![]() ![]() Lost in Thoughts All Alone is a special song that anyone can sing. 2.1 Official English Lyrics (Without Heirs of Fate Lyrics).The results of his decision were fatal and tragic. He decided to stand his ground and take a shot at the boat. Instead of heeding his father’s advice and running, the son felt falsely reassured by his father’s gun he was holding. “Red means run son” - the red beacon described by the son - “numbers add up to nothin’” - the numbers on the side of the boat also described by the son. After all, Big John knew about the boat and warned his son about it. In particular, it’s about the folly of young men who don’t heed the warnings of their elders and enlist in the military to fight in a war. history.Īlthough the events in the song may have been literally based on the Battle of Batoche, the emotional basis of what is clearly an anti-war song was likely the Vietnam War. Also, because Neil Young grew up in Canada, the events are likely part of Canadian history, not U.S. Because the boat opened fire on the narrator first, it was likely a military boat in a war setting, not a police boat in a crime setting. I believe this song is a fictional account of the death of one of the Metis settlers during the Battle of Batoche Your explanation of the historical events that may have provided the inspiration for Powder Finger makes a lot of sense. I believe this song is a fictional account of the death of one of the Metis settlers during the Battle of Batoche In what is known as the Battle of Batoche, the Canadian soldiers converted a steamboat into a gunboat and sailed up the South Saskatchawan River, where a gun battle ensued between the settlere and the troops. Eventually the "rebellion" was ended, and at least on Metis leader, Louis Riel was executed for his part in the rebellion. Canadian soldiers and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Metis "troops" were killed in the battles. The Canadian government sent troops to seize control of the region. ![]() However, conflict eventually followed, as the railroads opened the west and immigrants flooded into the rich grasslands occupied by the Metis. Many of the Metis lived a nomadic life, traveling hundreds of miles to the area north and west of Lake Superior, where they could live in peace away from the influence of the English. Young French settlers escaped the cities and found themselves in the wilderness known as Madawaska, where they were accepted and assimillated by their Metis half-brothers. When the English conquered the French in the French and Indian War, they placed oppressive controls over the French, even deporting thousands of Acadian French to Louisiana to make room for English settlerrs. These people knew the ways of both the French and the native people. A separate culture emerged known as the Metis. For this reason, many of the early settlers took native wives. ![]() When the French colonized eastern Canada in the 1600s, they sent many soldiers and trappers, and very few women. However, the situation in Canada was even more complicated. The wars between the soldiers of the United States and the Native American tribes are well known by most Americans. Neil Young is Canadian, of course, and has always had strong ties to the native peoples. I have always thought that this song was about the Metis Rebellion which took place in westen Canada in the last quarter of the 19th Century. Shelter me from the powder and the fingerĬover me with the thought that pulled the trigger He told me, Red means run, son, numbers add up to nothingīut when the first shot hit the docks I saw it coming So the Powers That Be left me here to do the thinkin' 'Cause it don't look like they're here to deliver the mailĭaddy's gone, my brother's out hunting in the mountainsīig John's been drinking since the river took Emmy-Lou With a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail Look out, Mama, there's a white boat coming up the river
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