Canoe Song

I like to make 'em out of birch bark skins

I studied how with the Indians

A little pine tar, nice and thin

Makes a boat float just right

I like to brag about the perfect stroke

I own a paddle made of aged oak

Every maneuver I can do by rote

But there's one thing I don't like

Don't like to put the paddle in the water

That would be a crazy thing to do

I don't want to be no fishes' fodder

I don't want to tip in that canoe

I'd rather be a dreamer on the shoreline

Than a hero at the bottom of the lake

I never put the paddle in the water

That would be a dangerous mistake

I sing "Allouette" in Francais

Just like the French in Hudson Bay

I smoke a pipe and drink Beaujolais

And I tell a tall tale or two

I know every river and portage

And in an emergency, I know triage

I smell a storm like a weather cock

But there's one thing I won't do

Don't like to put the paddle in the water

That would be a crazy thing to do

I don't want to be no fishes' fodder

I don't want to tip in that canoe

I'd rather be a dreamer on the shoreline

Than a hero at the bottom of the lake

I never put the paddle in the water

That would be a dangerous mistake

I know the tensile strength of each one

Fiberglass or aluminum

I make plans and study maps

Draw lines across the world and back

I like to train on weight machines

Carbo-load and high protein

I'm a fanatic, it would seem

But baby, I'm no fool

Don't like to put the paddle in the water

That would be a crazy thing to do

I don't want to be no fishes' fodder

I don't want to tip in that canoe

I'd rather be a dreamer on the shoreline

Than a hero at the bottom of the lake

I never put the paddle in the water

That would be a dangerous mistake