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Songs of a Northern Train

by Paul Dunn and David Lickley

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1.
Northern Train 04:32
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My father was a locomotive engineer Times were tough when he was gone, and great when he was here Postcards from Foleyet, calls from Thunder Bay His voice speaks to me every day I can see him passing Through my window pane Do you mind me asking Blow that whistle once again Carried along, by the song, of a Northern Train My kids have long left home, they’re scattered to the wind They say the time has come to move out close to them How do you leave the only life you’ve ever known The place your memories call home I can see life passing Through my window pane Do you mind me asking Blow that whistle once again Carried along, by the song, of a Northern Train The lake is frozen and the air is filled with snow Fire’s burning I got a whiskey on the go Gaze at a photo in an old and dusty frame Boy and a father on a train I can see him passing Through my window pane Do you mind me asking Blow that whistle once again Carried along, by the song, of a Northern Train I can see life passing Through my window pane Do you mind me asking Blow that whistle once again Carried along, by the song, of a Northern Train
2.
Forever True 03:26
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Back when we were forever young Linked together by the songs we sung Rolling Stone, rolling through Times they changed when I met you Moonshadow and a heart of gold Twist of fate on a country road Secret chord played just for you Says I’m forever true Drove our chevy through the fire and rain When we were forever young Rode back home on the midnight train Woke to the rising sun You’re the name I call out to Hold my hand and love me do I still imagine me and you Cause I’m forever true Drove our chevy through the fire and rain When we were forever young Rode back home on the midnight train Woke to the rising sun When silence is the only sound Wild horses try to drag me down You get my feet back on the ground Bags are packed and I’m homeward bound And you can tell everyone Here’s a song I wrote for you I may not be forever young But I’m forever true I may not be forever young But I’m forever true I’m forever true
3.
I Wanna Be Famous 03:25
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I’m gonna be famous for being famous You’re gonna see my smiling face on magazines I’m gonna write my name on the walk of fame And have a show that’s all about me Some people say it takes 10,000 hours To master a particular technique Well for some that might be fine, I ain’t got that kind of time The camera crew’s arriving in a week To make me famous for being famous You’re gonna see my smiling face on magazines Gonna write my name on the walk of fame And have a show that’s all about me I got 15 cameras set up in the mansion A couple more to catch me while I drive Every time I make a move, it ends up on YouTube That’s why I am such a famous guy Yes I am famous for being famous You’re gonna see my smiling face on magazines Gonna write my name on the walk of fame And have a show that’s all about me Well, some people say you gotta have some talent If you wanna be a star But just like Kim and Donald The less you have the better off you are When I go down the street, people watch me They know they’ve seen my smiling face before Some guy named Warhol said we all get 15 minutes Well, that might be enough for him, but I need more, more, more I wanna be famous for being famous You’re gonna see my smiling face on magazines Gonna write my name on the walk of fame And have a show that’s all about me Enough about them, what about me
4.
Great Lakes Man 03:37
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Oh - The wind will whip the lake at night Lash the decks with all its might And a wise man’s place is on the shore When the winter winds begin to roar But a foolish man is always found Who listens not to winter’s sound And I have not the captain’s ear All I have is a sailor’s fear All I have is a sailor’s fear All I have is a sailor’s fear For I have sailed these inland seas Through summer’s sun and autumn freeze From Montreal to Thunder Bay I’ve heard the lakes sing every day An ode to Joy of starlit nights A rhapsody of northern lights The sweet refrain of waters calm The rising of the swell at dawn Oh, Oh- oh, oh-oh, oh-oh. I have felt the big waves pound A hundred miles from Parry Sound And I have heard you in my sleep Crying softly on the beach So will you wed a Great Lakes man I will love you best I can I’ll love you all the winter long But like the snow in the spring I’m gone And like the snow I’ll melt away And leave you on the shore to wait And the wind that brings me home to you Will bring the snow in a week or two And we’ll sit before the fire at night And watch the dance of the Northern Lights And winter’s touch will keep us safe Until it’s time to sail away Until it’s time to sail away Until it’s time to sail away Oh Oh Oh Oh For I have sailed these inland seas Through summer’s sun and autumn freeze From Montreal to Thunder Bay I’ve heard the lakes sing every day An ode to Joy of starlit nights A rhapsody of northern lights The sweet refrain of waters calm The rising of the swell at dawn Oh, Oh- oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
5.
Keepin' This Love Alive 04:20
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I’m drivin’ south tonight ‘Neath the glow of the northern lights Running just ahead of a winter storm She’s lying wide awake No matter how long it takes To roll my wheels up to her door Oh Oh, the wind blows high In a northern sky Keepin’ this love alive tonight Oh, Oh, the wind blows strong Blowin’ me back home Keepin’ this love alive tonight Yea yea, Yea yea Done this run since 92 Ain’t nothing that I won’t do To keep the wolves from the door How much longer can I ride Want to be there by her side When that cold north wind begins to roar Oh Oh, the wind blows high In a northern sky Keepin’ this love alive tonight Oh, Oh, the wind blows strong Blowin’ me back home Keepin’ this love alive tonight Yea yea, Yea yea First snowflakes hit the road Still got 3 hours to go Keepin’ my mind on the yellow line ahead Start to sing that highway song Gonna drive it all night long ‘Til I’m safe - back in her arms again Oh Oh, the wind blows high In a northern sky Keepin’ this love alive tonight Oh, Oh, the wind blows strong Blowin’ me back home Keepin’ this love alive tonight Yea yea, Yea yea
6.
Lobby Joe 04:00
