1. |
Raven
01:50
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Raven
There’s a big black raven
sitting on my fence
Think he’s thinking my life
doesn’t make a lot of sense
I buy a lotta’ junk
I put it away
I stand back and think
I’ve had a pretty good day
Really what’s the point - (Hey) Really what’s the point?
Sometimes I think
You’re making fun of me
You feel pretty safe there
Up in that tree
Lookin’ down on me
Lookin’ down on me
Now some people put you
At the top of the pole
But you can’t fool me
You’re outa’ control.
So you steal something shiny
Stick it in a tree
Hey you’re no better
You’re no better than me
Really what’s the point - really what’s the point?
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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2. |
Golden Spruce
04:36
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Golden Spruce
He’s gone
Where did he go?
Out on the North Pacific
There’s places we’ll never know
They found pieces of his kayak
Washed up on the shore
They say if anyone could have survived
He’d done it before
He cut down that golden spruce
A legend fell and the earth shook
He said now these trees have your attention
I did what it took
And the ghosts of the Haida paddlers
They talk about the old ways
Before the Spanish and the small pox
And the price they paid
And the golden spruce grew tall
He said we’re part of something here
Not the driving force
We have to find our place
Let nature run its course
One golden spruce tree falls
Everybody sees and hears
But nobody seems to notice
When a whole forest disappears
There are rumours that he ran off to Russia
Or he was seen in some Alaskan bar
Young men drinking beer in a Rupert hotel
Say he never would have made it that far
*-Some Haidas say that tree – could trick your mind
People die out here searching – for what they’ll never find
Chorus - tag -seeds fall, maybe one day it’ll rise again
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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3. |
Fish Boats
03:31
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Fish Boats
Whatever happened to the fish boats
Lined up at the docks
These canneries were humming
This whole place rocked.
Then nets started coming up empty
And the fish boats went away
Treat it right or it won’t last
This could be your final cast
In Cow Bay - they say
It’s all in the past
When boats lined up
And things were built to last
When the fish boats docked
And the money came in
Spread it around
(And) everybody wins
And the girls came in from across the bay
This place is coming alive today
Will we ever see that again
We may never see that again
Here the fishermen and the hippies
Learned to work together
Grab another beer
And bitch about the weather
Your hair’s too long to be my friend
Hey will this ever end?
Now the fishermen in the Belmont
They’ll argue day and night.
‘Til they’re blue in the face
So who the hell is right
Why it is the way it is
You know
The big boats came
The big nets dropped
The sea lions ate
The seals ate
The whales ate
The waste got dumped
The temperature rose
And a life you loved
Went away
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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4. |
Saskatchewan
04:47
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Saskatchewan
Suzanne moved West from the prairies
She loves and hates it here
Says do these mountains ever move
And let the light appear?
Her Mother calls her every week
It’s always good to hear her voice
But it always ends the same, she says
You made the wrong choice
Grey clouds hang over (dark)
Some days they get the best of you
Come back here where you can see forever
Life blows through your hair
Close your eyes you’re almost there
HmmMmm, Saskatchewan
come back, come back, to the land of big skies
Your brothers run the farm now
They would never ask you
Your Mother always said
It’s not what you’re meant to do
We’ve almost lost everything.
But somehow, stayed on our feet
Another rye and coke
And a new field of wheat
She says you will come back
Just you wait and see
You walk along the coastline
This is where you’re meant to be
You can still hear your Father’s voice
Braggin’ about the cold
Secretly so proud of you
For never doing what you’re told
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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5. |
Who Am I?
03:57
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Who Am I?
There’s a beautiful photo of you on the wall
Who’s that with you?
You tell me it’s me
I look and I know
That just can’t be true
He’s got a smile and a plan
It’s easy to see, I’m not that man
Who are you and who am I?
Do you miss me when we say goodbye?
There’s pictures of us here
On every wall
I’m sorry I have to ask why
Who are you, who am I?
