American prosody

An interesting contrast with our American friends is the ostensible passion they bestow upon their city states in song! I can't imagine a Canadian rhapsodizing about Edmonton or Winnipeg or Ottawa! What is it about us, that love our country, but tend to praise with a faint damn, rather than some corny, evocative, efflorescence? Maybe it's us at fault, not them. We sometimes, I think, wear our national heart, off our sleeve ,except for hockey. If it's down in New Orleans,or meeting in St. Louis, or dreaming of Galveston it seems to me Americans all want to be somewhere they aren't. If it's vagabond shoes in New York or flowers in the hair in San Francisco it seems to me they are looking for a change in life style. They are not sure where they are going but they want to know the way to San Jose, without it seems, much idea what they will do if they find the right direction and get there. Having said all that, we as Canadians, may be a charmless bunch, without the finer feelings the Americans seem to display about their homeland cities. Certainly the Irish and the Scots are full of musical blather about their bays and islands and their songs are incredibly evocative and passionate. I think we, as Canadians, are far too prosaic about our country. I don't include Newfoundlanders! I envy the passion of the songsters even if it is a bit of blarney! Would that we would let our hair down a little more, and push out our chest, stand a little straighter, and be proud of peace, order and good government and God keeping our land , even if it is a little colorless.