Chief Batisse
From the Unplugged album · Voice and acoustic guitar
Demo recording
Produced with AI music tools, not performed by me or a band. The lyrics are mine, and a live version with real musicians is the next step.
A floatplane flies south from Matachewan at dawn, over Muskoka pine, Lake Simcoe and Stouffville, all the way to Niagara. A rally cry for Canadians written in the thick of the trade-war headlines: the Shield won't bend, and Niagara will never be sold.
Lyrics
Verse 1
Chief Batisse pegged — out of Matachewan
Big bird's radial off the bay at dawn
Verse 2
Muskoka white pine, green for miles around
The treetop flier's a-easin' on south
Chorus
The North got in early, put its frost in my bones
They're clutching at the maple, but her roots'll split stone
Verse 3
Over Bigi's table, with her harvest spread
Simcoe chop's a pounding while the maples burn red
Verse 4
Beneath Casson clouds, crossin' over Stouffville
Full Sosin breakfast cookin' up on the grill
Verse 5
In '47 from Downsview she flew
The legend, the Beaver, still a-rumblin' true
Chorus
The North got in early, put its frost in my bones
They're clutching at the maple, but her roots'll split stone
Let 'em lean on the border, let the loud talk roll
The Shield won't bend just because it's been told
Outro
The mighty Niagara, she'll never be sold
Queenston remembers, and the river runs cold
