shore

City lights are starting to shine

And I’ll try once more

By this western shore

Repeat Chorus

Instrumental Break

Verse 3:

Ride with me Jesus help me carry the load

Across the great divide

I might go to Hell, but I’ll come back alive—reckless and wild.

Repeat chorus

Instrumental Chorus coda

Too Much Drinking

This song owes a lot to the music of Fred Eaglesmith—and artist whom I consider as one of the best performing songwriters ever.

But, I suppose it also owes a lot to my own life and things I do and things I don’t do! Plain and simple!

TOo Much Drinking

Verse 1:

Do you think I’m doing too much drinking?

Do you think I’m acting like a fool?

Do you think I’m smoking too much marijuana?

Do you think it’s all because of you?

Verse 2:

I stopped wondering why you left me.

Couldn’t figure it out any way!

I thought we’d always be together,

And that you’d never stray.

Chorus:

I’m not out of control; I’m not wasting away;

‘though I’m crashing and burning almost everyday

I like a good smoke, give me a beer, whiskey and a toke

And save it for another day.

Verse 3:

I see you’re wearing those new dresses,

And the short skirts again.

You’re not drinking like we used to,

And you found a new friend.

Repeat Chorus 2x

I’m not out of control; I’m not wasting away;

‘though I’m crashing and burning almost everyday

I like a good smoke, give me a beer, whiskey and a toke

And save it for another day.

Coda

And save it for another day!

Woods of the Cree

I have no First Nations Blood flowing in my physical body. Both my mother and father are first generation Canadians whose parents came to Alberta in the early 1900s as part of the great wave of Eastern European immigrants (the men in sheepskin coats). However, I don’t feel much connection to the soil and rocks and trees of the Ukraine. This is (Alberta) where I was born and where I hope to die and be buried. I am only spiritually connected to that great line of people who were born, lived, and died here in the thousands of years before the settlement. Often when I am walking in the woods and fields around my home, I can feel the spirits of all those amazing ancestors who walked these woods—and it is good feeling! I want to join those spirits someday. It is part of who I am as an Albertan—even if was not born into these tribes. (Note: “Great Bear” is the Cree/Blackfoot name for the big dipper.)

Woods of the Cree

Verse 1:

The northern lights are awesome sight,

Dancing in the snow and moonlight.

The wind is still, I can hear for miles,

The spirits of the North keep on crying.

Refrain 1:

Ride with the wind; move with the moon;

Great bear above, coyote and wolf.

Chorus:

Hey Ya! Can you hear my voice deep in the woods of the Cree?

Hey Ya! Can you take me away from a heart so strong and free?

Refrain 2:

Woooo….

Verse 2:

The whitetail deer, snowy owl, raven and muskrat lying low:

My footsteps aren’t the only sound, the spirits of the North are all around.

Refrain 3:

Ride with the wind; move with the moon.

Great bear above, coyote and wolf.

Repeat chorus

Repeat refrain 2

Bridge:
I walk across the snowy field;

I can almost touch the stars tonight.

And I feel the spirits around me, dancing in these lights.

Repeat Chorus 2x

Repeat Refrain 2

Coda:

Hey-ya!

Warm Summer Night

Verse 1

Bonfire burning down by the riverside

On a warm summer night

You were standing there

Firelight in your long dark hair

Stars reflecting in your eyes.

Verse 2

Sixteen, trying to be cool

Young hearts beating true

Filled with life and desire

Tonight we’d find each other

Swear there’d never be another

As the flames burned higher.

Chorus

On a warm summer night in a northern town

We fell in love as the stars looked down

Your hand in my hand never felt so right

On a warm summer night.

Repeat Chorus

Verse 3

Time goes on, too many years have gone

We live separate lives.

But now and then, we remember again

When everything turned out so right.

Repeat Chorus

Bridge

It felt like a dream

Young, trembling, as shy as can be

Repeat Chorus

Hold You

Verse 1 (Marv)

December in the North of Alberta’s oil patch

Days are short and dim, nights long and black.

Working for the man, tearing up Indian land,

Raking up black gold that’s never coming back.

I wasn’t looking for love

But it found me

Under these starry skies and it won’t let me be.

Chorus (Together)

I want to hold you in my arms

And tell you the secrets inside me too long

I-I-I’ve been waiting too long

I-I-I want to hold you now

Verse 2 (Ann)

I came to the north from Southern Ontario

Working in the camps and I miss my home

We’re not supposed to kiss out here… but they’ll never know

Under the northern lights and sparkling snow

Repeat chorus

Bridge

Let’s save all our money and get out of here (Marv)

Buy a place out west (Ann) we can do it in a year. (together)

Repeat chorus

Coda

I’ve been waiting too long (Ann)

I want to hold you now. (Marv)

I want to hold you now (together)

Badlands

Verse 1

It’s hotter than a snake in the desert sun

I’m wet with sweat before the day’s begun

I got to be moving on.

