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Bobcaygeon »

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Send "Bobcaygeon" Ringtone to your Cell Phone

Band: The Tragically Hip
Song: Bobcaygeon
Album: Phantom Power

Well this should do it.  Good for around a fire after a few beers maybe.

G        		A*	    G		         A*
I left your house this morning about a quarter after nine 
G                      A*     G		      A*
Coulda been the Willie Nelson, coulda been the wine
Bm			  C 
When I left your house this morning
G		      A* 
It was a little after nine 
Bm			       C
It was in Bobcaygeon I saw the constellations
G			     A* 
Reveal themselves one star at a time 

G	A*	G	A*

G		          A*   G		  A*
Drove back to town this morning with working on my mind
G		    A* 
I thought of maybe quitting
G		         A*
Thought of leaving it behind
Bm		       C 
Went back to bed this morning 
G			       A*
And as I'm pulling down the blind
Bm		         C 
The sky was dull and hypothetical 
G		           A*		
And falling one cloud at a time
 
                 Em	       C
That night in Toronto with its checkerboard floors 
          G		        D
Riding on horseback and keeping order restored 
              Em
Til the men they couldn't hang 
               C
Stepped to the mic and sang 
          D
And their voices rang with that Aryan twang 

G	A*	G	A*  ( X 2 )

((I think you get the point now))

I got to your house this morning just a little after nine 
In the middle of that riot 
Couldn't get you off my mind 
So I'm at your house this morning 
Just a little after nine 
Cause it was in Bobcaygeon where I saw the constellations 
Reveal themselves one star at a time.

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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Kempy Lead Player	#1 by Kempy at Aug 29, 1972 at 4:01 PM EST
	I find this song extremely relaxing. My favourite line from the song: "in the middle of that riot, couldn't get you off my mind". Speaks to me...

No Picture The REAL Godfat Average	#2 by The REAL Godfather at May 26, 1974 at 8:22 PM EST
	I being from Toronto, I have seen them live several times. When "that night in Toronto.." bit comes on they stop the song cause 30,000 people over-power the music.

No Picture Vinny Average	#3 by Vinny Spano at Feb 29, 1980 at 10:47 AM EST
	A brilliant mix of words and melodious music that defines the outdoor summer music festival - only the irony lies in the fact that it's told from a COP's point of view and not the singer's

No Picture zach Wanna Be	#4 by zach miles at Jun 8, 1981 at 10:02 AM EST
	I am from the Toronto Area... As far as i know the line "That night in Toronto with its checkerboard floors" refers to Sneaky D’s. For thoes of you that do not know.. Sneaky D's is a Restaurant in Toronto that is located close to the Club district. It is open all night and has checker bord floors... Black and white... and it really screws with you when you have been drinking and dancing all night.

No Picture James Wanna Be	#5 by James Makowiecki at Jan 6, 1982 at 3:27 AM EST
	Bobaygeon is approximately 100km north-east of Toronto, near Peterborough. It is a quiet little village of about 3,000 people, nestelled on an island betweet Pigeon and Sturgeon Lakes, in the Kawartha Lakes region. Not sure why Gord chose Bob of all places, but it is a very pretty town. The video is also filmed there. Thought I'd put that out there for those who were asking.

No Picture Sir Stuff Professional	#6 by Sir Stuff at Oct 12, 1982 at 4:51 AM EST
	I think it might allude to riots in the 1930s that supported fascism (they happened). The reason I think this is the "the aryan twang" line, which suggests that it might have to do with fascism.

No Picture Jake Average	#7 by Jake m at Sep 12, 1983 at 4:26 PM EST
	Ahhhh!! This song takes me back. Canada does rule! and the Hip makes it feel damn good to be Canadian! They represent us perfectly!