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In the IGA in Red Lake up in North Ontario There lived a lonely lobster by the name of Lobby Joe He had no way of knowing that it was his lucky day The lobster gods had sent a Vegan angel on her way Lobby Joe Christine was out shopping for some spinach and tofu Saw that lonely lobster and she knew just what to do Sign above the lobster tank said 15 bucks a pound So she put him in a cooler and she headed outta town Lobby Joe Lobby Joe, Lobby Joe Luckiest crustacean that I know There’s a lobster pound on airport road, outside of Halifax Thousands fly out every day, but only one flew back Lobby Joe It’s a 6-hour drive to Winnipeg, Christine headed west Gave 300 dollars to the man at UPS Called a friend in Lunenburg, said Joe was on the plane The luckiest crustacean flying eastward once again Lobby Joe Lobby Joe, Lobby Joe Luckiest crustacean that I know There’s a lobster pound on airport road, outside of Halifax Thousands fly out every day, but only one flew back Lobby Joe Well, he might have ended in a pot, or stuffed inside a can Or on some fancy table in a restaurant in Japan Where Lobby Joe was put to sea, no one will ever know But I’d like to think he’s swimming free somewhere in Peggy’s Cove Lobby Joe Lobby Joe, Lobby Joe Luckiest crustacean that I know There’s a lobster pound on airport road, outside of Halifax Thousands fly out every day, but only one flew back Lobby Joe There’s a lobster pound on airport road, outside of Halifax Thousands fly out every day, but only one flew back Lobby Joe
7.
Young Man 03:35
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Young man when you’re 24 You’re like a kid in a candy store You cannot see what’s down the road Then one day you’re like an old stray dog Stumbling through the morning fog Just tryin’ to find your way back home 20 years beyond my prime The kids are afraid that I’ll lose my mind But I lose something every single day When it’s time gonna build a pyre In the parking lot of Canadian Tire Light a fire to send me on my way The kids bought me a talking map Damn thing’s a piece of crap Never takes me where I wanna go I wanna go to my younger days Before they take my car away Places I don’t need a map to know 20 years beyond my prime The kids are afraid that I’ll lose my mind But I lose something every single day When it’s time gonna build a pyre In the parking lot of Canadian Tire Light a fire to send me on my way I’m on my way, Oh I’m on my way
8.
Waterbomber 04:05
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Oh 6 weeks now, not a drop a rain Old folks down at the church are prayin’ Sparks from the wheels of a passing train Trouble is coming our way Well the call comes in from the spotting plane There’s a monster loose and its gotta be tamed It looks like a long hot summer again Trouble is coming our way Oh, oh, the wind is high Forest floor is tinder dry Flames reaching for the sky Trouble is coming our way Oh this four fifteen’s a thirsty one 6 tons of water on every run It’s the plane you need to get the job done When trouble is coming our way Well you throttle up, hear the engines roar Feel the heat rising through the floor You drop your load and you go for more Trouble is coming our way Oh, oh, the wind is high Burning embers fill the sky Oh, it’s do or die Trouble is coming our way Oh, oh, on the edge of town Trees exploding all around Time to knock the monster down Send trouble on its way Oh oh, the wind is high Angels flying cross the sky Oh, it’s a beautiful sight When trouble is coming our way Oh, oh, you can hear them shout Water falling all about Time to knock the monster out Send trouble on its way Well I fly across this great big land In the world’s most sophisticated watering can Same old story wherever I am Trouble is coming our way So when the heat is on, the people pray That a 4-15 Bombardee-eh Will ride into town and save the day When trouble is on its way When trouble is on its way
9.
Algoma Lament (Falling Star) 04:06
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On a Scottish farm, down by the river That’s where I made my bed She comes to me, sweet as the heather As the sun sets upon the glen And she says, oh no You cannot go You can’t be leaving your whole life behind But as the falling star leads to the sunrise I’ll be upon the tide I stand on deck, waves bathed in moonlight Gazing out o’er the sea A falling star makes me remember The words that she said to me And she said, oh no You cannot go You can’t be leaving your whole life behind But as the falling star leads to the sunrise I’ll be upon the tide The snow piles high, and the wind blows right through ya Chilling me to the bone In a lumber camp up in northern Algoma I dream of that girl back home And she says, oh no You cannot go You can’t be leaving your whole life behind But as the falling star leads to the sunrise I’ll be upon that tide I’ll be upon that tide
10.
When The Stack Comes Down 02:57
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I wanna be there I wanna be there I wanna be there when the stack comes down I wanna be there I wanna be there I wanna be there when it hits the ground Well Toronto has its tower. Paris has one too London’s got a great big clock but I say whoop de doo We built the biggest chimney the world’s ever seen Before the stack, our rocks turned black Now we’re going green I wanna be there I wanna be there I wanna be there when the stack comes down I wanna be there I wanna be there I wanna be there when it hits the ground When that meteorite hit Sudbury, it punched a hole deep down Molten rock blown skyward turned to money in the ground But the nickel came with sulphur and it killed off all the trees So we built the superstack and blew the problem east I wanna be there I wanna be there I wanna be there when the stack comes down I wanna be there I wanna be there I wanna be there when it hits the ground We’ve got 50 years of progress, we’ve scrubbed the problem clean 10 million trees were planted and the stack’s now obsolete Some say that we should keep it as a symbol of our town But we’ve still got the Big Nickel, so let’s bring the big boy down I wanna be there I wanna be there I wanna be there when the stack comes down I wanna be there I wanna be there I wanna be there when it hits the ground I wanna be there I wanna be there I wanna be there when the stack comes down And I’d give both eye teeth, for a front row seat To the biggest show in town I wanna be there when the stack comes down
11.
Scenes of Isolation 03:01
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Heard a loon on the lake at dawn Telling me that the ice is gone Spring returning with the sun To scenes of isolation See the garden lose its snow You can reap if you learn to sew Blessed are the things that grow From seeds of isolation Watch the world implode with consternation Turning to our leaders for salvation Everybody all across the nation Wringing hands in quiet desperation Fearful as events unfold But if we do the things we’re told Silver linings turn to gold In scenes of isolation Spending time in silent meditation Practicing our distance education Everybody all across the nation Joining hands as one in isolation Read the books piled by the bed Learn a language, bake some bread But leave the bagpipes in the shed In scenes of isolation Heard the loons on the lake at dawn Another month has come and gone, but The time will come to move beyond These scenes of isolation

