Tom Cochrane reworked the lyrics of his song 鈥淏ig League鈥� on Tuesday night for a special performance honouring the Humboldt Broncos.
The Juno Award-winning signer and songwriter played an acoustic version in front of a green and yellow backdrop to begin
The song, originally featured on his 1988 album 鈥淰ictory Day鈥� with Red Rider, is written from the perspective of a father whose son was a hockey player with big dreams cut short by a truck driving in the wrong lane.
Many Canadians began associating the lyrics with the 15 people who were killed in a highway accident on Friday night when the Humboldt Broncos鈥� bus collided with a semi-trailer in northern Saskatchewan. Fourteen other people were injured.
Cochrane鈥檚 low-key televised performance was played as photos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team were shown in a montage.
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He updated the lyrics to incorporate a new verse that drew closer parallels to the Broncos story: 鈥淎ll the right moves when he turned 18. Ridin鈥� to the game and ridin鈥� with his team. Ridin鈥� with their friends and ridin鈥� for their dreams. Ridin鈥� off to immortality in the big league.鈥�
Cochrane also changed another portion of the lyrics to place a stronger emphasis on the unpredictability of life: 鈥淣ever can tell what might come down. Never can tell when you might check out. You just don鈥檛 know, no you never can tell.鈥�
Other Canadian musicians have turned to their own songs to create tributes to the team.
Country singer Paul Brant performed his 2001 song 鈥淪mall Towns and Big Dreams鈥� Monday on CBC鈥檚 鈥淨鈥� after recently rewriting the lyrics to incorporate a hockey theme at the request of Ron MacLean, who planned to use it on a segment of 鈥淗ometown Hockey.鈥�
Kingston, Ont. musician Jay Smith has racked up more than 1 million views on a Facebook video he posted performing 鈥淟eave a Stick by the Door,鈥� an original song written in tribute to the hockey players.
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you are heart and soul this song was for you! out of respect for the parents I was reluctant to perform this but friend said it鈥檚 the right thing to do and crew you are class xo
鈥� Tom Cochrane (@TomCochraneMUS)
The Canadian Press
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