My Lyrics

Another Door

Words & Music by Ken McLachlin

From the album: Been There, Done That, 2021

 

We’ve all been in that neighbourhood, so many times

The roads can wander far and wide.

There’s rows of houses, many colours, many kinds,

Some look familiar, some disguised.

 

Each one it is unique, each with its own vibe.

Face it now, or and move along.

Is the timing right or,  leavin you no choice

To pick a side where you belong

 

Chorus 1:

    Another door, another chance at something new.

    Its a choice you make, its all on you.

    If there’s a price to pay,    a windfall for the day,

    Know that I’ll be here for you

 

I’ve been there done that many times,  in my own life

The good and bad will come and go

The doors that offer up themselves, are nothing new

You know that others face them too

 

Bridge:

Pass it, keep it open,    lock it up for good.

Leave the bitter past behind.

Time will tell,  tends to focus where it should.

The daybreak shines a light inside.

 

Can you live with what it is,       that you decide.

Don’t let it keep you up at night

The terrors, constant thoughts of,   second guessers lies

Is wasting time,   its all just life.

 

Chorus 2:

    Another door, another chance at something new.

    Its a choice you make, its all on you.

    If there’s a price to pay,    a windfall for the day,

    Just know that I will be with you

 

Broken, burned or blessed,      there's always one that’s best

Tell me, which one's right for you?

Whichever one, you have to choose

Know that I,   am here for you.

 - END –

 

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Beneath the St. Clair

Words & Music by Ken McLachlin

From the album: Folk From Home, 2024

 

I’d been in this land only less than a year,

When the rumour was heard a big project was near.

They need seven hundred men with strong backs and the will,

To work underground for two years.

 

Without wasting time put my name to the line,

And was given the shift working for the Trunk Line.

Sir Hobson’s our boss and the chief engineer

To maintain the sights and align.

 

CHORUS

     We scrape with our hooks and we shovel out clay.

     Beneath the St. Clair headed west toward the states.

     For a great iron tube that will ferry through trains,

      Alas now my fortune’s been made.     

 

Been many a month we‘d not seen light of day,

With our Davies close by and our carts filled with clay.

Still we lost 3 good men taken sick by the grip,   

But to question would forfeit our pay.

 

Lining segments kept coming by rail every day,

Hand bolted together, 12 foot in a day.

When the foreman were hot, and the crew just as fresh,    

Their best was fifteen in a day

 

CHORUS  

     We scrape with our hooks and we shovel out clay.

     Beneath the St. Clair headed west toward the states.

     For a great iron tube that will ferry through trains,

      Alas now my fortune’s been made.     

 

But deep underground and alone with my thoughts,

I’d picture back home and remember the Scot.

As he stood at the hearth and declared to all there,

It was western success that he sought.

 

The groan of the shields brought my senses awake,

As the pistons engaged I could shake off the weight,

And take ease at the thought of my family with me,     

As I re-grip my hook and I wait.

 

  CHORUS              

     We scrape with our hooks and we shovel out clay.

     Beneath the St. Clair headed west toward the states.

     For a great iron tube that will ferry through trains,

      Alas now my fortune’s been made.     

 -END-

 

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Brothers

Words & Music by Ken McLachlin

From the album: Been There, Done That, 2021

 

Doesn’t seem long ago,     riding bikes, swimming holes,

And summers that went on and on.

Hockey nets on the road,    our heroes in tow,

Being home when the streetlights came on.

 

Well finally high school,    Pretty girls, cars were cool,

Playing football, the bands that we saw.

Off to college we go,    the beverages flowed,

More than once we stayed up ‘til dawn.

 

 CHORUS

        We’ll be here again,   Come thick or thin,

        Or the road unexpectedly ends.

        A win or a loss,   whatever the cost,

        Raise a glass, ‘cause we’ll always be friends.

 

You fell hard for her,    She’s perfect I’m sure,

And together you made us all smile.

But it wasn’t long,   before my heart was gone,

And we’re meeting again down the aisle.

 

Proud daddies with kids,    only half of us win,

Held me up when the others gave up.

With a beer to prescribe,    was a hell-of-a ride,

Lookin back I can’t thank you enough.

