4.13 Canadian History Through Poetry and Lyrics - Part One

Learning Targets

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to say YES to the following questions.

• Can I understand how exploring text helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world?
• Can I recognize the role of language in personal, social, and cultural identity?

Lyrics

Have you heard of “lyrics” before? Lyrics means “words to a song” – basically poetry put to music. In this lesson, you will explore two songs that reflect Canada's history and help us to better understand our story as a nation.

Structure of songs

Instead of stanzas, songs have verses and a chorus.

• Verse: a verse is like a poetic stanza and often even has a rhyming pattern.

• Chorus: The chorus contains the main idea, or big picture. It is repeated throughout the song.

The first song (on the next page) in this lesson is called “Follow the Drinking Gourd”. As you read it, see if you can determine what the song is about.

Words to know before you read:

Gourd: a fleshy “fruit” with a hard outer skin, also used to create decorative ornaments, or to create drinking containers out of their shells.

Quail: A bird that can be used for food, similar to a chicken (but wild).

Follow the Drinking Gourd

When the sun goes back
and the first quail calls
Follow the drinking gourd
The old man is a-waitin' for to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinking gourd

Chorus:
Follow the drinking gourd,
follow the drinking gourd
For the old man is a-waitin'
to carry you to freedom
Follow the drinking gourd

The river bed makes a mighty fine road,
Dead trees to show you the way
And it's left foot, peg foot, traveling on
Follow the drinking gourd

(Repeat Chorus)

The river ends between two hills
Follow the drinking gourd
There's another river on the other side
Follow the drinking gourd

(Repeat Chorus)

I thought I heard the angels say
Follow the drinking gourd
The stars in the heavens
     gonna show you the way
Follow the drinking gourd

(Repeat Chorus)

A Short History Lesson

Follow the Drinking Gourd is a special set of song lyrics taught to African slaves in the United States in the 1800s that helped them to find their way north to freedom on what is now called the Underground Railroad.

The Underground Railroad was not a railway at all!

The "Underground Railroad" is a metaphor, a name, given to the network of people, homes, and hideouts that African slaves in the southern United States used to escape to freedom in Canada.

"underground" = secret

"railroad" = the way it was used to transport people

There are many hidden meanings in the lyrics of Follow the Drinking Gourd. Imagine if the "slave catchers" knew what the words actually meant!

Close Reading

Instead of a close reading, you can do a close listening (watch a video) to understand the secret codes in this poem. Note: When the narrator says, "our country", she is refering to the United States.

While listening and watching, you can pause to answer the following in your learning guide:

• Who is Peg Leg Joe?
• What is another name for the constellation called, in this song, the drinking gourd?
• What does the phrase, "Dead trees will show you the way", refer to?
• Where did they need to arrive to be truly safe?

A Short History Lesson

In 1867, four provinces joined together to form the new country of Canada. We call this event “Confederation” and many Canadians celebrate its anniversary every year on July 1^st – Canada Day! Over the next several years, other provinces joined in. In 1871, British Columbia decided to join Canada, but only if the Canadian government promised to build a transcontinental railway. British Columbia set a 10-year deadline for the completion of this link to the rest of the country and the Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, agreed.

The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) is captured in a famous song by Gordon Lightfoot. Before you read, there are a few words to know that you may not be able to “figure out” using context clues:

Verdant - green with rich vegetation.

Navvy – short for “navigational engineer” which really means a worker who helps to construct a road, railway, or canal.

Muskeg – Algonquian word meaning "grassy bog"-  land that is wet, with peat bogs (similar to swamps with peat that is now harvested and added to make soil better for growing), and moss.  (Note: Algonquians are a First Nations people.) 

(Image source: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/muskeg/)

First Read

First, read through the poem. If your home facilitator is available, you could ask him or her to read it with you, taking turns every two lines.

As you read, think about the "gist" of the song. It is a narrative poem - which means a poem that tells a story. What story is being told?

