When first I did appear upon this native soil

All up and down this country at labor I did toil

I slumbered in the moonlight and I rose with the sun

I rambled through the canyons where the cold rivers run



When first I did come down where the land meets the sea

The people said Who are you and what would your name be

I said I have no home and I am no man's son

'Twas inland I was born and from inland that I come



In the good land I was young and I was strong

No one dared to call me son

Happy just to see my day's work done

See my day's work done



So I swung an axe as a timberjack

And I worked the Quebec mines

And on the golden prairie I rode the big combines

I sailed the maritime waters of many a seaport town

Built the highways and the byways to the western salmon grounds



I've gazed upon the good times I've seen the bad times too

Felt many a cold and bitter wind and many a mornin' dew

I've watched the country growin' like a fair and mighty thing

And on the still of a summer night I've heard the mountains ring



In the good land I was young and I was strong

No one dared to call me son

Happy just to see my day's work done

See my day's work done



But now the seeds are planted and the gates are open wide

The old ways are forgotten there's no place left to hide

And the legacy I'm leavin' you is not very hard to find

You'll see it all around you at this crossroads of time

In the sweet soil it's a-growin' At the crossroads of time