No Picture Turd Fergeson Lead Player	#8 by Turd Fergeson Fergeson at Oct 19, 1983 at 8:29 PM EST
	The 'Checkerboard floors riding on horseback', AFAIK, refers to the checker pattern on the RCMP's hats. A lot of people used to refer to them as 'checkerboard floors'. As for the bit about communism, I think that's unlikely. Canada's a democratic socialist country, and as such, the McCarthyist 'perils of communism' is a bit of anachronism here, and I don't think that that is a sentiment Gord would support (though he isn't a communist [who is?] he's not the type to characterize the disposessed as such, and that's who was really marching in those 'riots' in the thirties; the communist party was just an organizing force). As for what 'riot' it's about, I'm not entirely sure the question is relevant. There have been a lot of demonstrations in Canada recently, some even on the scale of the 'riots' in the 1930s. (Quebec City and Bay Street, for example) Whether you want to call them riots or not depends which side of the fence you're on, and what your feelings are on the use of police power. I don't think it's important though, because the song is about the relationship between the cop and the girl in Bobcaygeon (beautiful town; have a cottage there, and BTW, the stars are beautifully visible, no light pollution from Toronto). Although I would speculate that the 'aryan twang' is a reference to fascists being the source of the riot. More characteristically Downie. As a bit of trivia, the man they couldn't hang who jumps on stage with 'the constellations' in the video is Hugh Dillon from the Headstones.

No Picture Vezy Professional	#9 by Vezy at Sep 13, 1985 at 4:49 PM EST
	Just a theory, but I have a sneaky suspicion this song alludes in part to the 'Red riots' in Toronto during the 1940's, when Communists held rallies in the streets. Many people opposed this, but nothing could be done to stop them due to free speech. Canada was well aware of the perils of communism, but due to its open-mindedness could not break up these Communist rallies. Hence 'The man they couldnt hang stepped to the mic and sang' Theres definitely a chick involved in this story though, too.

No Picture sharon Wanna Be	#10 by sharon howell at May 7, 1991 at 11:28 PM EST
	This is just a rumour but it may be why the song is called Bobcaygeon. I've heard from people who live in Bobcaygeon. They say that Gord has a cottage up around there, its just a rumour but it would make some sence about the significance of the title and just for some random info. Mike Myers(Austin Powers) aparently has one there too.

No Picture Shredmaster Average	#11 by Shredmaster Will at Jul 27, 1992 at 11:24 AM EST
	Here's what I heard: the song is based on a story, true-to-life, about an RCMP officer who quit his job after being obliged to patrol a punk concert hosted by some Canuck white supremacy network that had been granted a permit for the show by the city. The point of police presence was to provide protection for the group and their fans against protesters who had announced plans for a counter-rally to oppose fascism. What happened afterwards is pretty faithfully depicted in the video. The heads getting knocked about are those of anti-fascism protesters in the hollow name of liberal dem & free speech - ah, no, sorry - "Peace, order & good governance." The kicker is that, in addition to having to face personal questions about why he became a cop in the first place (would that there were a few more thousands like him), the guy was also seeing an Asian-Canadian at the time. For me, this song brings is one of the most concise indictments of contradictions plaguing (Canadian) liberal democracy in Canadian tunage. And it's pretty.

No Picture Jacob Lead Player	#12 by Jacob Julian at Oct 9, 1994 at 8:39 PM EST
	On one level, this is a song about being caught in a dilemma: should you quit the bright lights for the quiet of a small town? On another level, this song may ask whether you'd like to see evil (in the form of fascism) out in the open or hidden under the surface. In the small town, things become clear; the constellations slowly reveal themselves. In the city, on the other hand, things are not so clear. We close the blind to obscure the sky, which in any case is dull, cloudy, and "hypothetical." And in the end, he seems to favour the country, since we end up there after he thinks of quitting. The bridge seems to refer to fascism, as "the men they couldn't hang" sing with an Aryan twang while mounted police try to restore order. The video, which casts Downie as a cop, seems to support that interpretation. On the other hand, The Men They Couldn't Hang was an 80s band which played the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto around the same time the Hip played there, and the Aryan twang could refer to their accents (although a Celtic burr would be closer the mark). In the end, it doesn't much matter. It's either a cop wondering whether to quit being a cop, or a singer ruminating on whether to quit being a singer. (A side note: it's one of several Hip songs that allude or seem to allude to fascism, so it's likely that Downie considered that angle.)