 

      CHORUS

        We’ll be here again,   Come thick or thin,

        Or the road unexpectedly ends.

        A win or a loss,   whatever the cost,

        Raise a glass,    we’ll always be friends.

 

Bridge:

Well life is a bitch,    A curve’s hard to hit,

It’s a shock that we’re now old and gray.

Those crazy fun times,    now talkin is fine,

Of our stories from back in the day.

 

CHORUS  x2

        We’ll be here again,   Come thick or thin,

        Or the road unexpectedly ends.

        A win or a loss,   whatever the cost,

        Raise a glass,    we’ll always be friends.

 

        A win or a loss,   whatever the cost,

        Raise a glass, we will always be friends.

 -END-

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Great Lake Freighters

Words & Music by Ken McLachlin

From the album: Folk From Home, 2024

 

CHORUS:

        Where have you come from, where have you been

        The giant boats quietly pass in between

        Our friends to the south and the red maple leaf,

        Where have you come from, where have you been

 

The freighters have sailed on the fresh lakes for years

Since early eighteens the Ports have been shared,

From coal, grain and ore their cargo’s  not changed           

The same boats have ferried by for years

 

   The horns blast their passages, Clearing the way

   Two on the starboard, Two on the starboard

   Markers are buoyed to pilot the way,  

    Through channels that navigate draft

 

      CHORUS

        Where have you come from, where have you been

        The giant boats quietly pass in between

        Our friends to the south and the red maple leaf,

        Where have you come from, where have you been

 

Out on the Great Lakes with cargo on board

The waves can rise up several stories I’m told

Steady the course to keep it from broach

And a load to prevent Hog or Sag

 

   The horns blast their passages, Clearing the way

   Two on the starboard, Two on the starboard

   Markers are buoyed to pilot the way,    

   The next ports awaiting their cache

 

      CHORUS:

        Where have you come from, where have you been

        The giant boats quietly pass in between

        Our friends to the south and the red maple leaf,

        Where have you come from, where have you been

 

Over the years they’ve been fatally tossed

6000 wrecks and a thousand lives lost

Novembers the worse as the season draws near

For the sailors who wanna go home

 

   The horns blast their passages, Clearing the way

   Two on the starboard, Two on the starboard

   Markers are buoyed to pilot the way,   

   To the ones that can never go home

 

CHORUS:        x2

        Where have you come from, where have you been

        The giant boats quietly pass in between

        Our friends to the south and the red maple leaf,

        Where have you come from, where have you been

 -END-

 

 

Life’s Got No Remote

Words & Music by Ken McLachlin

From the album: Been There, Done That, 2021

 

Another work day, and at it again

The same old grind, really at a dead end

My mind is numb, and fading fast

 

The paper moves from here to there

I push delete and nobody cares

It’ll be the same,      for the next thirty years

 

Chorus:

      One of these days I’ll go back to school

      I been telling that lie for years

      When payday comes and we go out

      I spend it all on beer.

      Been pushed around like an old river barge,

      Its not what this kid had in the cards,

      Life’s got no remote,     so change it yourself

 

I look in the mirror and what do I see,

Its that older guy,  he’s still starin at me

But time has past,  and I’m seein’ some grey!

 

A shock to the system, that time separates

Now the, carpet suddenly matches the drapes

How the heck on earth,     did I get this way?

 

Chorus:

      Put on a few pounds, since my high school prom

      The years just flew on by

      That stranger starin’ back at me

      Should’ve never let this lie.

      The Doc says time to go to the gym

      If not for me  than for the wife and kids,

      Life’s got no remote,    so change it yourself

 

Life’s got no remote,    so change it yourself

 

Chorus:

      Time to take charge, grab the bull by the horns

      Who said that life was a breeze

      If it ain’t right there’s no other way

      To be who you wanna be

      Stop blaming the world, start taking control,

      Just make your way, and let it unfold,

Life’s got no remote,      change it yourself

Life’s got no remote,      so change it yourself

Life’s got no remote,      get up and change it yourself

 -END-

 

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 Losin’ the Capital – Corunna’s Close Call

Words & Music by Ken McLachlin

From the album: Folk From Home, 2024

 

A handful of Scottish men, Back in the day,

Settled on the lands of the Anishinaabeg.

