No Matter the Path Lyrics

For a teenage altar boy church was an amusement park

Where psalms were songs of blessed time to have a lark

Sneaking sips of wine amidst breaking of bread

Wax balls from burning candles to throw at people's heads

Wartime saw the men away, no one to keep the peace

The nuns had one hell of a time with small town rivalries

Bombardiers target practice had boys plan for these encounters

Climb up on rooves, drop blocks of snow and sod at out-of-towners

With the island dry they'd stalk the bootlegger to his spot

Watched where he'd hide the moonshine in old bottles of pop

One drunken Halloween his folks nearly had him caught

He went bobbing for apples to sober up

Glad he grew up when he did, things are different now

The spirit of a kid in his sparkling eyes and crinkled brow

1948 Toronto-bound a place for youth to thrive

Didn't know a thing about big cities, it's a wonder he survived

From horse and wagon transportation to the TTC

Earned one dollar an hour, everything had a fee

Married an islander from Glace Bay

Met her on the dance floor, whisked each other away

One good suit, dreams aside, he was proudest as a dad

Gave up on things he wanted so they could have

For him there was no place like being on the ice

What he learned in hockey taught him most about life

Lay it all out in the game chasing buddy down the rink

All forgiven when the whistle blew, go buy him a drink

It's the magnetic draw carving our track

When you need it most it will pull you back

When you need a lift remember life's a gift to unwrap

Every being worthy of love no matter their path