ELBOWS UP [Intro — boots, claps, room noise] Oh— Sorry about this. Elbows up. [Verse 1] They came down shouting from the balcony, Gold-plated promises, bargain-bin policy, Big men pointing at a map with a pen, Drawing little circles, then drawing them again. Said, “You’ll come around when the cupboard gets bare.” We looked at the cupboard— there was plenty in there. Coffee from Colombia, wine from the Rhine, Korean wheels, and Quebec doing fine. Someone at the back said, “Did they think they own the store?” Nope. Open another door. [Pre-Chorus] We speak in a hundred tongues on the same street, Pass the bread, move your chair, make another seat. You can tell us who we ought to fear— But everybody’s already here. [CHORUS] ELBOWS UP! Keep your head in the play. If it’s made in the USA, we ain’t buying it today. Elbows up! No hate, no shove— We know exactly who we are and exactly what we love. East coast, west coast, prairie sky above— Different names, different faces, same country, elbows up. HEY! [Verse 2] There’s a Sikh kid laughing with a Ukrainian gran, A Jamaican nurse and a Newfoundland man, Two dads buying groceries, kids running wild, Somebody holds the door— somebody smiles. Bonjour, hello, salaam, sat sri akaal, There’s room at the table, there’s room for us all. That’s the bit the little goons never understand: Strength isn’t everybody looking like one man. [Break] Oh, they built a podium! Very impressive. They built a wall! Congratulations. They put a tariff on the hammer, a tariff on the nail— Then wondered why the whole damn plan was for sale. [CHORUS] ELBOWS UP! Keep your head in the play. If it’s made in the USA, we ain’t buying it today. Elbows up! And pass the word along— You can bully one neighbour, you can’t bully the whole world long. North, south, everywhere we trade— If you don't want our business, there are billions more to make. ELBOWS UP! [Instrumental — fiddle collides with dhol, accordion and brass] [Verse 3] Send the wheat across the ocean, send the nickel overseas, Maple, lumber, brains and batteries, wherever people please. Tokyo, Berlin, Delhi, Seoul, São Paulo, Paris— there’s a whole wide globe. You wanted us dependent. That was cute. We checked the atlas. There are other routes. [Half-time] And down below, the television glows: A room full of suits saying nobody knows why everything costs more, why the shelves look strange, why shouting at your friends didn't make them stay the same. Maybe build another banner. Maybe blame somebody new. Meanwhile— we've got trading to do. [FINAL CHORUS — HUGE] ELBOWS UP! From the harbour to the plain, From the towers of Toronto to the west-coast rain. Elbows up! Québec, levez-vous! Every colour, every language, every old and every new. We don't need to own the world to know what Canada is worth. We'll trade with anybody who'll meet us on this earth. And if the boys down south want to close themselves inside— Let 'em build their third-world dream with the gates ten storeys high. We'll be over here with the rest of humankind. ELBOWS UP! [Drop — crowd only] If it's made in the USA— WE AIN'T BUYING IT! If bullying's the price— WE AIN'T BUYING IT! If friendship comes with tariffs— WE AIN'T BUYING IT! What are we buying? [Beat] EVERYTHING ELSE! [Final explosion] ELBOWS UP! ELBOWS UP! LES COUDES LEVÉS! ELBOWS UP! [Outro — sudden friendly voice] Sorry. Not sorry. [END]
