<P> "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 some have performed it with a raised sixth, creating a Dorian feel . </P> <P> Its subject matter is a romanticized vision of nature and the land from the perspective of an Aboriginal person, but it remains popular with the non-Aboriginal majority in Canada . 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 . </P> <P> Like most traditional songs the lyrics vary slightly . The following are representative: </P>

Land of the silver birch and my paddle