KETTLE VALLEY RAILWAY

LYRICS

A few years ago now when I was a boy
I remember so vividly well
A still mountain lake rimmed with swamp grass and reeds
And a soft hue when cool darkness fell

Beside the clear water lay steel rails and ties
An old water tower stood by
So I asked my father,  “What is this I see?”
He turned and he said with a smile,

“It’s the Kettle Valley Railroad my son
The Kettle Valley Line
From Hope through to Princeton, Penticton past Trail
To the Crow’s Nest on out to the plains.”

From off in the distance so faintly I heard
The wail of an old locie song 
Closer and closer it echoed and rang
Through the peace that had lingered so long

Then all at once came a bright pencilled beam
That pierced through the still mountain night
That old faithful workhorse of black steel and fire
Came rolling along into sight

Chorus

A cool drink of water is all that she needs
Then she must be on her way
For there’s sixty six people who trust in her well
To take them to lands faraway

With a hot burst of steam and a heave and a groan
She ventured on into the night
Her cry of farewell echoed soft through the trees
A memory so dear in my life

“It’s the Kettle Valley Railroad my son
The Kettle Valley Line
From Hope through to Princeton, Penticton past Trail
To the Crow’s Nest on out to the plains.”

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