But tell me why, why, why?

My gut hurts and I can’t sleep

I stay in the shadows out on the streets

Feels like I’m always on the run.

Chorus

Badlands, I got my hat nailed on.

Badlands, I’ll carry on.

Riding through the badlands, as tough as I can

And I could die, die, die,

But I’ll ride, I’ll ride, I won’t give up

Like a good horse, I’ll keep standing up

And make it through the badlands… through the badlands.

Verse 2

The sky is blue, the day is clear

Breakfast is a burger and beer

I still have your picture over there

But look at me try, try, try.

To save myself—it’s alright

I’m going: into the light.

Heading through the badlands to a new frontier.

Instrumental

Verse 3

It’s hard to find a love that’s true

I guess she never knew

The way I feel, why I do what I do

But tell me why, why, why,

Does it come down to this same end?

Same old story again and again.
We keep on riding, riding, riding through.

Chorus Variation

Badlands, with our hats nailed on.

Badlands, we’ll carry on.

Riding through the badlands, as tough as we can

And I could die, die, die,

But I’ll ride, I’ll ride, I won’t give up

Like a good horse, I’ll keep standing up

And make it through the badlands… through the badlands.

Repeat chorus

Coda

Worst Blizzard

Where I live, in Edmonton, Alberta, we get a few bad blizzards every year. The days are grey and almost lightless and the wind howls. When darkness falls around 4 or 5 o’clock, the grey sky comes alive with the streetlights. The streetlights reflect the falling and blowing snow in wondrous patterns that I have always liked to watch from the window of my house. There is something incredible about sitting out a blizzard in one’s own house by yourself and/or with someone else. This song captures some of that feeling.

The Worst Blizzard

Verse 1:

Cold wind blowing, snow falling around my home.

Look out my window; can’t see the road,

And it’s been blowing hard all day

Now the light is fading away.

Verse 2:

I know you’re out there;

Living somewhere;

You left, a couple years ago.

I’m doing fine, but there are times

When I’m feeling low,

And the wind blows colder.

Chorus:

Its the worst blizzard in years.

The worst blizzard since you were here.

Holding each other so tight

As the snow fell around us that night.

Verse 2:

Street lights shine, snow blows by

The sky looks alive.

By the morning, it’ll stop snowing,

And the drifts will be so high:

The wind blowing colder…

Repeat Chorus

Coda:

It’s the worst blizzard in years.

The worst blizzard since you were here.

But, I’ll get along; I’ll be alright,

As the snow falls around me tonight.

Burn the House Down

This song had its beginnings a jam riff that I like to play on my loop machine while I wailed away at some screaming rock and blues leads. Once the feeling of the music took hold of me, the song more-or-less wrote itself. And, in many ways it expresses my feeling about enjoying the moment and making the most of every moment and how that magical, mystical and very special love can exist between a man and a woman! Rock and Roll...

Burn the House Down

Verse 1

In the sunshine, in the rain

I want to do that again

I don’t want a mystery

There are some things I just want to see

Refrain 1

Come over, baby; we’re going to burn the house down!

There’s no stopping us now; we’re going to burn it to the ground.

Verse 2

Some people talk; some people move.

I like the rhythm and you do too.

Round the corner, we’ll duck out of sight

Just you and me, in the firelight.

Refrain 2

Come over, baby; we’re going to burn the house down!

And I’m on fire right now; we’re going to burn it to the ground.

Instrumental Break

Verse 3

Have you seen yourself for a while

In the moonlight you’re driving me wild

Come closer I want you to know

When I hold you, I can’t let go!

Repeat Refrain 1

Coda

There’s no stopping us now; we’re going to burn it to the ground!

Flying Away

This song is a love song: about the love that exists between a father and daughter. Although the daugther must grow up and "fly away" it is not like other love songs. It is a different kind of love. And it can be a very strong love that never fades away or "flies away"...it just keeps growing and changing as life unfolds with all its wonders. It is loosely based on my own life and daughter whom I am blessed with having. Fathers have to know how to let go of their daughters: to help them become women--even if means "losing your little girl"...you are going to know your daughter as a woman a lot longer than you will know her as a little girl. Go ahead girl..."reach for the sky...sing, dance, be happy in your womanhood, and carry on the dance with the next generation..."

