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  When John Joe Went to the Vatican A very courageous Micmac friend of mine recently travelled to Rome in search of a formal apology from the Holy Father for the injustices perpetrated by the Roman Catholic Church against native children in the Maritime residential schools. This is how I imagined his trip of reconciliation. Listen to a clip of this song (You'll need an MP3 player to listen.) Lyrics When John Joe went to the Vatican The newspaper carried the story Some people thought it was a foolish thing They wondered where he got the money But John Joe was on a mission He was seeking an apology When John Joe went to the Vatican Way out over the Atlantic On the wings of an aluminum eagle John Joe fell into a troubled sleep And he dreamed about the Sanata Maria It was drifting on a sea of ochre red It was sinking like a stone When John Joe went to the Vatican Chorus: John Joe, John Joe John Joe, John Joe John Joe, little John Joe When John Joe went to the Vatican John Joe made the sign of the cross He prayed for the Jesuit brothers And when he looked with the eye of the heart He thought he saw the virgin mother She was standing on the shores of Minagoo With new tears in her eyes When John Joe went to the Vatican John Joe prayed to the patron saint He prayed for the Indian people He thought about the residential schools And he questioned the nature of evil Who are the noble savages? And where does the spirit dwell? When John Joe went to the Vatican Repeat Chorus At the hour of holy communion On the steps of Saint Peter's cathedral The tourists are taking photographs And buying miraculous medals But inside the guarded palace There is no apology Just more damn trinkets from the white man Repeat Chorus Twice End Players Vocal: Allan Rankin Drums: Dave Burton Bass: Jamie Gatti Acoustic and Electric Guitar: Chris Corrigan Accordian: Geoff Panting Mandolin: Ray Legere Copyright Wild Garden Music (SOCAN) |