Hi, All.! The ongoing interest in Orcadian roots from the folk in Canada makes me wonder if it's appropriate to post on the list the words of song. It's on a new CD release "Goin' Home", written by Gibb Todd, a Scot recently emigrated to Australia. Called "Canada" it's about the whole process of upheaval, removal and putting down roots into new soil -in this case, Canadian soil. Gibb was moved to write it after researching the land clearances of farmers from Scotland. I don't know if there was a similar experience in Orkney - Sigurd? but I suppose people driven from their homes - be it by a landlord or financial need - would have shared experiences. Even without the music the words are beautiful, I think - the song makes me cry and I'm not Orcadian , Scottish or Canadian! Perhaps they'll strike a chord. Cheers, Jan (Brisbane) CANADA From a burned and broken land And desolation all around All the ancient ways are gone By landlord’s greed undone Their homes to see no more Forever As they stared across the sea In terrible uncertainty Through the mist the pibroch sound We shall return no more With broken dreams they sailed To Canada Loud and long the women wailed Great is the sorrow of the gael Men bound up like beasts of toil Herded from their native soil Their glens to see no more Forever Driven out by fire and flame From land that bore their father’s name Now the great sheep walk the glen Where once grew the fields of men Who are all gone away To Canada So far away to Canada Far away to Canada In ships not worth of their name Through the oceans storms they came Many died, the strong survived And barely reached the land alive Their shores to see no more Forever They cut the forest and cleared the stone From wild country that they made their own Through hard times and sacrifice Remembering how they paid the price When first their fathers came To Canada Now the grandsons of grandsons Return to the ancestral home With their music and their song And memories of time long gone They will cherish them Forever In pride the celebrate their blood In footsteps where the old ones stood And think how it must have been Forever gone a broken dream And they go home again To Canada So far away to Canada Far away to Canada Then they go home again To Canada © Gibb Todd 2003 Compass Records

Very touching. Thanks for sharing, Jan. Trish ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jan Nary" <jnarypr@gil.com.au> To: <ORCADIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 4:58 PM Subject: [<orcadia>] Canada > Hi, All.! The ongoing interest in Orcadian roots from the folk in Canada > makes me wonder if it's appropriate to post on the list the words of song. > It's on a new CD release "Goin' Home", written by Gibb Todd, a Scot > recently emigrated to Australia. Called "Canada" it's about the whole > process of upheaval, removal and putting down roots into new soil -in this > case, Canadian soil. Gibb was moved to write it after researching the land > clearances of farmers from Scotland. I don't know if there was a similar > experience in Orkney - Sigurd? but I suppose people driven from their homes > - be it by a landlord or financial need - would have shared experiences. > Even without the music the words are beautiful, I think - the song makes me > cry and I'm not Orcadian , Scottish or Canadian! Perhaps they'll strike a > chord. > Cheers, > Jan (Brisbane) > > > CANADA > > From a burned and broken land > And desolation all around > All the ancient ways are gone > By landlord’s greed undone > Their homes to see no more > Forever > > As they stared across the sea > In terrible uncertainty > Through the mist the pibroch sound > We shall return no more > With broken dreams they sailed > To Canada > > Loud and long the women wailed > Great is the sorrow of the gael > Men bound up like beasts of toil > Herded from their native soil > Their glens to see no more > Forever > > Driven out by fire and flame > From land that bore their father’s name > Now the great sheep walk the glen > Where once grew the fields of men > Who are all gone away > To Canada > > So far away to Canada > Far away to Canada > > In ships not worth of their name > Through the oceans storms they came > Many died, the strong survived > And barely reached the land alive > Their shores to see no more > Forever > > They cut the forest and cleared the stone > From wild country that they made their own > Through hard times and sacrifice > Remembering how they paid the price > When first their fathers came > To Canada > > Now the grandsons of grandsons > Return to the ancestral home > With their music and their song > And memories of time long gone > They will cherish them > Forever > > In pride the celebrate their blood > In footsteps where the old ones stood > And think how it must have been > Forever gone a broken dream > And they go home again > To Canada > > So far away to Canada > Far away to Canada > > Then they go home again > To Canada > > © Gibb Todd 2003 > Compass Records > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send an e-mail with the word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com >