My father was a man who could do almost anything and he instilled that credo in my brothers and me. My dad could overhaul a car, install or repair plumbing, build anything and play harmonica, fiddle and mandolin. He was a coal miner, a military despatch rider and a rural mailman. In the mid-fifties he was a part of the Royal Canadian Signal Corps motorcycle display team, the Canadian Daredevils. Their team criss-crossed the country putting on displays of their skills, including the 1956 Calgary Stampede Parade (I have a postcard for that time). That’s where I get my love of motorcycles from.
Growing up in Wasaga Beach my dad was always doing something. I don’t think he had a free minute to himself. He was either working, fixing something around the house or helping out one of the neighbours. He always made sure that my brothers and me helped him do whatever it was that he was doing and we learned a lot of things from him. He did all of these things himself mainly because he couldn’t afford to play someone else to do it. Now even though I can afford to pay someone to fix something or build something, my first thought is to doing it myself - all because my dad taught me a lot of those skills. Unfortunately, the car repair lessons didn’t stick so well with me, although both my brothers are masters, but I do recall enough to get by.
I think that fathers teaching sons (and daughters) is something that is sorely missing in our current culture. Nowadays if a person wants to know how to do something they don’t seek out a trusted elder, they pull up a video on YouTube which may or may not have well thought out and appropriate instructions. I am thankful that I had a father who took the time to teach me things that will help mme on my journey through life. That’s what I hope that this song conveys to the listener.