He was carried from the water by a soldier
And the picture screams a thousand different words
He was running from the terror with his father
Who once believed that nothing could be worse
So he'd handed a man two thousand precious dollars
The way you'd rest a bird in a lion's open jaw
And he told the boys that Canada was waiting
That there was hope upon her golden shores
But at night he said a quiet prayer into the wind
Oh, Canada, if you can hear me now
Won't you open up your arms towards the sea?
Oh, Canada, if you could help me out
All I ever wanted was a safe place for my family
Well the days were long but the nights were even longer
And the baby boys never left their mothers' side
But the boat was small and the waves were getting stronger
And they began to fear they'd not survive
Till the father said: We gotta hold each other tighter
I'm not losing everything I love tonight
And we've come so far I know that out there somewhere
There's a place we won't have to fear for our lives
But as he held onto the side of the boat
He looked up at the sky
Oh, Canada, if you can hear me now
Won't you open up your arms towards the sea
Oh, my Canada, if you could help me out
The sea is turning and I think we're going down
Ooh
Canada if you can hear me now
Won't you open up your heart towards the sea
Ooh
Anyone, please help me out
All I ever wanted was a safe place for my family
There's a million ways to justify your fear
There's a million ways to measure out your worth
But the body of Alan being laid upon the sand
Tell me how do we live with that?