The Tragically Hip: Bobcaygeon Meaning

Bobcaygeon Lyrics

I left your house this morning about a quarter after nine
coulda been the Willie Nelson coulda been the wine
when I left your house this morning
it was a little after nine
it was in Bobcaygeon I saw the constellations
reveal themselves one star...

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   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Aug 26th 2016 !⃝

   this song is about racism. it is about the christie pits riot in 1933. the riot started as a result of a baseball game where anglo canadian teens displayed a swastika while a mostly jewish team played. supporters of both sides started to mass and a 10000 person riot ensued. mounted police were used to suppress the riot.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Oct 21st 2018 !⃝

   Look up Christie Pits riot in 1933 Toronto. Jewish decided to fight back against the anti-semitism of one of the teams unrolling a giant banner containing a swastika. Fight went on for 6 hours.

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Aug 21st 2016 !⃝

   this song is about what it feels like when you first make love with a new partner- "could have been the Willie Nelson, could have been the wine" got into the mood wine helps and Willie Nelson was more small town girl music not big city Toronto.
   He is a police officer in Toronto and the drive home from Bobcaygeon probably made him think a lot about the rat race and how nice it would be to just have a simple life with a country girl. "Revealed the constellations" is how wonderful the love making was. He goes back to bed when he gets back home and the sky was dull and hypothetical in other words life in Toronto is busy and tense. Also this is a strong contrast to the skies in the country.He has a night shift and he is dealing with a riot and all he can think about is her.This is how you feel when you have a long distance love affair you want to be with that person and you think of moving to be with them.
   Cottage country in Ontario is so beautiful and peaceful compared to the big city of Toronto.
4. anonymous

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   Nov 1st 2022 !⃝

   Checkered floors are in every Freemason temple. New mason initiations have a noose around their neck (the man they couldn’t hang). It’s a song about Freemasons and Orion constellation.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. anonymous

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   Mar 24th 2020 !⃝

   During the ACC concert on Feb 14, 2013, Gord said this song is about a gay cop from Toronto who fell in love for someone in the country.
6. anonymous

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   Feb 15th 2018 !⃝

   I have often thought it might refer to Ernst Zundel, as "the man they couldn't hang". As an unapologetic (German) holocaust denier - he was acquitted numerous times in Canada - and was eventually deported to his native land, where he ended up doing jail time.
   
   I didn't know the central character is a police officer - as a retired officer myself it now connects with me on another level.
   
   Just a thought.
   
   Robert
7. anonymous

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   Jan 3rd 2018 !⃝

   The Truth, Bobcaygeon has nothing to do with anything, Gord's only choice after hours of trying to rhyme constellation. Oh ...The constellation are freckles on a womens back while making out as the the sun rose in then early hours of a morning..told to me by Gord himself. RIP
8. anonymous

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   Dec 21st 2017 !⃝

   No question or guess this song is about a cop from Toronto who in leaving a girlfriends house in a small ontario town (Bobcagyon just ryimes with constilation) who was at the horseshoe club (with its checker board floors) on a horse (riot police) keeping order restored. Till the punk rock band called "the men the couldn't hang" got on stage and a riot broke out... He's thinking about quiting to get away from the dull sky's of the city passing by 1 cloud at a time well looking up thru the sky scrapers, to get to the country where you can see the constellations reveal themselves 1 star at a time
9. anonymous

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   Jan 28th 2017 !⃝

   This song refers to the constellations as being revealed one star at a time. The meaning here is the band playing during the riot in Toronto was called The Constellations. The band members could be the "stars" which were revealed one at a time in Bobcageon. As a police officer he may have been using his Asian girlfriend's home to look information about the racist band up on the internet while at her place. When the riot was going on "the man they couldn't hang" may have been a band member who they couldn't arrest for his racist song lyrics. One man on the left gives a racist salute as the riot takes place. After the riot the band's guitar has "death to fascists" written on it, implying that the band was fascists and we are also led to this conclusion by "and their voices rang with that Aryan twang." Since his girlfriend is Asian that would explain why he disliked racists. "In the middle of that riot I couldn't get you off my mind" implies that he was thinking of her race as he fought the racist band riot.
10. Angela Viau-Hendry

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    Aug 21st 2016 !⃝

    this song is about what it feels like when you first make love with a new partner- "could have been the Willie Nelson, could have been the wine" got into the mood wine helps and Willie Nelson was more small town girl music not big city Toronto.
    He is a police officer in Toronto and the drive home from Bobcaygeon probably made him think a lot about the rat race and how nice it would be to just have a simple life with a country girl. "Revealed the constellations" is how wonderful the love making was. This is how you feel when you have a long distance love affair you want to be with that person and you think of moving where they are. Total love song.
11. anonymous

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    Mar 9th 2016 !⃝

    Gord Downie is on record saying the name of the town Bobcaygeon is the only name that fit rhythmically, and that (sort of) rhymes with "constellation."
12. anonymous

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    Aug 16th 2015 !⃝

    The song is about racism, and possibly a race riot of some sort. The Men They Couldnt Hang is a reference to a British band that had a lot of anti racsim songs. The Aryan twang lyric also suggests racism. I dont know the significance of thebeautiful little town in Ontario called Bobcaygeon.

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