Lyrics

The coast of Newfoundland and Labrador are mythic
The people who have lived here special breeds
Risking life and limb on ice and ocean
To satisfy a growing family’s needs.

And when tragic circumstances pay a visit
There is no one who will not pay the price
To help a neighbour struggling for survival
Or a child who’d gone missing on the ice.

Just such a situation late last winter
Occurred upon the coast of Labrador
A wayward boy intent upon adventure
On snowmobile did wander far from shore.

And when the child was reported missing
Search and rescue bosses rolled the dice
No help from them was ever here forthcoming
To find this child missing on the ice.

More than two days went by
Before they finally took to air
While deathly horrors visited
That helpless child there

And in the aftermath of this cruel story
There is no one who will answer for the deed
No answers offered to a grieving family
And leaders shamefully refuse to lead.

In calling for a more responsive service
For prayers and fervent wishes won’t suffice
Remember how it failed Burton Winters
A child who’d gone missing on the ice.