"Canadian Railroad Trilogy"

There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
when the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
when the green dark forest was too silent to be real
But time has no beginnings and hist'ry has no bounds
as to this verdant country they came from all around
They sailed upon her waterways and they walked the forests tall
built the mines, mills and the factories for the good of us all

And when the young man's fancy was turnin' to the spring
the railroad men grew restless for to hear the hammers ring
Their minds were overflowing with the visions of their day
and many a fortune won and lost and many a debt to pay

For they looked in the future and what did they see
They saw an iron road runnin' from the sea to the sea
Bringin' the goods to a young growin' land
all up through the seaports and into their hands

Look away said they across this mighty land
from the eastern shore to the western strand
Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
we gotta lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
Open 'er heart let the life blood flow
gotta get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow

Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
we're gonna lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
Open 'er heart let the life blood flow
gotta get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow
get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow

Behind the blue Rockies the sun is declinin'
The stars, they come stealin' at the close of the day
Across the wide prairie our loved ones lie sleeping
beyond the dark oceans in a place far away

We are the navvies who work upon the railway
swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Livin' on stew and drinkin' bad whiskey
bendin' our backs 'til the long days are done

We are the navvies who work upon the railway
swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Layin' down track and buildin' the bridges
bendin' our backs 'til the railroad is done

So over the mountains and over the plains
into the muskeg and into the rain
up the St. Lawrence all the way to Gaspe
swingin' our hammers and drawin' our pay
Layin' 'em in and tyin' 'em down
away to the bunkhouse and into the town
a dollar a day and a place for my head
a drink to the livin' a toast to the dead

Oh the song of the future has been sung
all the battles have been won
On the mountain tops we stand
all the world at our command
We have opened up the soil
with our teardrops and our toil

For there was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
when the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
when the green dark forest was too silent to be real
when the green dark forest was too silent to be real
And many are the dead men too silent... to be real

Listen

 As you listen to the song, think about what words or images are most captivating. Also, notice how song speeds up, slows down, and almost sounds like the rhythm of a train on the tracks.

Close Reading

Reread the poem, looking for examples of metaphor and alliteration, as well as vivid phrases that help you to imagine the building of the railway.

"Canadian Railroad Trilogy"

There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
when the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
when the green dark forest was too silent to be real
But time has no beginnings and hist'ry has no bounds
as to this verdant country they came from all around
They sailed upon her waterways and they walked the forests tall
built the mines, mills and the factories for the good of us all

And when the young man's fancy was turnin' to the spring
the railroad men grew restless for to hear the hammers ring
Their minds were overflowing with the visions of their day
and many a fortune won and lost and many a debt to pay

For they looked in the future and what did they see
They saw an iron road runnin' from the sea to the sea
Bringin' the goods to a young growin' land
all up through the seaports and into their hands

Look away said they across this mighty land
from the eastern shore to the western strand
Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
we gotta lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
Open 'er heart let the life blood flow
gotta get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow

Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
we're gonna lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
Open 'er heart let the life blood flow
gotta get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow
get on our way 'cause we're movin' too slow

Behind the blue Rockies the sun is declinin'
The stars, they come stealin' at the close of the day
Across the wide prairie our loved ones lie sleeping
beyond the dark oceans in a place far away

We are the navvies who work upon the railway
swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Livin' on stew and drinkin' bad whiskey
bendin' our backs 'til the long days are done

We are the navvies who work upon the railway
swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Layin' down track and buildin' the bridges
bendin' our backs 'til the railroad is done

So over the mountains and over the plains
into the muskeg and into the rain
up the St. Lawrence all the way to Gaspe
swingin' our hammers and drawin' our pay
Layin' 'em in and tyin' 'em down
away to the bunkhouse and into the town
a dollar a day and a place for my head
a drink to the livin' a toast to the dead

Oh the song of the future has been sung
all the battles have been won
On the mountain tops we stand
all the world at our command
We have opened up the soil
with our teardrops and our toil

For there was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
when the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
when the green dark forest was too silent to be real
when the green dark forest was too silent to be real
And many are the dead men too silent... to be real

Learning Guide

Go to your Learning Guide to complete the close reading analysis to complete this lesson..

Reminder