Songs For Canada Trivia Quiz

Answer: A wandering Canadian, banished from his home, travelled through many lands while his tears flowed.

"Un canadien errant" is one of the most poignant of Canadian folk songs. Prior to Canada's Confederation, Quebec was known as Lower Canada. After the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837-1838, several of the rebels were condemned to death or exiled to the United States. The author, Antoine Gérin-Lajoie, a Quebecois poet, wrote this song that captures the pain of exile.

Answer: Gordon Lightfoot

Commissioned by the CBC to write a song for a broadcast on the occasion of Canada's centennial in 1967, Gordon Lightfoot wrote "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" to commemorate the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Canadian Pacific Railway finally connected British Columbia to the east of Canada when it was completed in 1885, as promised to the western province when it joined Confederation in 1871.

Answer: A dancer from Montreal

Suzanne Verdal was a young dancer married to a sculptor from Montreal. She became Cohen's muse in the '60s, for whom he wrote one of his most famous songs, "Suzanne." You can read more of Suzanne's story in an interview she gave to the BBC in 1998, transcribed at www.leonardcohenfiles.com/verdal.html.

But I have always thought that Suzanne could have just as easily been the wonderful city of Montreal in metaphor.

Answer: Working with a donkey winch

In the traditional song "Donkey Riding," a donkey is not an equine, it's an engine: a large winch used on sailing ships to pull chains aboard, primarily on the East Coast of Canada. Great Big Sea hails from Newfoundland and uses traditional as well as electric instruments in their performances.

Answer: Going south for the winter

We wouldn't be Canadians if we didn't need to get away from the winter for awhile. In the early part of the 20th century, Canada considered annexing the Caribbean islands of the Turks and Caicos to Nova Scotia. At least we could get some sun without leaving Canadian soil. But it was not to be.

In "Demain, l'hiver," Charlebois leaves us his scraper, slush, and hockey while he and the ducks take flight for more clement climes.

Answer: Bobcaygeon

Bobcaygeon, Ontario is about 160 km (100 miles)northeast of Toronto. The singer of "Bobcaygeon" is a police officer from Toronto who is torn between the woman he loves in Ontario cottage country and his duties in the big city. He is on duty during Toronto's infamous Christie Pits anti-Semitic riots, but he still can't stop thinking of her.

The story is that the song writer, Gord Downey, apparently picked the name Bobcaygeon because it rhymed with "constellation". Notwithstanding, many Canadians will tell you that this song is their pick for one of the most "Canadian" of songs.

Answer: It's never stated

A skiing weekend in Canada, a change of scene, is all apparently composer Hugo Winterhaller bargained for. The singer meets the love of his life there. It's too bad that the composer couldn't say where exactly- it would have given that province's tourism industry a boost. Andy William's vocal version is the most popular after the instrumental.

Answer: The airport code for Pearson International Airport, Toronto

Another correct answer would be an instrumental by Rush, one of the most internationally famous Canadian bands. The opening of the song is YYZ in Morse code. And you do know that it's pronounced "Why Why Zed", eh?

Answer: It was not written by a Canadian.

"The Ballad of Springhill" recounts the story of the 1958 mining disaster in Springhill, Nova Scotia, in which 73 men died and 100 were rescued. Although its Canadian setting and details are vivid, the song was written by Peggy Seeger, half-sister of the American folk singer Pete Seeger. Peggy was born in New York City and lived for 30 years in Great Britain.

The most widely heard version of this song is probably the one by Peter, Paul and Mary.

Answer: Saskatchewan

The lyric comes from the Proclaimers' "Cap in Hand":
"I could tell the meaning of a world like serene
I got some "0" grades when I was sixteen
I can tell the difference 'tween margarine and butter
I can say "Saskatchewan" without starting to stutter

But I can't understand why we let someone else rule our land
We're cap in hand."

Témiscouata was a station on the historic "Grand Portage" that included Madawaska and Kamouraska. Kejimkujik is the only inland national park in the Atlantic Provinces. And Manicouagan, Quebec is the location of one of Canada's largest hydroelectric dams.