He was carried from the water by a solider And the picture screams a thousand different words He was running from the terror with his father Who once believed that nothing could be worse
So he'd handed a man two thousand precious dollars The way you’d rest a bird in a lion’s open jaw And he told his boys that Canada was waiting There was hope upon her golden shores
But at night he said a quiet prayer to the wind
Oh Canada, if you can hear me now Won’t you open up your arms towards the sea? Oh Canada, if you can help me out All I ever wanted was a safe place for my family
Well the days were long but the nights were even longer And the babies never left their mothers’ side But the boat was small and the waves were getting stronger And they began to fear they’d not survive
So the father said “We gotta hold each other tighter I’m not losing everyone I love tonight And we’ve come so far I know that out there somewhere There’s a place where we'll not fear for our lives”
But as he held onto the side of the boat he looked up at the sky
Oh Canada, if you can hear me now Won’t you open up your arms towards the sea Oh Canada, if you can help me out The sea is turning and I think we’re going down
Anyone if you can hear me now, Won’t you open up your heart towards the sea Anyone, please help us out All we ever wanted was a safe place for our family
There’s a million ways to justify your fear There’s a million ways to measure out your words But the body of Alan being laid upon the sand Tell me how do you live with that?