The lines on your face (now)
Did I put them all there?
Somehow – (For some reason)
You say you still care
I put my arm around you
You turn away, Hey, did I hear you say
I miss you
You say you still hold out hope
But you’re losing ground
What you hoped for
Just can’t be found
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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6. |
Night Ski
03:09
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Night Ski
Open up the door
Ready to go
Into the night
Through the new fallen snow
We glide
I can see your breath
You can see mine
A little shaky at first
Now we’re fine
We glide
Through these woods
And into this field
There’s nothing
Like a clear night sky
This is good for you. This is good for me
There’s really nothing like – a night ski
There’s a beautiful still
When the temperature drops
Life slows down
But it does not stop
We glide
Now we’re back and the wine
Tastes better
And we got a little bit
Of our lives together
On a night ski
This full moon shines
Across the field
Our path is dark and clear
We’re alive
On this night ski
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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7. |
Gumboot Girls
04:17
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Gumboot Girls
Julia came here from Chicago, Illinois
Taking a big chance – in her life
You came here from North Ontario
Taking a gigantic swing at the wild West Coast
It was a time in your life and you needed to see
Hey maybe there’s something, something out here for me
They called you those gumboot girls
You grew stronger every day
When you need to figure out who you are
Look to the ocean and the earth, and the stars
And you’re a genuine gumboot girl
You’d get another letter from your mother
“Are you truly a West Coast hippy now?”
You’d laugh and take a look in the mirror
Say I guess it just kind of happened somehow
It’s all these mushrooms and these gigantic trees
Way out here - we’re free to do as we please
Now I’m sitting in this airport lounge
People wear fine dresses and tailored suits
I tell the waiter, Hey I come from a place
Where beautiful women wear rubber boots
Tree planting, life loving, dancing, genuine, gumboot girls
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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8. |
North Pacific
02:35
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North Pacific
This water is so deep and wide
This boat is so small
I shut off the engine
I am nothing at all
Now out here on the water
I hear your voice again
Out here where
Some things will always be
This dark grey water moves
And you’re with me
It took a trip out here to realize
You were gone
Where the great North Pacific
Reaches out to meet the sky
I came out here to say goodbye
Right now this water is calm
Right now this sky is partially clear
(soon) This boat will soon becomes nothing
(When the big) changes start to appear
It was out on this North Pacific
You were at your best (at ease)
Right now there’s a calm
And I hope you rest (and a quiet breeze)
Big fish comes out of the water
Only 10 feet away
This boat moves
The waters calm today
I remember where we were
When we got the news that day
They say the big tide came in
And swept you away
You left some of us empty
A part of us gone
So many times what happens
There is no right or wrong
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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9. |
Rosary
04:39
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Rosary
My Uncle John had a rosary
Hidden in the corner of his room
I think he thought it was a secret
Nobody else could see
One day I asked him
Hey what is that for?
