Graffiti in the City: Gold

Shane Koyczan – We Are More

 

Define Canada
You might say the home of the Rocket or the Great One
Who inspired little number 9’s and little number 99’s
But we’re more than just hockey and fishing lines
Off the rocky coast of the Maritimes
And some say what defines us
Is something as simple as “please” and “thank you”
And as for “you’re welcome”? Well, we say that too
But we are more than gentile or civilised
We are an idea in the process of being realised
We are young
We are culture strung together and then woven into a tapestry
And the design is what makes us
More than the sum totals of our history
We are an experiment going right for a change
With influences that range from A to Zed
And yes, we say Zed instead of Zee
We are the colours of Chinatown, the coffee of Little Italy
We dream so big
That there are those who would call our ambition an industry
Because we are vineyards of good year after good year
We reforest what we clear
Because we believe in generations beyond our own
Knowing now that so many of us have grown past what we used to be
We can stand here today
Filled with all the hope people have when they say things like “some day”
Because we are more than a laundry list of things to do and places to see
More than hills to ski and country-side ponds to skate
We are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can’t wait
We are first rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes
A country that is all the ways you choose to live
A nation that can give you variety
Because we are choices
We are millions upon millions of voices
Shouting “keep exploring, we are more”
“We are the surprise the world has in store for you”
It’s true
Canada is the “what” in “what’s new”
So don’t let your luggage define your travels
Each life unravels differently
And experience is what makes the colours of our tapestry
We are the True North, strong and free
And what’s more is that we didn’t just say it
We made it be