Summer Song – (Novel Insert)

1.  At first this land lay pleasant,
The birds rejoiced in song;
In woodland drummed the pheasant,
And bison thundered on;
First people on the prairie,
Beneath the summer sun,
Ate moose-meat, deer, and berry,
And made a bison run.

Refrain:
At last our parents gather,
In music, wood smoke, and song;
We'll journey now together,
Let go past days of wrong;
In friendship walk forever,
Go on now hand in hand –
As sun brings warmer weather,
The crocus blooms in our land.

2.  The traders came for furs,
The beaver pelt was precious;
Their trade goods held allure,
Though booze was somewhat treacherous;
The traders intermarried,
Raised families here with joy;
New mix of culture carried
In actions, thought, and the voice.

Refrain:

3.  The settlers came for farming,
Bread-basket for the world;
With fences, ploughs – alarming –
Made fields where forests stood.
First surveys, roads, and cityscapes,
Then soldiers, warfare, and loss;
Their way of life was soon laid waste,
Success despite the cost.

Refrain:

4.  The treaty papers signed,
Were tossed as folks arrived;
Goodwill slipped from their minds, as
For treasure each one strived.
Métis watched life just fall apart,
First people crushed with despair;
Protest seen as rebellion,
Then shots filled summertime air.

Refrain:

5.  But now the day has come,
To live our lives together;
Draw life while rivers running,
Treat friendship's bonds with care.
Our lives have changed forever,
There is no turning back;
Let's walk this road together,
And see what comes of that.

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