# Sail the Prairie Sea *Captain Salty Frank and the Boreal Buccaneers* [Intro — Distant diesel engines, faint fiddle, concertina warming up, boots shuffling] [Spoken — Older male pirate captain, gravelly, cheerful and theatrical] Ahoy there, me hearties! Come closer! Come closer! Pull up a crate, warm your hands, and gather round! There's coffee in the pot, diesel in the engines, and a hundred miles of road ahead of us! Now, some folks say you can't be a pirate without an ocean. [Pause] Well, those folks have clearly never been to Saskatchewan! [Crew laughter] So gather round, Swabbies! Let old Captain Salty Frank tell you what it means... To sail the Prairie Sea! [Concertina flourish — Fiddle joins, steady stomping rhythm begins] [Verse 1 — Salty Frank singing, confident and theatrical] There's a Jolly Roger flying From a tractor painted black, And a hundred miles of highway Stretching out before our track! With the wheat fields all around us, And the northern stars to steer, We'll sail the roads of Canada, And raise another cheer! [Chorus — Full pirate crew, hearty call-and-response] HEAVE AWAY! HEAVE AWAY! SAIL THE PRAIRIE SEA! From the Rockies to the rivers, Where the roads run wild and free! Raise the flag and sound the horn! Let the old world be reborn! HEAVE AWAY! HEAVE AWAY! COME AND SAIL WITH ME! [Verse 2 — Fiddle, concertina, percussion from metal tools] The Snowshark scouts the frozen trails, The Hookrunner takes hold! The Pipefitters keep the engines hot, Though the winter's bitter cold! The Foghorn sings across the fields, The Tugboat hauls our prize! And when the mighty Combine rolls, You'll see the bravest hide! [Chorus — Full ensemble] HEAVE AWAY! HEAVE AWAY! SAIL THE PRAIRIE SEA! From the Rockies to the rivers, Where the roads run wild and free! [Instrumental Transition — Playful clarinet, pizzicato strings, concertina] [Verse 3 — Gilbert-and-Sullivan-inspired comic patter, accelerating delivery] We're navigators, salvagers, mechanics and marauders! We're merchants, makers, traders and occasionally border-crossers! We appropriate machinery, negotiate with creditors, And turn abandoned tractors into formidable competitors! We've pipefitters and welders and a dozen kinds of engineers, A Swabbie with a toolbox and a captain with enormous ears! We polish up the Jolly Roger, lubricate the steering gear, And always check the coffee pot before we commandeer! [Spoken — Salty Frank, suddenly serious] Because a captain who forgets the coffee... [Pause] Isn't fit to command a canoe! [Orchestral comic flourish — Crew laughter] [Chorus — Brass and strings join the folk ensemble] HEAVE AWAY! HEAVE AWAY! SAIL THE PRAIRIE SEA! From the Rockies to the rivers, Where the roads run wild and free! Raise the flag and sound the horn! Let the old world be reborn! HEAVE AWAY! HEAVE AWAY! COME AND SAIL WITH ME! [Bridge — Warm campfire guitar, gentle fiddle] A ship is built of iron, But a crew is built of trust. And we'll bring our people home again, Though the roads have turned to dust. There's coffee for the traveller, And a tow for those in need. For the finest kind of treasure Is a friend in times of need. [Spoken — Salty Frank, quietly] Remember, Swabbies. Gold can be stolen. Steel can be replaced. But a good crew? [Pause] That's worth sailing home for. [Instrumental Build — Fiddle, concertina, brass and rolling drums] [Verse 4 — Rowdy celebratory vocals] From Westlock down to Moose Jaw, To the Mall's great inland bay! We'll barter, build and borrow, And occasionally sail away! Captain Jack is telling stories, Salty Frank is on the air! And somebody stole a harvester— [Spoken — Outraged crew member] WE RECOVERED IT, I SWEAR! [Instrumental — Fast fiddle and concertina, playful operetta strings] [Final Chorus — Huge communal singalong] HEAVE AWAY! HEAVE AWAY! SAIL THE PRAIRIE SEA! From the Rockies to the rivers, Where the roads run wild and free! Let the engines roar like thunder! Let the Jolly Roger fly! And we'll sail another hundred roads, BENEATH THE NORTHERN SKY! HEAVE AWAY! HEAVE AWAY! COME AND SAIL WITH ME! [Outro — Concertina and fiddle, slowing to a warm campfire rhythm] [Spoken — Salty Frank, satisfied] And that, me hearties, is the Boreal Buccaneer way. Now then... Who's making the next pot of coffee? [Another pirate] You are, Captain! [Salty Frank] Mutiny! Mutiny, I say! [Crew laughter, final concertina flourish]
