From the recording The Best
I wrote "Oh Canada (I Miss You So)" during my first diplomatic posting to New Delhi, India. This demo was recording many years later during a posting to Port of Spain, Trinidad. The song was inspired by the "culture shock" of settling in India. It juxtaposes my initial sense of being homesick while encountering so many people dreaming of living in Canada. In the end, my posting to India was a magical experience - a dream come true!
The third verse is in French, and translates to:
In the future I can see,
This country far from me.
Oh Canada, we’ll get there,
That’s how it will be,
It's just like that.
Lyrics
Oh Canada (I Miss You So)
©2026 (J.J. Shea)
From these distant shores,
Having closed all the doors,
Oh Canada, I miss you so,
Why did I ever go,
Away
(CHORUS)
From day to day
So many people say,
We would love to live
In Canada, in your home,
Far away
From this day I have sworn,
That this burden I have born,
Will never wear on me,
I’ll let the world see,
My Canada, my home
REPEAT CHORUS
À l’avenir je peux voir,
Ce pays loins de moi,
Ô Canada, en arriver là,
C’est juste comme ça,
Comme ca
REPEAT CHORUS