My INCO Hat

The story is told in big John's face,
The story of all those who go,
When going ain't leaving, it's interlude
And those who hope it is so.

The story is told in big Johnny's eyes
How he never wanted all this,
In parting, his friends remind him so much
Of all the things he had missed.

The story is Gerry's since eighty-five
And Gerry's got all those great lines,
But look, you can read between every one,
He's missed home all of this time.

And Pauline o.k., Lester is there,
And the patriot daughter and son,
They all share the past,
But their memories of home are as if they were one.

So I wear this hat, for all those who left,
Though I've only met a few,
And I wear this hat, it's my "INCO" hat,
And remember the jobs that they do.

For "INCO" is a mine, it's a hole in the ground
That lured so many away,
They spread out all over this country of ours,
But I get to go home and stay

So I'm not saying, "it's wrong to leave,"
I'm not saying, "it's right to stay,"
All I know is, of all those who left,
They talk of leaving again.

Leaving the mines, or the cities or towns,
And the jobs that lured them away;
They talk of the things that their youngsters don't get,
And how growing up here ain't the same.

And I know how some of them came to meet,
On one warm clear late April day
To see our show and, to see us all go,
And how we left and they stayed;
And I know the tears in big Johnny's eyes
When our visit came to an end,
And when Ray played one last familiar tune,
I know how they waltzed once again.

So I wear this hat, for all those who left,
Though I've only met a few,
And I wear this hat, it's my "INCO" hat,
And remember the jobs that they do.

####.... Kevin Blackmore of Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers (Salt Beef Junkie, 1995) ....####

See more songs by Buddy Wasisname And The Other Fellers.

Note: Inco Limited is a Canadian mining and metals company, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. It is the world's second largest producer of nickel, and its third largest nickel mining company outside South Africa and Russia of platinum-group metals. On October 24, 2006, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) obtained control of Inco Limited.