~~ We Were Here ~~
Words and Music by Michael Goodwin November 23, 1999.
Download the song "We Were Here"
This song was composed as the theme song of Chantry Island Restoration
Upon the rugged shores of Lake Huron
The seasons have all come and gone.
Of men and boats and harbours from the storm
The Lighthouse brings them back to shore
The Lighthouse stands for so much more
In the hearts of those who keep the memories warm
*
Like a beacon in the nightGuide us to the light
Shine within each heart so strong and clear
As the seasons pass in time
The past is yours and mine
Tell those yet to come that we were here.
Amid the daily storms of care and strife
Adrift upon the sea of life,
A ship can list and sometimes lose her way
Living in a world of change
It’s good to know some things remain
That help us all preserve that brighter day.
(Repeat *)
Tell the world to come that we were here.
Explanation of the Song "We Were Here"
One day early in 1998 Mike Sterling and Michael Goodwin were talking to a young Southampton man. He asked Mike Sterling why he was attempting the Chantry Island Restoration. This opening questions was followed by a burst of more questions that were more statement than question. The man did not want reasons why, he wanted to state why not. Mike, quickly became frustrated and turned on his heel and left. Mike Goodwin said nothing, but went home and composed "We Were Here". His thoughts centred on the Inuit and how they create Inuksuit or stone objects that tell those who come in the future that "We Were Here" and we share your human natures. In 3 words Mike summed up our inner thoughts and dreams. We want to give something of ourselves to the future. Here is a little explanation of the word Inuksuit. I think you'll like the obvious connections to the Imperial Towers as a Beacon of the past shining on the future.
Inuksuit are among the most important objects created by the Inuit who were the first people to inhabit portions of Alaska, Arctic Canada, and Greenland. The term Inuksuk (the singular of Inuksuit) means 'to act in the capacity of a human.' It is an extension of Inuk, meaning 'a human being.These stone figures were placed on the temporal and spiritual landscapes. Among many practical functions, they were employed as hunting and navigation aids, coordination points, indicators, and message centers. The Inuit also constructed a stone figure called an Inunnguaq which means 'in the likeness of a human.' In addition to their earthly functions, certain Inuksuk-like figures had spiritual connotations, and were objects of veneration, often marking the threshold of the spiritual landscape of the Inummariit -- the Inuit who knew how to survive on the land living in their traditional way.
So compelling was the desire of the Inummariit to create Inuksuit that they appear not only on the earthly landscape but in legends and stories, in figures that emerge from the movements of fingers playing string games; and in a winter-sky constellation.
“The
Tall Ships” by Michael
Goodwin.
The hillsides are steep
Still waters run deep
The clouds are as big as the sky.
The tales that they tell
We all knew so well
The memories fade bye and bye
The harbours were full up.
The cargo they’d load up.
The ships were all docked for the night.
The sailor’s best friend was a pint at the end.
The tales were all told to delight.
The highways were the Great Lakes
The high toll the life takes
In the life of a sailor and more …..
The white sails forever windswept
The stories that the logs kept
We won’t see the tall ships no more
No, we won’t see the tall ships no more.
Now, the shoreline lies bare
In the cool evening air
The moonlight shines on the bay.
The stories live on in the words of a song
The not soon forgotten yesterdays
The hillsides are steep, old memories can sleep
`Neath the rocks as the waves wash ashore….
The works that they sing...
The meaning that they bring...
We won’t see the tall ships no more
No, we won’t see the tall ships no more.
Download David Archibald's Wind and the Chill
Also, see the strange way the song was composed. Who was Oscar Pulver?
Download Sandy Lee Lindsay's "Falling in Love Again." For orders for the full CD call 416-412-4476
The file is in .wav file format
Sandy has an incredible 4 1/2 octave range that allows her to sing anything from opera to show tunes to jazz.
The beautiful Sandy Lee Lindsay
You can book Sandy via email
John Eagleson's "Upon the Breeze". It is a song about Chantry Island. John is a well known resident of Southampton and talented Blue Grass Musician. John is supported by Ryan Hagen also of Southampton
Download in mp3 format
Here are the words for John's latest composition "Captain Lambert's Song". Captain Lambert was the first appointed Keeper of the Light on Chantry Island. His son William McGregor Lambert succeeded him. Mike Sterling lives in his house now.
And I
keep the Chantry Light
I climb
that winding staircase
Through
the day and through the night.
We live
alone but that’s ok
There’s
plenty to be done
Then
once a month we go ashore
to
visit everyone
Chorus
At forty
seven years of age
We viewed
it as our family’s job
to
watch this Huron Coast
As time
went by our home became
A visitors
delight
Yet all
while we kept an eye
For
sailors in the night
Chorus
Our health
to us was in our food
And
everything we drank
As many
schooners sank
Louisa
bought a dairy cow to give us milk and cheese.
It lived
out in the pasture there among our many trees
Chorus
The real
work of the island
Was to
guide the sailing fleet
Occasionally
they would get off course then hull and rock would meet.
From shore
we’d see the schooners sink
Beneath
the waters cold
Then off
we’d go my sons and I and so the story’s told.
Chorus
In
eighteen hundred and seventy nine my rescue days were done. Our family grieved
the tragic loss of a loving son.
At
twenty-three Ross gave his life to save a sailing crew
Young
William was ready to take the light and so I bid Adieu
Chorus
Repeat last line, End
Also see the sculpture of Michael Goodwin