Flying Away

Verse 1:

I watched you come into the world, a precious baby girl:

Your life had just begun.

Smiling, laughing, full of fun; in every little way,

You brightened up my days.

Verse 2:

I watched you grow; I watched you dance, the days went quickly past;

Now you’re leaving home.

Your bags are packed; time goes forward and not back; you’ll soon be on your own.

Chorus:

Flying away, find your wings, it’s everything

I want to hear you sing.

In the skyway, beyond the clouds

You’re on your way; flying away.

Verse 3:

The planes are all on time, waiting here in line, tears start to fall

Blue sky above, back home, there is love: so don’t forget to call.

Bridge:

And this love has no good-byes.

Because it will never die.

Repeat chorus

Coda

You’re flying away you found your wings, I want to hear you sing…

You’re flying away, flying away… flying away

She's Gone

I love living in the country as opposed to the city. It is the quiet and peace and closeness to nature that gives me time to reflect on life and enjoy every moment. Loosely based on a true story, "She's Gone" is the final song on my Warm Summer Night disc. I think it is a good song to close the disc...

She’s Gone

Verse 1

She’s moving on a train far from home.

I couldn’t hold her down,

She left this town,

She’s gone

Verse 2

She took my heart

With her on that car

Didn’t like the small-town life

Went to those city lights

She’s gone.

Bridge 1

I still see her dark hair shinning in the sun

And feel her hand in mine, as through the fields we’d run

I reach for her, when nighttime comes.

Instrumental

Bridge 2

Walking by the railway line

Couple miles from town

Kicking stones on the ground

Where the golden fields lie

Where she once was mine

Under clear, blue skies…

Verse 3

She moving on, a train far from home

I couldn’t hold her back,

She’s on a one-way track,

She’s gone.

Coda

She’s gone…

Big Hill King

This is a true story that I came across while reading one of the many books by the great Alberta historian: Grant MacEwan. Unfortunately, this story is not well known and there is very little recorded or written record, but as far as I know, every word is true. And it is a story that I think deserves to be told. I feel close to this wolf and love to keep telling her story.

Big Hill King

Verse 1:

Big Hill King was a prairie wolf back in 1873

When big beef cattle ranches ran south of Calgary,

Before barbwire fences, when cowboys rode free;

Big Hill King was the biggest wolf the boys had ever seen.

Verse 2:

In those days cowboys clashed with wolves that roamed the hills;

The Oxley Ranch, alone, took fifty wolves in a year;

Snow was bloody, wolves were running, their time almost gone,

But Big Hill King stood her ground, she would not be brought down.

Chorus:

Big Hill King was the greatest wolf there’s ever been.

She was pure-blizzard white, long, mean, and thin.

Two hundred dollars if you could take her crown

Aim true and bring her down,

Verse 3:

One time she was spotted by Tongue Creek Coulee,

She had a den and four cubs then when the ranchers came to see.

They shot and killed her mate; two cubs were trampled down,

But Big Hill King escaped; she ran twenty miles into sundown.

--that was carrying her two cubs that lived. (repeat chorus)

Verse 4:

For two years the reward still stood, ‘though they saw her now and again,

Trackers and trappers came and went, but she would always win.

So they hired a man from the U.S.A.; and he followed her for a year,

Then finally brought her in...

(bridge) When they laid her down, a hush fell on the men:

She was almost eight feet long, and so beautiful...

(they said, …repeat chorus ) Aim true and bring her down. (end)

Hockey Town

Hockey Town

Verse 1:

I grew up in a hockey town; I’m still hanging around;

I have no plans to move away.

There’s a hockey game tonight; she’s coming to see me play,

I know this is the way.

Verse 2:

Me and her go back, to my high school days

When I played Junior A.

We married at twenty-one; now we have two sons,

And yes, they play the game.

Chorus:

In a hockey town, life goes round with the seasons,

Let the snow fall down, living in a hockey town.

In a hockey town love goes down; wheels keep turning around and around

Living in a hockey town, keep me in a hockey town.

Bridge:

All my dreams are right here; I see everything so clear.

Repeat chorus, coda.

Diamonds for Fields of Clover

Diamonds For Fields of Clover

Verse 1:

It’s been a long cold winter, working way up north,

Digging diamonds out of the rocky, frozen earth,

It’s springtime on the prairies, five more weeks—I’ll be there too,

I swear to God this time I’ll buy some land with the money that’s in my hands.

Chorus:

I’ll trade you diamonds for fields of clover, rocks for green, growing land,

Leaves, trees, and bumble bees, her hand in my hand.

