"BACK HOME IN ‘99 When I went back to Newfoundland, In August of ninety-nine, I saw all my relatives, And my friends I left behind. The people all looked older, From fifteen years ago. But there weren’t very many, That I didn't know. Everyone made us welcome, With tea I thought I'd drown, Lots of fish and home made bread, And I never gained a pound. The roads were paved and wider, The hills were cut way down, And every family owned a car, To take them into town. ""Backside Beach"" was not the same, The rocks were all a mess, They put a Grave Yard on the hill, Where lovers use to kiss. ""Nit Point"" looked the very same, And so did old ""Cow Head,"" The old Cemetery broke my heart, When I couldn't find the dead. ""Gerald’s Hill"" we started to climb, We were going to top, But after finding moose turds, To the top we never got. The old ""Saw Pit"" looked the same, All except the well. ""Martin’s Point"" was shorter now, And so was ""Oldford’s Hill."" Some Fishing Stages had seen their days, And some wharves weren't there at all, My dad's old boat lay down to die, It heard its Master call. ""Wild Cove"" beach was beautiful, The picnic hit the spot, We had caplin roasted in the fire, And tea boiled in a pot. Now every home has plumbing, ""Outhouses"" are no more, Electric lights and Telephones, Go from Shore to Shore. No, the rocks didn't change at all, They were in the same old spot, They brought back lots of memories, Some I thought that I forgot. On Saturday night we went dancing, I really kicked up my feet, When Uncle John played his according, And sang ""Aunt Martha's Sheep."" They lowered the steeple on the church, Bringing it down a lot, Now it’s chimes instead of bells, To wake the people up. The old School house didn't change, But, no more was it a school, It was now a Senior Citizens Hall, For folks that's getting old. The ""Orange Hall"" is now a club, Where they gather for some fun, Saturday nights when the music plays, They dance till after one. Now man made things always change, But what God has made, does not, Like the rain and the sunshine, The ocean and the rock. My trip back home was worth it, I thought that it was grand, Even though I live in the U.S.A., I still love Newfoundland."   Submitted By: NULL