Livin' on stew and drinkin' bad whiskey
For there was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run
We are the navies who work upon the railway
Away to the bunkhouse and into the town
Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real
Layin' down track and buildin' the bridges
Swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
Bendin' our old backs 'til the railroad is done
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
A dollar a day and a place for my head
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real
All the world at our command
As to this verdant country they came from all around
Over the mountain tops we stand
Open your heart let the life blood flow
We're gonna lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
The stars, they come stealin' at the close of the day
They sailed upon her waterways and they walked the forests tall
Bringin' the goods to a young growin' land
From the eastern shore to the western strand
And when the young mans fancy was turnin' to the spring
Gotta get on our way 'cause were movin' too slow
For they looked in the future and what did they see
Oh, the song of the future has been sung
When the green dark forest was too silent to be real
Bring in the workers and bring up the rails
Across the wide prairie our loved ones lie sleeping
Drivin' 'em in and tyin' 'em down
Gotta get on our way 'cause were movin' too slow
So over the mountains and over the plains
Swingin' our hammers and drawin' our pay
Bendin' our old backs 'til the long days are done
Long before the white man and long before the wheel
And they built the mines the mills and the factories for the good of us all
Behind the blue Rockies the sun is declinin'
Beyond the dark oceans in a place far away
Open your heart let the life blood flow
Look away said they across this mighty land
They saw an iron road runnin' from sea to the sea
We gotta lay down the tracks and tear up the trails
All the battles have been won
Get on our way 'cause were movin' too slow
But time has no beginnings and history has no bounds
Up the St. Lawrence all the way to Gaspe
We are the navies who work upon the railway
Their minds were overflowing with the visions of their day
Swingin' our hammers in the bright blazin' sun
We have opened up the soil with our teardrops and our toil
A drink to the livin' and a toast to the dead
Into the muskeg and into the rain
When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun
And many a fortune lost and won and many a debt to pay
All up through the seaports and into their hands
The railroad men grew restless for to hear the hammers ring
