She gave me matches
Seven wooden matches
She put them into a small, slim glass jar
With a screw-top lidI fingered that jar
I put it in my pocket
She said, ‘Can’t go into the woods without them’
I smiled at her and leftAnd I kept them dry
And as long as there were six
I’d be fine
As long as there were five
Matches in that jar
Mile after mile
On the chick-chick chick-chick sound of the matches
On the memory of her smileI kept them dry
And as long as there were five
I’d be fine
As long as there were four
Matches in a jar
With a screw-top lid
I know she did not mean to hurt my feelings
But that’s what she didAnd I kept them dry
And as long as there were three
I’d be fine
As long as there were two
Matches in that jar
Gord Downie
This song broke my heart. It’s entitled “Seven Matches” off the Secret Path album. The whole album is a concept album about Chanie Wenjack trying to find his way home after running away from his residential school in Ontario. He never made it home. I found it so sad that he gets to two matches and then the song just kind of dwindles and ends. You need to listen to this album and it helps if you read along with the graphic novel by the same title, it’ll ruin you but you’ll be better for it.
(via vagabondprophet)
Vagabond Prophet 