Pioneer Days
She wakes an hour before the dawn; she pulls her slippers on
Grabs the kindling for the morning fire
Stirring up the coals she’d banked the night before
She fans the embers ‘til the flames grow higher
She does her best with what she has; makes the breakfast, bakes the bread
She’ll have the washing hung before it’s noon
She draws her water from a well, minds the garden; weeds and tills
So little time, so very much to do
That’s why they say “a woman’s work is never done”
The hours of patient toil, that’s how the West was won
It’s milk, churn the butter
Tend the chickens, gather eggs
Oh, you worked so hard in those pioneer days
You worked so hard in those pioneer days
Sharpen up the ploughshare, harness up the team
Eleven miles an acre in mud right to your knees
With just a pair of horses for this three-horse patch of land
Where you make the most of what you’ve got, and do the best you can
It takes calloused hands to work ‘till day is done
It’s grit and perspiration boys, that’s how the West was won
A few more turns around the ‘crown’
And keep your furrows straight
Oh, you worked so hard in those pioneer days
You worked so hard in those pioneer days
Back in the days of iron and galvanized steel
Days of horse drawn implements on narrow wooden wheels
It took determination and it took a constant hand
It took a lot of faith to carve your life out of this land
Here’s to the souls who never quit until the job was done
Through pride and perseverance boys, that’s how the West was won
Deserving of our thankfulness and worthy of our praise
Oh, you worked so hard in those pioneer days
You worked so hard in those pioneer days
Words & Music by Bruce Coughlan (SOCAN)
