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In 1576, Martin Frobisher searched for the Northwest Passage. He didn't find the Northwest Passage, but he did find some rocks that he thought might be interesting. In the end, the rocks were found to be worthless, so he didn't really find much of anything. In this song, a historian tells the story and Frobisher tries to defend himself.

The Northwest Passage was a land to explore

The most misled of all was Frobisher

He mined for gold on the Arctic shores

He filled his ships with worthless ore

It's not my fault You can't blame me

I got my rocks to England, they were checked properly

A certified cat said my rocks were gold

Shares for my next trip were instantly sold

I didn't do it, (oh yes, you did)

you've got nothing on me (oh yes I do)

I sailed to the New World for the good of my country

Frobisher and Natives, well, they didn't fit

He soon earned the hatred of the Inuit

He kidnapped some Natives to put on display

He got mad when the Natives did the same

Now you've got it all wrong, let me tell you my tale

I invited one native guest and then I set sail

I was the perfect host; my men took him to shore

The Inuit betrayed me and they kidnapped all four

I didn't do it, (oh yes, you did)

you've got nothing on me (oh yes I do)

I sailed to the New World for the good of my country

He went back for gold, he said, "No short-cuts!"

The Inuit said, "Hi," and put an arrow in his butt

His three ships carried tons and tons

Of fool's gold back to greedy, greedy, greedy England

I'm a man of honour; I didn't look for a fight

I just went to see if my men were all right

The Inuit attacked me; I received a grave wound

From the land, in the end I retrieved a fortune

I didn't do it, (oh yes, you did)

you've got nothing on me (oh yes I do)

I sailed to the New World for the good of my country

If you enjoy this song, you may want to contribute to the Bulkley Valley Museum via Shawna Audet's Ultimate Canadian History Site.

Many thanks to Shawna Audet for permission to display these lyric excerpts.
© Shawna Audet. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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