Canadian Railroad Trilogy

Описание: As a railroader, this song has always hit home for me. The Canadian Railroad Trilogy is more than just a good old railroad tune. Upbeat and looking into the future, then slow in the present, and then fastly reminiscent of the past, I've often called it the "1812 Overture" of Railroading, for it is an anthem of Railroading and Nationalism tied together.

Each section of the song is signified by different tempos and time signatures throughout the piece - the first part is upbeat and more dreamy, optimistic - looking forward to the adventure, and all that could be gained from transcontinental rail travel. The middle section of the song is slower and more poignant, and comes from the perspective of the railroad laborers, known as "navvies", who actually laid down the tracks. In this middle section, their daily struggle is illustrated vividly.

Most of the men who built the Railroads in North America were Irish and Chinese immigrants, and it was said that one of them perished for each mile of the railroad that was built. These men worked in harsh conditions, laboring in the broiling summer sun and the bitter blasting cold of winter, with very little protection from the elements. They would live in tents and have very little time to enjoy the fruits (and low wages) of their labor. It was as harsh and deadly for them as fighting a small war. 10 spikes to the rail, 400 rails to the mile, and 2 miles of track per day. They blasted through the mountains using dynamite, and built tunnels through them. They built bridges across the gorges and hammered their way across the prairies.

The middle section of the song is drawn to a close by the "back to work" tempo speeding up gradually, like a locomotive building a head of steam, and then you are in the future. We can only be so lucky to benefit from those navvies, and this fine masterpiece of a song, in the present day.