The Canadian Country Doctor

I s’pose mos’ev’ry body t’ink hees job’s
about de hardes’
From de boss man on de Guvernement to
poor man on de town
From de curé to de lawyer, an’ de farmer to
de school boy
An’ all de noder feller was mak’ de worl’
go roun’.

But dere ‘s wan man got hees han’ full t’roo
ev’ry kin’ of wedder
An’ he ‘s never sure of not’ing but work
an’ work away-
Dat ‘s de man dey call de doctor, w’en you
ketch heem on de contree
An’ he ‘s only man I know-me, don’t got
no holiday.

If you ‘re comin’ off de city spen’ de summer-
tam among us
An’ you walk out on de morning w’en de
leetle bird is sing
Mebbe den you see de doctor w’en he ‘s passin
wit’ hees buggy
An’ you t’ink “Wall! contree doctor mus’
be very plesan’ t’ing

“Drivin’ dat way all de summer up an’ down
along de reever
W’ere de nice cool win’ is blowin’ among de
maple tree
Den w’en he ‘s mak’ hees visit, comin’ home
before de night tam
For pass de quiet evening wit’ hees wife an’
familee.”

An’ w’en off across de mountain, some wan ‘s
sick an’ want de doctor
“Mus’ be fine trip crossin’ over for watch
de sun go down
Makin’ all dem purty color lak w’at you call
de rainbow,”
Dat ‘s de way peop’ is talkin’ was leevin’ on
de town.

But it is n’t alway summer on de contree, an’
de doctor
He could tole you many story of de storm
dat he ‘s been in
How hees coonskin coat come handy, w’en de
win’ blow off de reever
For if she ‘s sam ole reever, she’s not
alway sam’ old win’.

An’ de mountain dat ‘s so quiet w’en de w’ite
cloud go a-sailin’
All about her on de summer w’ere de sheep
in feedin’ high
You should see her on December w’en de snow
is pilin’ roun’ her
An’ all de win’ of winter come tearin’ t’roo
de sky.

O! le bon Dieu help de doctor w’en de mes-
sage come to call heem
From hees warm bed on de night-tam for
visit some poor man
Lyin’ sick across de hill side on noder side de
reever
An’ he hear de mountain roarin’ lak de beeg
Shawinigan.

Ah! well he know de warning but he can’t
stay till de morning
So he’s hitchin’ up hees leetle horse an’ put
heem on burleau
Den w’en he ‘s feex de buffalo, an’ wissle to
hees pony
Away t’roo storm an’ hurricane de contree
doctor go.

O! de small Canadian pony! dat ‘s de horse
can walk de snowdreef.
Dat ‘s de horse can fin’ de road too he ‘s
never been before
Kip your heart up leetle feller, for dere ‘s
many mile before you
An’ it ‘s purty hard job tellin’ w’en you see
your stable door.

Yass! de doctor he can tole you, if he have de
tam for talkin’
All about de bird was singin’ before de sum-
mer lef’
For he got dem on hees bureau an’ he ‘s doin’
it hese’f too
An’ de las’ tam I was dere, me, I see dem all
mese’f.

But about de way he travel t’roo de stormy
night of winter
W’en de rain come on de spring flood, an’
de bridge is wash away
All de hard work, all de danger dat was offen
hang aroun’ heem
Dat ‘s de tam our contree doctor don ‘t have
very moche to say.

For it ‘s purty ole, ole story, an’ he alway have
it wit’ heem
Ever since he come among us parish Saint
Mathieu
An’ do doubt he’s feelin’ mebbe jus’ de
sam’ as noder feller
So he rader do hees talkin’ about somet’ing
dat was new.