I’d give everything in this diamond mine for that farmhouse on a hill…

Diamonds for fields of clover and that love I’d have still.

Verse 2:

How many years have I kept saying, I’d save my money this time.

Not blow it all on fancy pick-up trucks, drugs, women, whiskey and wine.

I’d come down south every summer with plans that just fell through,

In the bars of good-old Edmonton like I had nothing better to do. –then trade you

diamonds... (repeat chorus)

Bridge:

This time I have to do; I don’t want to come up here no more.

Though they pay us so damn much money, it’s not worth it anymore.

(repeat chorus)

Coda:

Diamonds for fields of clover and that love I’d have still.

CN Grain Train

The CN Grain Train

Verse 1:

I like trains as much as Fred Eaglesmith; I like them big or small.

But the train I’m talking about is the best train of all….it’s a…

Chorus 1:

A CN grain train, with two diesels on.

A CN grain train, and a150 cars.

A CN grain train, golden wheat painted on the side, of a CN grain train.

Verse 2:

When cars come back from the coast empty as my heart,

Farmers on the fields bring the harvest in.

It doesn’t take long to fill them up and send them on their way,

Headed west to Vancouver, or east to Thunder Bay.

Chorus 2:

On a CN grain train, just two men drive her down.

A CN grain train, 8000 horsepower strong.

A CN grain train, golden wheat painted on the side of a CN grain train.

Bridge:

Pounding along the rails, pounding along the tracks

Fifteen thousand tons of grain headed for Japan.

Verse 3:

When I see that train go by, I think about our land,

I wonder how many acres fills the train up.

Golden wheat waving against a blue prairie sky,

Though Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta.

Chorus 3:

On a CN grain train, golden wheat painted on the side.

A CN grain train, against a clear-blue sky.

A CN grain train; they can really fly; a CN grain train…a CN grain train.

(repeat bridge)

Coda:

…a CN grain train.

Canadian Whiskey

Canadian Whiskey

Verse 1:

Sometimes we take-out Johnny Walker, or George Ballentine,

Sometimes call on Jim Bean and Jack Daniels too,

But we keep coming back to you, O Canada, and our Canadian Club;

There’s something that we love about Alberta Springs, can’t get enough.

Pour me a shot of Crown Royal boys, any day of the week

We gather round my kitchen table and have a drink of Canadian Whiskey

Canadian Whiskey.

Refrain 1:

It’s home-grown, farm-fed, Seagrams, Wisers, Five Star, Three Feathers,

And a Golden Wedding too.

Verse 2:

Sometimes we get crazy; and we get loud.

Our wives can’t understand why we come around for another Cool Canadian

Or Alberta Premium. But the Black Velvet Lady knows, where the Silk Tassel goes.

Pour me a shot from the CN Tower boys; it was raised right here.

From Newfoundland to Victoria, one thing is clear…it’s Canadian Whiskey.

Verse 3:

I wonder why French and English fight when we have a drink like this…

Makes you feel warm inside, O Canada, east to west have a Canadian Club

There’s something that we love about Alberta Springs, we can’t get enough,

Pour me a shot of Crown Royal boys, any day of the week

We gather round my kitchen table and have a drink of Canadian Whiskey.

Yeah Canadian Whiskey

(repeat refrain 1)

Coda:

…how about you…Canadian Whiskey, Canadian Whiskey, Canadian Whiskey.

The Kursk

This is the story of the Russian Submarine, The Kursk. When I first heard the story, I knew it would be a song I had to sing. When I was recording the song it was late at night. The studio felt haunted. I felt that somehow there was a spiritual thing happening--as if the men who heroically died where there with me in the studio making sure I got it right.

The Kursk

Verse 1:

The Kursk was a Russian submarine

That went down in the Barents Sea:

A nuclear monster, big and strong, lying on the ocean ground

Down so deep—thirty men were still alive.

Verse 2:

Commissioned in 1995, the pride of the Russian fleet;

Bigger than a football field is long,

With 28 torpedoes and missiles too,

But something went wrong,

On the bottom of the Barents Sea.

Refrain 1:

A message for the Kremlin, said

"The Kursk is too far gone.

We cannot save her, our navy’s not that strong.

No, our navy is not that strong,

But don’t let the Kursk, die there all alone.

Verse 3:

For six days it was heroic, man.

They did all they can to try to save her

With wits and bravery.

But that can only take a man so far

In this age of technological change.

Try as they might, they couldn’t break through

Though they heard tapping SOS

"Save our souls" on the bottom of the Barents Sea.

Refrain 2 and coda:

When they finally asked for help,

From the old UK.

