| The Tragically Hip – Pigeon Camera Lyrics | 8 years ago |
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Ok, strap in. Cuz this will take some explaining... I remember hearing an interview with Gord Downie many years ago and he mentioned that there was a song on this album about Quebec. That was all he said. No more detail than that. Having listened to the other tracks numerous times, I have a hard time believing that any of the other songs on the record are about Quebec, so by elimination, that leaves Pigeon Camera. So lets explore this as a possibility, because I think the other "interpretations" I've read are, quite frankly, ridiculous. (Incest? Really? Please.) For you non-Canadians, you need to first understand that the relationship between Quebec (our predominantly French-speaking province) and the rest of English Canada has always been a strained one. Primarily, the tension comes from the economic burden associated with protecting, preserving and even mandating what I'll call the "French-Canadian culture". It goes far beyond just being a bilingual country and it's an enormous national expense paid for by every tax payer, not just the ones in Quebec. So in a grossly oversimplified nutshell, the Quebecois want their french language and culture preserved but the rest of Canada doesn't want to have to pay for it. So how does that play into these lyrics? Well, first let's give Mr. Downie the credit he is due. He's an outstanding lyricist with excellent command of imagery and (particularly in this case) subtlety. So I'll deconstruct some of these lyrical images from the standpoint that this song IS about Quebec. The "big picture" image is the title itself. In this song, the pigeon camera is not an actual device. It has nothing to do with actually spying on someone's sister. It's about foresight. It's about seeing what lies ahead. In 1867, Canada more or less became "officially" bilingual, securing in the Constitution Act that both languages may be used in Parliament and any government documents will be produced in both languages. A good idea at the time, right? Maybe....but an expensive one. Nobody really understood the ultimate cost of being officially bilingual. Every future government publication, every future road sign, every future national broadcast...these are things which in some cases didn't even exist yet! So how does one foresee the implications of such a decision? "It was handsome at the auction" "Oh but when we got it home." "It grew up into something we could no longer contain." Makes sense, right? Kind of like saying..."it seemed like a good idea at the time, but holy crap what did we get ourselves into?" Next comes the national, cultural tension part. So here we have a vastly expensive national policy. Quebec feels that the government doesn't do enough to preserve French language and culture while many in the rest of Canada resent their tax dollars going toward preserving a language and culture they will never use or experience. What's the outcome? Politics. Separatism. Infighting. "This house it has it's politics." - no brainer "Over there, that's my room." - Separatism "And that's my sister." - More separatism. Still related, but different and apart. "I didn't want this. I don't endorse that." - Fighting, disagreement, finger pointing "It's boring. I'm embarrassed..." - possibly echoing the feeling of many Canadians who are just tired of the same old stupid arguments. So for me, ever since I heard that interview with Mr. Downie, the Quebec theory just seemed to jump out of the song. I think the incest / sexual abuse thing is just low-hanging fruit and Gord has way more talent than that. Lastly, I'll just say that yes I am an English Canadian. And I've been to Quebec several times and it's a wonderful place. I love the place, I love the people and I love the culture. Peace! GW |
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