Classic Poem

What is the creed and the calling that we of the north uphold?
It is never the cry for power, it is never the greed of gold.
Let the east, and south, and west contend, like wolves, for a maverick bone,
But Canada for the Canadians is the creed that we call our own.

Good wines are at Kaiser Wilhelm's, good cakes are at Uncle Sam's,
And in dear old Britain's larders are the best of plums and jams.
But beef and bread, and a blanket, a pipe, a mug and a fire,
Are the things that we have in Canada; what more can a man desire?

We don't need the marts of Europe, nor the trade of the eastern isles,
We don't need the Yankee's corn and wine, nor the Asiatic's smiles,
For what so good as our home-made cloth, and under the wide blue dome,
Will you tell me where you have tasted bread like the bread that is baked at home?

And we are the young and strong, and who so fit for the fight as we?
With our hands of steel and our iron heel and our hearts like the oaken tree.
For we are the home-bred, home-fed men, the pride of a princely land,
And the things that are made in Canada are the things that her sons demand.

So this is the creed and calling that we of the north uphold;
It is never the cry for power, it is never the greed of gold.
Let the east, and the south, and west contend, like wolves, for a maverick's bone,
But Canada for the Canadians is the creed that we call our own.