Time had run out, before they made their way

To the Kursk, lying on the bottom of the sea.

118 men, dying on the bottom of the sea.

God save the Kursk, lying on the bottom of the sea.

The Manitou Stone

The Manitou Stone

Verse 1:

A star fell from the sky and landed in Alberta.

Indians called it the Great Manitou Stone.

Out on the banks of Battle River near present-day Iron Creek.

"Great Spirit placed it there after the flood."

Refrain 1:

They worshipped there with offerings and sacrifices made in the name of the Great Spirit.

Verse 2:

Then the Whiteman came with his own religion.

Missionaries hauled the iron stone away.

They brought it to some field near Edmonton.

No more reverence for the Manitou Stone.

Refrain 2:

Medicine men predicted war, disease, and the end of the mighty buffalo.

Bridge:

These things came to pass:

War of the Blackfoot and Cree,

smallpox, and the end of the mighty buffalo….the mighty Buffalo.

Verse 3:

Now the Manitou is sits in the Provincial Museum.

They call it the 1866 meteorite.

And I visit it there: think about my future.

I pray, I pray, I pray I’ll be alright.

(repeat refrain 1 then coda)

Coda:

The Great Spirit.

David's Song

David’s Song

Verse 1:

David was my friend, and he played guitar a lot better than me.

We started a four-piece band; practiced in my dad’s garage.

We were two starry-eyed kids getting high on rock and roll,

Thinking nothing could hold us down…

Wouldn’t be long before we’d leave this town.

Verse 2:

I went to school; David hit the rails.

He pawned all of his guitars, spent time in jail.

And one night on a tear, his life just slipped away.

I wish you could have heard him play.

Chorus:

It’s not a simple matter when you give up on yourself,

And this crazy life don’t care if you’ve been blessed.

You take your chances, when you play the game.

Verse 3:

Seasons turn to years; I find myself growing old.

I haven’t given up my dreams of records that turn to gold.

I keep on playing; I still love my old guitar.

I want you to play it when I’m gone.

(repeat chorus)

Coda:

David was my friend, and he played guitar a lot better than me;

We started a four-piece band, practiced in my dad’s garage.

Pouring Coffee Drinking Too Much

Pouring Coffee, Drinking Too Much

Verse 1/refrain:

I’m pouring coffee, drinking too much, doing way too many drugs,

Working for peanuts in a coffee shop, sleeping on someone else’s couch.

I have plans; I can get away; I just might leave today:

Go back to school, finish my degree, get a good job eventually.

Bridge 1:

Still don’t know what I want; still don’t know what I need.

And I come from a good home too; I’ve got no excuse.

Sometimes I see it clearly; sometimes it’s all messed up.

But I still have my guitar and a bucket full of luck.

Verse 2/refrain:

I’m pouring coffee, drinking too much, doing way too many drugs,

Working for peanuts in a coffee shop, sleeping on someone else’s couch.

I’ve had jobs; I’ve had school; friends and girlfriends too.

Life’s been good up till now, I just can’t seem to settle down.

Bridge 2:

One of these days I might stay, but for now I’m on my way….

Verse 3/refrain:

I’m pouring coffee, drinking too much, doing way too many drugs,

Working for peanuts in a coffee shop, sleeping on someone else’s couch.

I’m off to Vancouver in a couple of months; I’ve got friends there I can look up.

It won’t be long till I’m singing my songs down in Gastown’s little clubs.

Bridge 3:

Until then…until then…

Coda:

I’ll be pouring coffee, drinking too much, doing way too many drugs,

Working for peanuts in a coffee shop, sleeping on someone else’s couch.

I’m working for peanuts in a coffee shop, sleeping on someone else’s couch.

Baby I'm a Train Wreck

Baby I’m a Train Wreck

Verse 1:

Baby I’m a train wreck, going off of the tracks.

This time I’m so far gone, I don’t think I’m coming back.

I’ve been drinking and I’ve been smoking too,

Like twenty-five thousand tones of diesel crashing through.

Baby I’m a train wreck and I’m falling for you.

Verse 2:

You’re so damn powerful; I can feel you in my blood.

And I can’t put the brakes on I always get messed up.

I should realize some kind of truth,

Unchanging, never-ending, always in the proof.

But baby I’m a train wreck, and I’m falling for you.

Bridge:

I was a kid when the Centennial Train went by; we lived by the CN yards.

Those big diesels, powerful and strong, sometimes went wrong.

And baby I’m a train wreck falling for you.

(repeat verse 1)

Coda:

Baby, I’m a train wreck and I’m falling for you.