Lord Beresford came,  Just to layout the land,

On the, Banks of the St. Clair, Corunna began.

 

The surveys were done and the streets all prepared,

For the, Government buildings surroundin’ the square.

But after strategic considerations,

They cancelled their plans and went back to square one.

 

CHORUS:

      Comin’ so close only counts in horse-shoes,

      Losin’ the Capital;   not the best news.

      But as, Hindsight would have it, We’re glad it fell through.

      I’m sure he would be just as proud,

      If Lord Willy Beresford could see the place now!

 

Now, on the main street is the St. George’s Square.

A monument stands there that proudly declares

Just how, Close the small village had actually come.

To being the place where the governments’ run.

 

CHORUS:

      Comin’ so close only counts in horse-shoes,

      Losin’ the Capital;   not the best news.

      But as, Hindsight would have it, We’re glad it fell through.

      I’m sure he would be just as proud,

      If Lord Willy Beresford could see the place now!

 

Well, seeing what Ottawa deals with today,

It’s good that Corunna forever remains,

As one of the best towns, you can visit or stay.

The street names remain just the same …

     As the day that Lord Beresford had came …

     Twas a blessing for all that the capital changed!

 

CHORUS:

      Comin’ so close only counts in horse-shoes,

      Losin’ the Capital;   not the best news.

      As hindsight would have it, We’re glad it fell through.

      I’m sure he would be just as proud,

      If Lord Willy Beresford could see the place now!

 

BRIDGE:

Well they, don’t have the Senators or the Redblacks,

But they do have the Giants and Flags!

 

CHORUS:

      Comin’ so close only counts in horse-shoes,

      Losin’ the Capital;   not the best news.

      But as, Hindsight would have it, We’re glad it fell through.

      I’m sure he would be just as proud,

      If Lord Willy Beresford could see the place now!

I think he would love what you did with the town,

If Lord Willy Beresford could see____,    the place all now!

 -END-

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My Town
Words & Music by Ken McLachlin
From the album: Folk From Home, 2024

​

Hey you’re new in town, look around ,
Tell me what u see and take a 
Good old stroll in my, neighbourhood, we’re doing’ good, 
Cause what we have is good,  you need to 
Shed your coat, clear your throat, open up your mind 
And let the view come in without your 
Glasses on, the colour’s on, no need to adjust your set

      Tasting every drop, just like it  be your last,
      Share a smile, a wave, stop living in the past

 

Cause the, timing’s right, we play all night, no need to fight
Cause everybody here already,
Gets along, the coffees on, we’re feeling strong  
You gotta clear your mind and let it 
All come in, begin again, win again,
Take it on the chin and turn the
Other cheek, that’s sure not weak, two wrongs are never right

    See you’re barefoot now, with miles left to go, 
    Slip right into mine and now you’re gonna know …..
    On a journey here that, everyone condones 
    Rest assured, realize, that you are not alone
    Not alone,         You are not alone,

    You are not alone,

 

Hey come on in, you’re gonna win, begin again
You’re in among your friends,    you know the 
The coffees on, it might be strong, so lets go downtown,
And get a fresh cup from Eric,
We’ll talk about what’s going on,    in our town,
There’s a lot of people doing some amazing things, 
We gotta help each other,
Cause really at the end of the day

 

We’re all the same.  
We are all the same,  (you and I,   you and I,    you and I)
We are all the same,  (you and I,   you and I,    you and I)

We’re all the same.   

- END -

 

 

The Ballad of John Lewis 
Words & Music by Ken McLachlin
From the album: Folk From Home, 2024

​

It was the long weekend in May ‘36,
The town’s only liquor store poised.
With last minute patrons, lined at the cashier,
When bandits called out in surprise.

  

One yelled to the customers “hands in the air”,
The both of them stood with guns drawn.
A customer tardy with change at the door,
High tailed it for help from the law.

​

CHORUS:
         In liquor store forty-six peace was restored,
         But the price of the slaughtered was paid.
         John Lewis the constable gave up his life,
         For the people of Sarnia that day.

