Northwest Passage: link and song

[amedia]

There was an exciting news story a little while ago about the finding of the HMS Investigator, the ship that was sent out in the mid-1850's to try to find what became of Franklin, who was looking for the Northwest Passage:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/28/hms-investigator-ship-los_n_662813.html

In honor of this event, a song!



Northwest Passage from the album Victory Sings at Sea.

The song was written by the incomparable folk artist Stan Rogers. Here are the words:

Chorus:


Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage
To find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea;
Tracing one warm line through a land so wild and savage
And make a Northwest Passage to the sea.


Westward from the Davis Strait 'tis there 'twas said to lie
The sea route to the Orient for which so many died;
Seeking gold and glory, leaving weathered, broken bones
And a long-forgotten lonely cairn of stones.

Three centuries thereafter, I take passage overland
In the footsteps of brave Kelso, where his "sea of flowers" began
Watching cities rise before me, then behind me sink again
This tardiest explorer, driving hard across the plain.

And through the night, behind the wheel, the mileage clicking west
I think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson and the rest
Who cracked the mountain ramparts and did show a path for me
To race the roaring Fraser to the sea.

How then am I so different from the first men through this way?
Like them, I left a settled life, I threw it all away.
To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many men
To find there but the road back home again.

Comments

[bulleteyes.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this post! I had no idea this had occurred, and to then find you linked to this beautiful song, along with adding in the lyrics, was delightful.

[amedia.livejournal.com]

So glad you enjoyed, and thanks for commenting! :-D