Tiger Bay

He worked his daily 14 hours below
And rarely saw the sunset or sunrise
He watched his little family try to grow
But he could see the sorrow in her eyes
He sold up nearly everything he owned
In the terrace house he rented from the mine
Said goodbye to all the friends he'd ever known
And sailed away in 1929

He came a long, long way
From Tiger Bay
On the wide, wide sea
To be free, free, free

They huddled up on deck against the cold
Smiling through the tears they tried to hide
And they wondered what the future years would hold
AS they headed for Toronto on the tide
The steelworks gave employment at the start
But what they found was worse than what they'd left
And with the dream of freedom burning in their hearts
September found them heading for the west

They came a long, long way
From Tiger Bay
On the wide, wide sea
To be free, free, free

At Calgary they saw the winter out
But the icy northern winds came thick and wide
And late one night he heard his lady shout
The time had come to have their precious child
He did his best to save the seed he'd sewn
And soon he heard his baby's gentle cry
But the new life she had given cost her own
And he saw the love-light dying in her eyes

He came a long, long way
From Tiger Bay
On the wide, wide sea
To be free, free, free

The preacher's words made such a lonely sound
AS they lay her body in the frozen plain
And the dreams they shared were buried underground
In the foothills of the Rocky's far away

He came a long, long way
From Tiger Bay
On the wide, wide sea
To be free, free, free
He came a long, long way
From Tiger Bay
On the wide, wide sea
To be free, free, free