This song is a Masterpiece and I agree, should be Canada's second national anthem.....Gordon weaves his words and music into a Majestic Tapestry telling the story of Canada and the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.....Open 'er heart and let the life blood flow.....to me symbolizes the progress of the construction of the railroad as it reaches the center of Canada, the Prairies, the heart of our country, opening the way to move grain and goods across the land.......the lyrics paint a beautiful picture, but the music, done in 3 distinct styles as the progress of the railway travels from the Eastern Shores, to the Prairies and then through the Rockies to the Pacific Coast is a marvel in itself.....listen closely and you will hear how the guitar music mimics the rhythms of the train & the speed of the travel which comes to an abrupt stop at the Rocky Mtns... the point of the song where "across the blue Rockies our loved ones are sleeping".....the verse continues to tell the tale of the Navvies work & sacrifices on the railroad, which is solemn & slower during the verse to reflect the slow speed of working to lay down the tracks & the back breaking work of the Navvies. At the point where the song comes to the end of the line, Bending our backs til the railroad is done', the music again switches, again mimicking the sound of a train, slowly at first & then gains in speed as the lyrics retrace the course of the railroad, going back to where it began "Over the mountains and over the plains, into the Muskeg & into the rain, Up the St Lawrence and down to Gaspe".....from the Pacific to the East Coast. The railroad is built, their work is done.....it truly is a remarkable music composition on it's own. Combine it with the well chosen lyrics and it's probably the best song ever written,certainly Mr Lightfoot's best, and without question the greatest song to ever come out of Canada. Commissioned by the CBC to commemorate Canada's Centennial in 1967, it is truly a Canadian standard, written and performed by the best song writer Canada ever produced, a man we Canadians are so very proud of......
This song is a Masterpiece and I agree, should be Canada's second national anthem.....Gordon weaves his words and music into a Majestic Tapestry telling the story of Canada and the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.....Open 'er heart and let the life blood flow.....to me symbolizes the progress of the construction of the railroad as it reaches the center of Canada, the Prairies, the heart of our country, opening the way to move grain and goods across the land.......the lyrics paint a beautiful picture, but the music, done in 3 distinct styles as the progress of the railway travels from the Eastern Shores, to the Prairies and then through the Rockies to the Pacific Coast is a marvel in itself.....listen closely and you will hear how the guitar music mimics the rhythms of the train & the speed of the travel which comes to an abrupt stop at the Rocky Mtns... the point of the song where "across the blue Rockies our loved ones are sleeping".....the verse continues to tell the tale of the Navvies work & sacrifices on the railroad, which is solemn & slower during the verse to reflect the slow speed of working to lay down the tracks & the back breaking work of the Navvies. At the point where the song comes to the end of the line, Bending our backs til the railroad is done', the music again switches, again mimicking the sound of a train, slowly at first & then gains in speed as the lyrics retrace the course of the railroad, going back to where it began "Over the mountains and over the plains, into the Muskeg & into the rain, Up the St Lawrence and down to Gaspe".....from the Pacific to the East Coast. The railroad is built, their work is done.....it truly is a remarkable music composition on it's own. Combine it with the well chosen lyrics and it's probably the best song ever written,certainly Mr Lightfoot's best, and without question the greatest song to ever come out of Canada. Commissioned by the CBC to commemorate Canada's Centennial in 1967, it is truly a Canadian standard, written and performed by the best song writer Canada ever produced, a man we Canadians are so very proud of......