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A Boat Like Gideon Brown Lyrics

A Boat Like Gideon Brown

Oh Gideon lived across the bay
He's gettin' older now
His boat is big and strong and bold
She has a stalward bow
But my father's boat was second hand
One someone used before
And after every fishing trip
My father always swore
That someday he would save enough
To go to St. John's town
And buy himself a big new boat
A boat like Gideon Brown
A boat like Gideon Brown

Confederation came around
And the days of old age pension
He said 'Son I'm saving every cent'
And this you must not mention
You save the baby bonus too
And things just might turn around
And we'll have enough to buy a boat
A boat like Gideon Brown

Chorus:
'Cause she can punch ahead in any gale
And ride the fishing ground
I often thought how proud I'd be
In a boat like Gideon Brown
In a boat like Gideon Brown

Many years did pass away
And Dad began to fade
He didn't talk of boats too much
He said 'Son I'm afraid'
If things don't soon improve
Then I'll be underground
Before we ever get to see ourselves
In a boat like Gideon Brown

Chorus

I sat and held his hand one day
And he said 'Son, that policy'
The insurance is all in your name
You're the beneficiary
And when I'm gone they'll pay you off
Then go to St. John's town
And buy yourself a big new boat
A boat like Gideon Brown

Chorus (2x)
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Cover art for A Boat Like Gideon Brown lyrics by Great Big Sea

Believe it or not...my dads uncle write this song, Frank Dwyer. Which is my grandmothers brother. He passed away 10 years ago or so. its actually a pretty good song!

Cover art for A Boat Like Gideon Brown lyrics by Great Big Sea

Every time I hear this song, I get so sad for the singer's dad. Why doesn't somebody just buy the poor guy a boat?!

@tonywan ya got any idea what a boat Gideon Brown\'s would cost? The trouble is that dad\'s own boat is not strong enough to be successful enough at fishing to afford the bigger stronger boat. I don\'t know if he could have gotten a loan, would he have made enough to make the payments on the new boat. But it is a song about how dreams can slowly die and how as one person here pointed out, reality can be hard to deal with. Nope, Santa is not going to just appear, and buy him a boat. And if you...

Cover art for A Boat Like Gideon Brown lyrics by Great Big Sea

it's interesting that such a sad song has such upbeat music. i cried the first time i heard this song.

Cover art for A Boat Like Gideon Brown lyrics by Great Big Sea

I had to listen to this song several times before I could get through it without crying.

This song is probably the most powerful example of how the world isn't fair I've ever heard. Tales of disasters, low standards of living, horrific massacres, and the like are simply too far removed from my everyday life for me to process, but this song hits the mark perfectly. This isn't a tale of injustice in some far-off land, it's the story of one man who gave his all for a simple request and failed to obtain what he'd worked so hard for. If such simple dreams can die, what hope can there be?

 
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