Breakfast In Hell(Chords)

	        Written and recorded by Slaid Cleaves on the cd 'Broke 
Down' 
 
 
(Am)In the melting snows of Ont(C)ario where the (G) 
wind'll make you (Am)shiver. 
'Twas the (A)month of May up in (C)Georgian Bay near 
the (G)mouth of the Musquash (Am)River. 
Where the (C)bears prowl and the (G)coyotes howl and 
you can (Am)hear the osprey scream. 
Back in (G)'99 we were cutting pine and (Am)sending it 
(G)down the (Am)stream. 
 
Young Sandy Gray came to Go Home Bay all the way from 
P.E.I. 
Where the weather's rough and it makes you tough, no 
man's afraid to die. 
Sandy came a smilin', 30,000 Islands was the place to 
claim his glory. 
Now Sandy's gone but his name lives on, and this is 
Sandy's story. 
 
Chorus One 
 
Young (C)Sandy Gray lives (Am)on today in the 
(C)echoes of a mighty (Am)yell. 
(G)Listen close and you'll hear a ghost in this 
(Am)story (G)that I (Am)tell, boys. 
This (Am)story (C)that I (Am)tell. 
 
Now Sandy Gray was boss of the men who'd toss the 
trees onto the shore. 
They'd come and go till they'd built a floe of 100,000 
logs or more. 
And he'd ride 'em down toward Severn Sound to cut 'em 
up in the mills for timber. 
And ships would haul, spring, summer, and fall, 'til 
the ice came in December. 
 
One Sabbath Day, big Sandy Gray came into camp with a 
peavey on his shoulder. 
With a thunder crack he dropped his axe and the room 
got a little bit colder. 
Said 'Come all you, we've got work to do. We've gotta 
give 'er all we can give 'er. 
'There's a jam of logs at the little jog near the 
mouth of the Musquash River. 
 
With no time to pray on the Lord's Day, they were 
hoping for God's forgiveness. 
But the jam was high in a troubled sky and they set 
about their business. 
They poked with their poles and ran with the rolls and 
tried to stay on their feet. 
Every trick they tried and one man cried 'This log 
jam's got us beat.' 
 
Chorus two 
 
But Sandy Gray was not afraid and he let out a mighty 
yell. 
'I'll be damned, we'll break this jam, or it's 
breakfast in Hell, boys.' 
'Breakfast in Hell.' 
 
Now every one of the men did the work of ten and Sandy 
scrambled up to the top. 
He's working like a dog heaving 30 foot logs and it 
looked like he'd never stop. 
They struggled on those men so strong till the jam 
began to sway. 
Then they dove for cover to the banks of the river all 
except for Sandy Gray. 
 
Now with thoughts of death they held their breath as 
they saw their friend go down. 
They all knew in a second or two he'd be crushed or 
frozen or drowned. 
They saw him fall and they heard him call, just once 
and then it was over. 
Young Sandy Gray gave his life that day near the mouth 
of the Musquash River. 
 
Chorus three. 
 
But Sandy Gray was not afraid and he let out a mighty 
yell. 
'I'll be damned, we'll break that jam, or it's 
breakfast in Hell, boys.' 
'Breakfast in Hell.' 
 
East of Giant's Tomb, there's plenty of room, there's 
no fences and no walls. 
And if you listen close, you'll hear a ghost, down by 
Sandy Gray Falls. 
Through the tops of the trees, you'll hear in the 
breeze, the echoes of a might yell. 
'I'll be damned, we'll break this jam, or it's 
breakfast in Hell.' 
 
Chorus four. 
 
And sandy Gray lives on today in the echoes of a 
mighty yell. 
'I'll be damned, we'll break this jam, or it's 
breakfast in Hell, boys.' 
'Breakfast in Hell.' 
 
Note - P.E.I. is presumably Prince Edward Island. 
 
 

	        

Written by Slaid Cleaves