Breakfast In Hell

Written and recorded by Slaid Cleaves on the cd 'Broke Down' () wind'll make you ()shiver. 'Twas the ()Georgian Bay near the ()River. Where the ()coyotes howl and you can ()hear the osprey scream. Back in ()sending it ()stream. Young Sandy Gray came to Go Home Bay all the way from P.E.I. Where the weather's rough and it makes you tough, no man's afraid to die. Sandy came a smilin', 30,000 Islands was the place to claim his glory. Now Sandy's gone but his name lives on, and this is Sandy's story. Chorus One Young ()on today in the ()yell. ()Listen close and you'll hear a ghost in this ()tell, boys. This ()tell. Now Sandy Gray was boss of the men who'd toss the trees onto the shore. They'd come and go till they'd built a floe of 100,000 logs or more. And he'd ride 'em down toward Severn Sound to cut 'em up in the mills for timber. And ships would haul, spring, summer, and fall, 'til the ice came in December. One Sabbath Day, big Sandy Gray came into camp with a peavey on his shoulder. With a thunder crack he dropped his axe and the room got a little bit colder. Said 'Come all you, we've got work to do. We've gotta give 'er all we can give 'er. 'There's a jam of logs at the little jog near the mouth of the Musquash River. With no time to pray on the Lord's Day, they were hoping for God's forgiveness. But the jam was high in a troubled sky and they set about their business. They poked with their poles and ran with the rolls and tried to stay on their feet. Every trick they tried and one man cried 'This log jam's got us beat.' Chorus two But Sandy Gray was not afraid and he let out a mighty yell. 'I'll be damned, we'll break this jam, or it's breakfast in Hell, boys.' 'Breakfast in Hell.' Now every one of the men did the work of ten and Sandy scrambled up to the top. He's working like a dog heaving 30 foot logs and it looked like he'd never stop. They struggled on those men so strong till the jam began to sway. Then they dove for cover to the banks of the river all except for Sandy Gray. Now with thoughts of death they held their breath as they saw their friend go down. They all knew in a second or two he'd be crushed or frozen or drowned. They saw him fall and they heard him call, just once and then it was over. Young Sandy Gray gave his life that day near the mouth of the Musquash River. Chorus three. But Sandy Gray was not afraid and he let out a mighty yell. 'I'll be damned, we'll break that jam, or it's breakfast in Hell, boys.' 'Breakfast in Hell.' East of Giant's Tomb, there's plenty of room, there's no fences and no walls. And if you listen close, you'll hear a ghost, down by Sandy Gray Falls. Through the tops of the trees, you'll hear in the breeze, the echoes of a might yell. 'I'll be damned, we'll break this jam, or it's breakfast in Hell.' Chorus four. And sandy Gray lives on today in the echoes of a mighty yell. 'I'll be damned, we'll break this jam, or it's breakfast in Hell, boys.' 'Breakfast in Hell.' Note - P.E.I. is presumably Prince Edward Island.