The Log Driver's Waltz is a Canadian

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

song, written by Wade Hemsworth. ''The Log Driver's Waltz'' is also a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

animated film from the National Film Board, released in 1979 as part of its

Canada Vignettes Canada Vignettes are a series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), some of which aired on CBC Television and other Canadian broadcasters as interstitial programs. The vignettes became popular because of their cultural depicti ...

series.

Song information

The song celebrates the profession of log driving, a practice in the

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

industry which involved transporting felled

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

by having workers walk or run on the logs as they floated down

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s. This occupation required a great deal of strength and physical agility, and Hemsworth was struck by how much the sight of log drivers at work resembled

dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

. The song's chorus is:

For he goes birling down and down the white water
That's where the log driver learns to step lightly
It's birling down, and down white water
A log driver's waltz pleases girls completely.

The lyrics are often misheard as "whirling" or "twirling" instead of "birling". "Birl" is an old Scots verb meaning "to revolve or cause to revolve", and in modern English means "to cause a floating log to rotate by treading". Today, birling survives as a competitive sport. The song also contains considerable

double-entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially a ...

, beginning with the sentiments of the opening stanza:

If you ask any girl from the parish around,
What pleases her most from her head to her toes;
She'll say, "I'm not sure that it's business of yours,
But I do like to waltz with a log driver."

Many artists have recorded renditions of the song, which is an enduring classic of Canadian music. The most famous version, by Kate & Anna McGarrigle and the

Mountain City Four The Mountain City Four were a Canadian folk music group, based in Montreal and active from 1963 to 1967. The group consisted of Jack Nissenson, Peter Weldon, Kate McGarrigle and Anna McGarrigle. They are primarily remembered for popularizing a numb ...

, was the soundtrack for a 1979 animated short film by the National Film Board.

Captain Tractor Captain Tractor is a Canadian folk rock band, based in Edmonton, Alberta. They play a punk-influenced variant of Celtic folk music, similar to such bands as Great Big Sea, The Pogues or Spirit of the West. Their songs are often rich in local, ...

's version of the song was also a popular

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hit in the late 1990s. The Hidden Cameras, an

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

band from Canada, recorded a version of the song on their 2016 release,

Home On Native Land ''Home on Native Land'' is the seventh studio album by The Hidden Cameras. The album is an inquisitive ode to lead singer Joel Gibb's homeland as well as marking a figurative and literal return. The record was recorded over 10 years with guest ...

Film information

''Log Driver's Waltz'', the 1979 animated adaptation, was directed by John Weldon.Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1979-Cartoon Research
/ref> The animation is set to the recording of the song by Kate & Anna McGarrigle with, and as part of, The

. The film is one of the most-requested in the entire collection of the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

. The NFB also produced a French version of the film, "La valse du maître draveur", with lyrics translated by

Philippe Tatartcheff Philippe Tatartcheff (born in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Canadian poet and songwriter. He is best known as the lyricist who wrote French language songs recorded by folk duo Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Origins and early life Tatartcheff's family was or ...

, the McGarrigle sisters' longtime collaborator.

References

External links

Watch'' The Log Driver's Waltz'' at NFB.ca
*Weldon, John {{DEFAULTSORT:Log Driver's Waltz, The 1970s animated short films 1979 animated films 1979 films 1979 songs Animated musical films Canadian animated short films Films based on songs Films directed by John Weldon Forestry in Canada National Film Board of Canada animated short films Quebec films Wade Hemsworth songs 1970s Canadian films

Song information

Film information

See also

References

External links