No Picture Ace Average	#13 by Ace Of Spades at Jan 12, 1995 at 11:57 PM EST
	maybe the cop actually sides with the rioters and doesn't want to have to crush the rebellion? that would make it pretty tough to go to work that day, but he can't desert the police force...

No Picture David Average	#14 by David Eldridge at Aug 8, 1996 at 5:51 PM EST
	Maybe it's about a guy and girl traveling between Toronto and Bobcaygeon and the time they spent together was memorable. I don't know the meaning really, I just like this song.

No Picture ian Average	#15 by ian mckinly at Jan 23, 1997 at 5:32 AM EST
	I love this song and Tragically Hip represent Canada so well and make me so proud to be a Canadian. As for this song, it's about a cop (possibly a mountie) caught in a dilemma and trying to do the right and wanting to just head to Bobcaygeon (a small town on a lake North of Toronto, I used to go swimming here) with his girl.

No Picture frosty Average	#16 by frosty Angel at Feb 28, 1997 at 5:21 AM EST
	One thing to say, i love this song.

No Picture Fatty [eats chi Average	#17 by Fatty [eats children] kid at Mar 1, 1999 at 6:33 PM EST
	The songs rhythm and Gord's melodic voice make this song extra special Canada rules!

No Picture Trey Average	#18 by Trey Davis at Feb 3, 2001 at 8:48 PM EST
	I live near Bobcaygeon. aha. Not quite a galmorous as the hip have built it up to be. Fun fact! My friends mom whom I am quite close with used to go and see the Hip play in Oshawa in the bars when she was younger. How cool?!....no? okay...

No Picture brian Average	#19 by brian haun at Nov 9, 2001 at 11:26 PM EST
	Does anyone have any theories as to the significance of the title of the song Bobcaygeon? I know it is a little town in cottage country north of Toronto, but I'm not sure if that's the significance.

No Picture sebastian Wanna Be	#20 by sebastian Shamburg at Jul 21, 2003 at 9:43 PM EST
	the little details and the hidden meanings are what makes the Hip more than poets, but true storytellers. it's one thing to tell a great story, but to put it to music and make it work so smoothly is a true success. i'm so impressed at the references to the checkerboard floors (mountie hats or Sneaky D's) and the history that they crammed in here. it's just so clever. there's a specific feeling that you get when you're camping in Ontario that's so different from anywhere else, and this song capures it. the music feels so light and summery, like camping out under the stars. it's a little like watching the Weather channel, but that only makes me think even more of the vast "out there" of this truly Canadian land.

No Picture David Average	#21 by David Turner at Oct 11, 2004 at 8:55 AM EST
	This song is about a Toronto officer who is in love with a woman of native decent (see the music video) who lives in Bobcaygeon. When he left in the morning with workin on his mind, he was going to T.O. to work knowing that an assembly of aryian nazis were haveing a rally in town. The street the assembly was on (i cant remember which) has a checkerboard pattern on the sidewalk and boluvard thus "that night in Toronto, on the chekerboard floor..." The irony is that he is protecting the nazis right (right of speech at the time they could say even hate speech, which was amended in '94ish shortly after this riot) even though he disagrees, said native gf above. "till the man they couldnt hang step to the mic and sang and their voices rang with the aryian twang"

No Picture drw Average	#22 by drw drw at Feb 20, 2007 at 2:10 AM EST
	The Men They Couldn't Hang is a small-time band from Ireland that used to play in and around Toronto (and maybe still does), specifically at Lee's. The checkerboard floors refers to The Horseshoe Tavern. The whole bit about the riots refers to the riot at Christie Pits in 1933. Riding on horseback and keeping order restored, of course, refers to the RCMP.