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 his boys that Canada was waiting
There was hope upon her golden shores
But at night he said a quiet prayer to the wind
Oh Canada, if you can hear me now
Won't you open up your arms towards the sea?
Oh Canada, if you can 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 babies 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
So the father said "We gotta hold each other tighter
I'm not losing everyone I love tonight
And we've come so far I know that out there somewhere
There's a place where we'll not 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 Canada, if you can help me out
The sea is turning and I think we're going down
Anyone if you can hear me now,
Won't you open up your heart towards the sea
Anyone, please help us out
All we ever wanted was a safe place for our family
There's a million ways to justify your fear
There's a million ways to measure out your words
But the body of Alan being laid upon the sand
Tell me how do you live with that?