When the Dollar Flows North

harpischord klezmer, breakbeat trance, sertanejo southern rock · 4:58

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Back in seventy-three the old rules fell apart
Economic systems got a brand new start
Canada and America sharing one great land
But neighbors don't always move hand in hand

When the dollar flows and interest rates climb
Canada feels the pressure every single time
Trade across the border ties our fates so tight
What happens down south affects us day and night

[Chorus]
Two constraints, two freedoms, that's the northern way
Bound by trade and money but we still have say
Currency pulls us close, commerce makes us one
But social roads and resource wealth, that's where we can run
Two constraints, two freedoms, remember this refrain
Canada's dance with America through sunshine and through rain

[Verse 2]
First constraint is currency floating side by side
When the US dollar falls we cannot hide
Our loonie rises, falls just like a seesaw game
Monetary policy plays by similar rules and name

Second chain that binds us is the trading floor
NAFTA built a highway from shore to distant shore
Seventy percent of exports heading to the States
Economic integration seals our trading fates

[Chorus]
Two constraints, two freedoms, that's the northern way
Bound by trade and money but we still have say
Currency pulls us close, commerce makes us one
But social roads and resource wealth, that's where we can run
Two constraints, two freedoms, remember this refrain
Canada's dance with America through sunshine and through rain

[Bridge]
But wait there's more to this story we can tell
Two paths where Canada can break free from the spell
Healthcare universal, that's our northern pride
While America debates it, we chose the other side

[Verse 3]
Resource wealth extraction, oil sands and the trees
We can chart our own course with our natural keys
Sell to China, Europe, diversify our trade
Not just southern neighbors, new partnerships we've made

Social programs stronger, different ways we grow
Progressive policies that set our values so
Though economics bind us to our southern friend
Canadian identity we'll always defend

[Chorus]
Two constraints, two freedoms, that's the northern way
Bound by trade and money but we still have say
Currency pulls us close, commerce makes us one
But social roads and resource wealth, that's where we can run
Two constraints, two freedoms, remember this refrain
Canada's dance with America through sunshine and through rain

[Outro]
From nineteen seventy-three until this very day
Constrained but independent, that's the Canadian way

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