credits

released July 6, 2023

Produced by Jean-Paul De Roover.

Drums, Backing Vocals, Trumpet, Electric Guitar, Aux Percussion, Programming and Kazoo recorded by Jean-Paul De Roover at Blueprints (Thunder Bay, ON).
Violin, Harmonica, Electric Guitar, Slide Guitar, Tin Whistle, Mandolin, Accordion, Dobro and Bouzouki by Peter Cliche at Duke St. Studio (North Bay, ON).
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Dobro, Mandolin, Banjo, Ukelele and Kazoo recorded by Paul Dunn at The Living Room (Sudbury, ON).
Vocals and Acoustic Guitar recorded by David Lickley at The Sauna (Sudbury, ON).
Drums and Washboard recorded by Ken Whiteley at Casa Wroxton (Toronto, ON).
Pedal Steel recorded by Brenton Thorvaldsen (Winnipeg, MB).

All songs (c) 2023 Paul Dunn & David Lickley (SOCAN) except “Great Lakes Man” (c) 2023 David Lickley (SOCAN) and “Algoma Lament (Falling Star)” (c) 2023 Paul Dunn & David Lickley & Lennard Hansen & Sarah Craig (SOCAN).

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Paul Dunn Ontario

In 2006, Paul stepped Out of the Shadows and caught the attention of Bryan Adams’ co-writer Jim Vallance. As the producer of iconic hits such as Cuts Like A Knife and Summer of 69, Vallance has an ear for talent.

“Great lyric perspective,” Vallance said after reviewing Paul’s I Don’t Wanna Write A Song. An “excellent song.”

This is honest music. ... more

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