 

A day like another, night shift on the job,
Bid farewell to his wife and two kids.
Reporting for duty, the new shift was told,
A hold up at store forty-six.

​

The incoming call was at five fifty-eight,
Four officers wasted no time.
Amongst them John Lewis, just seven years on,
A husband, a father and son.

​

CHORUS:
         In liquor store forty-six peace was restored,
         But the price of the slaughtered was paid.
         John Lewis the constable gave up his life,
         For the people of Sarnia that day.

 

Up the stairs officers ran toward the threat,
The gangster he met them head on. 
The first cop to enter, was shot in the chest,
And the heated gun battle was on.

​

Just forty-five minutes John had in his tour,
Three men now lay dead from the fray. 
A hero’s send-off, in a city that grieved,
Headlines cross the country displayed:
'The first one to enter that day,   
Was the city’s first cop to his grave'.

​

CHORUS:  2x
         In liquor store forty-six peace was restored,
         But the price of the slaughtered was paid.
         John Lewis the constable gave up his life,
         For the people of Sarnia that day.

         John Lewis the constable gave up his life,
         For the people of Sarnia that day.

-END-

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The Hammy

Words & Music by Ken McLachlin

From the album: Folk From Home, 2024

 

CHORUS:

            She looked so fine,     The lady of the Great lakes,

            She looked so fine,     When she graced our little town.

            She looked so fine,     The envy of the crowded shore,

            She’ll never sail again ‘cause the Hammy burnt down.

            She’ll never sail again ‘cause the Hammy burnt down.

 

Nineteen oh nine, was her maiden voyage,

Duluth to Detroit, on the Great blue Lakes.

A seven day cruise, travelling in luxury, 

A trip for all that would was made to captivate.

 

A port of call, her final trip in forty-five,

Was to a town, Huron’s southern shore.

In the Point, She tied up overnight,

Her passengers slept inside her, safe and warm.

 

CHORUS:

            She looked so fine,     The lady of the Great lakes,

            She looked so fine,     When she graced our little town.

            She looked so fine,     The envy of the crowded shore,

            She’ll never sail again ‘cause the Hammy burnt down.

            She’ll never sail again ‘cause the Hammy burnt down.

 

After eight, following’ the break of day,

The call went out, there’s a fire on the shore.

The embers danced, and settled on her deck,

The flames spread fast, made her metal groan.

 

Captain Beaton, kept his wits about him,

As he woke his charge, and he had them fled.

A crane operator lowered some to the ground,

A miracle it was, all were saved in the end.

 

 CHORUS: x 2

            She looked so fine,     The lady of the Great lakes,

            She looked so fine,     When she graced our little town.

            She looked so fine,     The envy of the crowded shore,

            She’ll never sail again ‘cause the Hammy burnt down.

            She’ll never sail again ‘cause the Hammy burnt down.

 

            She’ll never sail again, ‘cause the Hammy. Burnt. Down.

 - END -

 

 

The Lakeside

Words & Music by Ken McLachlin

From the album: Folk From Home, 2024

 

I find myself sittin’ here, once again,

Set aside my routine.

All alone, feelin’ small, as those waves roll in,

Pressing on I can’t leave.

 

The wind grabs me and pulls my mind, in again,

The mist blowing on me.

Can’t run or hide, storms off the lake are in,

All too fast to believe.

 

It’s all around me,

The darkness is there,   Its coming for me.

 

The chill in the air, shivers inside I can,

Huddle in to save heat.

The clouds hang, lightning sparks, now rain begins,

The winds driving the waves.

 

Never knowing how bad it’ll be again,

No two days are the same.

See the others adrift farther out and I’m,

Not alone in the rain.

 

Buts Its all around me,

The darkness is there,    Its coming for me.

 

Bridge:

I have to tell me,  that its just a storm.

No matter how big,  it always moves on.

 

There are days, when the sun warms me through,

And it makes me complete.

These storms come and go, like the day turns to night,

It’s my path, my journey.

 

Once darkness is done,     You’ll show me the sun,             

Tomorrow’s for me,        Another for me.

 -END-

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