"Land of the Silver Birch" is a traditional Canadian folk song that dates from the 1920s. The lyrics are sometimes erroneously attributed to Pauline Johnson, perhaps in confusion with her well-known poem, "The Song My Paddle Sings". It is sometimes sung to keep time while canoeing, and sometimes sung at campfires in a round. It is in Aeolian, or natural minor, but may be sung with a raised sixth, creating a Dorian feel. Its subject matter is a romanticized vision of nature and the land from the perspective of an Indigenous person. Bonnie Dobson sang this song on her 1972 self-titled album. This song appears in the Paul Gross film Men with Brooms (2002). In 2005, the song was partly re-written by Canadian folk singer Dickson Reid and released on his debut album, Sugar in the Snow. Its past popularity with the non-indigenous majority in Canada, particularly as an elementary school choir song, is declining with greater awareness of the impacts of colonization and cultural appropriation. In 2016, a Toronto public school apologized to parents following a performance of the song, describing it as "inappropriate and racist." The music teacher who conducted the choir that performed the song later sued the Toronto District School Board for libel, generating local and national media coverage. Lyrics Like most traditional songs the lyrics vary slightly. The following are representative: verse 1: Land of the silver birchHome of the beaverWhere still the mighty mooseWanders at will Refrain:Blue lake and rocky shoreI will return once moreboomdidi boom boom – boomdidi boom boom – boomdidi boom boom boom High on a rocky ledge I'll build my wigwam (Alternate version: There where the blue lake lies, I'll set my wigwam)Close to the water's edgeSilent and still Refrain My heart grows sick for theeHere in the low landsI will return to theeHills of the north Refrain It is related to a similar song "My Paddle's Keen and Bright" (), written by Margaret Embers McGee (1889–1975) in 1918, which is used to keep time paddling and is frequently intermingled: My paddle's keen and brightFlashing with silverFollow the wild goose flight (other known colloquial versions of this line exist, including: Follow the pale moonlight, and Follow the waters light.)Dip, dip and swing Dip, dip and swing her backFlashing with silverSwift as the wild goose fliesDip, dip and swing Alternative lyrics The lyrics of this song can be quite different depending