He said it’s really just a symbol
Of a personal war
My Mother kicked him under the table
Said tell him what’s true
Some lives were straight ahead
But that was never you
When you became a Priest
I never saw our Mother so proud
When you walked in with Susan
She knelt down - and prayed out loud
Our Father forgive him
Our Father I pray
Our Father forgive us all
Make it go away
Another drink of red wine
He said where do I begin
In a small dark room
Listening to people’s sins
There were desperate voices
I heard so many days
No prayers
Could ever make go away
I woke up that morning
Knew I had to make a change in my life
Susan and I both shook
When I asked her to be my wife
The Bishop stared at me and said
You know you can never come back
You walk out that door and you are forever gone
And you will remain
unforgiven
Thought I knew where I was going
I was wrong
Started walking away
And slowly I felt strong
Still in times of trouble
And in times of doubt
Alone in that dark room
I blow the candle out
Some things happen in life
And you have no choice
And some nights
I still hear my Mother’s voice
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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10. |
Bella Coola Man
03:46
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Bella Coola Man
If you need a little change in your life
You could take Highway 20 West
Big mountains and crazy turns
Put yourself through a little test
They call this the Great Bear Rainforest
Open up your eyes
Around every corner
Can be another surprise
Hey I’m a Bella Coola man
My home is right here
One man’s joy
Can be another man’s fear
I’m happy to be
A Bella Coola man
Charlotte’s in St. John’s with her mother
It’s hard when she goes away
Our kids both live in Vancouver now
They come back but they’ll never stay
Our daughter’s an East End barmaid
She’s got a grizzly bear tattoo
Says whenever I flex my right arm
I’m thinking of you
People built this road when they were told
It could never be built - no way
You can still feel that spirit here
It’s alive and well… on this beautiful day
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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11. |
Good Day
03:59
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Good Day
Van Morrison’s voice woke me on the radio
And I jumped right out of bed
A cup of coffee and I’m running
Out the door and I’m looking ahead
For the first time in a long time
I think I’m gonna’ be okay
This is a good day
I sure needed one of these
This is a good day…
And I’m feelin’ at ease
Now maybe I’m feeling wanted
Hey that’s a good way to feel
Maybe I’m feeling useful
Hey that’s a good way to feel
I’m driving down the road right now
I’ve got both hands slappin’ on the wheel
Time goes by so quickly
I don’t wanna’ go to bed
Tomorrow is another day
I wanna’ stay up all night long
Who wants to quit
When you’re running strong
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12. |
Mosquito Madness
02:14
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Mosquito Madness
Somebody left the door open
And you got in to my room
In the dark, my eyes are open wide
You want my blood, I want your life
I’ve got mosquito madness
They keep me awake all night
They’re after my blood
And I won’t give it up without a fight
No I won’t give it up without a fight
My walls are covered with Northern wallpaper
They’re covered with gore and blood and goo
You might think that’s funny right now
But pretty soon – they’ll be sucking on you
I slapped my ankle
And I slapped my knee
I slapped my sister and
She slapped me
I slapped my brother
And he told my mother
And now everybody is MAD, here comes Dad
Slappin and slappin and slappin and slappin
© Mark Perry, 2021 | www.markperry.ca
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13. |
Cold Road
03:46
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Cold Road
I’ve got 2 sticks and an old photo
That’s all that’s left of the dream
I remember how good it felt to call you up
And tell you that I made the team
All the early morning practices
On the ice at 5 a.m.
We’d laugh and swear we better get this right
So we never have to do it again
It’s over and over and over
Until you don’t think about it anymore
If you get it
It might open a door
This cold road calls
It’s a road of hope
This cold road calls
It’s a road of dreams
Another frozen highway
This cold road calls
Try to catch a little sleep on the bus
Get ready for the next big test
Some of us talk quietly
Who’s the fastest, who’s the best?
That new kid’s already a friend
A month ago I never even knew his name
The old trainer tells me,
He’s got a little magic in his game
In the Summer, we talk about Winter
Hey where you gonna’ be this Fall?
They say I’m 18 - if I don’t make it this year
I’m worth nothing at all
It’s the 6th of April and I’m numb
Right across this country
We’re a little shaken from coast to coast
It’s how we live - it’s who we are
Pass a bus out on the highway
Some kids off to another game
It’s how we live - it’s who we are
In frozen parking lots
Warming up our cars
It’s how we live – it’s who we are
© Mark Perry, 2019 | www.markperry.ca
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Mark Perry Smithers, British Columbia
A dozen albums strong, Mark Perry is deeply loved in Canada for his good-humoured and thought-provoking songs that get festival audiences up on their feet and make theatre crowds feel like they’re in his living room. “New Jersey has Springsteen, New York has Billy Joel, northern BC has Mark Perry. These are the storytellers of their times and places.” Watch for Perry's next album in 2021 ... more
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