Lyric Crossroads

When first I did appear upon this native soil
All up and down this country at labor I did toil
I slumbered in the moonlight and I rose with the sun
I rambled through the canyons where the cold rivers run
When first I did come down where the land meets the sea
The people said Who are you and what would your name be
I said I have no home and I am no man s son
Twas inland I was born and from inland that I come

In the good land I was young and I was strong
No one dared to call me son
Happy just to see my day s work done
See my day s work done

So I swung an axe as a timberjack
And I worked the Quebec mines
And on the golden prairie I rode the big combines
I sailed the maritime waters of many a seaport town
Built the highways and the byways to the western salmon grounds

I ve gazed upon the good times I ve seen the bad times too
Felt many a cold and bitter wind and many a mornin dew
I ve watched the country growin like a fair and mighty thing
And on the still of a summer night I ve heard the mountains ring

In the good land I was young and I was strong
No one dared to call me son
Happy just to see my day s work done
See my day s work done

But now the seeds are planted and the gates are open wide
The old ways are forgotten there s no place left to hide
And the legacy I m leavin you is not very hard to find
You ll see it all around you at this crossroads of time
In the sweet soil it s a-growin At the crossroads of time