The history behind ‘Un Canadien Errant’
For those of you who took the time to watch One Week, you may remember Joshua Jacksons character singing at a campfire with his native american lady-friend. This song that they had him singing has been around for hundreds of years, and has a unique history behind it. Now before I get into the history behind it, you should hit play, listen to it while reading the rest of this post.
The song Un Canadien Errant (A Wandering Canadian) was written in 1842 by Antoine
Gérin-Lajoie after the Lower Canada Rebellion, which took place between 1837 and 1838. Many of the rebels were executed, others were exiled to the United States, forced to never see their homeland again. Antoine Gérin-Lajoie wrote the song after a friend told him stories about the rebellion and how much pain the exile caused him. The song has since become an anthem for Canadians who’ve experienced the pain of exile and the longing for a loved one. The song held great importance for the rebels of the Upper Canada Rebellion, and for the Acadians who suffered mass deportation from their land during the Great Upheaval which took place between 1755 and 1763.
Throughout history there have been several different versions recorded, including several English versions, however, I honestly feel the original French version portrays the meaning behind the song the best. Even if you can’t understand French you’ll see (or hear) what I mean.
The song I posted here was very hard to find, after much digging I was able to find it. However, this copy is extremely hard to come by. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
“Un Canadien Errant”
Performed by Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet
Published by Einstein Bros Music, Deloris Music, Ellchris Music, Melissa McClelland
Melissa McClelland appears courtesy of Nettwerk Management
Luke Doucet appears courtesy of Six Shooter Records
Arranged by Andrew Lockington
Produced by Andrew Lockington and Jody Colero
Recorded by Alex Bonenfant at the Orange Lounge
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My name is Corbin. I'm a 20-something guy from the flatlands of Canada. I'm currently a part time travel writer, web designer, and musician. I started this site in the hopes of learning a little more about where I come from. Somewhere along the way it decided to evolve into an independent travel guide for other backpackers interested in traveling Canada on a budget. Join me for the ride, and if you happen to be backpacking across Canada, feel free to contact me to be part of this Canada travel guide.
One Week, what a great movie. And this song is amazing. Learning the history behind it only makes the song more special. thanks for the history lesson!!
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@Dave & Deb – Your very welcome. After hearing that song I figured I should pick it up on guitar. Somewhere along the searches for a decent tab of the song, I came across some of the history behind it. After some more digging, voila! A history post. lol
Just wondering where you found this song. I looked everywhere for it. Itunes doesnt even have it.
According to one weeks facebook page you can get the album on itunes at One week itunes That version of Un canadien errant should be in there. Best of luck matt, this copy is incredibly rare from what i can tell. If you’re smart enough I’m sure there’s a way to rip it from that live stream. I haven’t figured out how. The link I have to the song is actually from the One Week website. I had to dig through their source code to find the link to this little flash player. Hope that helps.
Thank you for the song and the story behind it.
I like the movie and also the song.
It is pretty easy to get it as an mp3 with audacity btw.