Doukhobors - Spirit Wrestlers

Our Tribute

Paul G. Samsonoff, in his garden, sings the first stanza, and the Kootenay Men's Choir, on stage, performs the last stanza of this song.

Paul G. Samsonoff composed the song.

sample doutriba.wav 327KB 30 seconds
entire song doutribb.wav 1,139KB 1:45 minutes
entire song doutrib.zip 758KB 1:45 minutes

We stand here before you, our colleagues and friends
Our songs with you, gladly we're sharing
Of lives from the past, of history gone by
Our ancestors we here wish to honour.

They were really young men, like many of us
But they went forth both brave and undaunted
So that we would be saved from the taking of life
From state's bondage and church's false rituals.

You faced prison hardships, took lashes at times,
Forms of torture both horrid and painful
You marched through vast steppes, your journey was long
Your pathways were harsh, but rewarding.

We also remember our leaders so brave
They guided our path as from Heaven
Leaving homeland behind, so beloved and dear
And to Canada, we all have migrated.

We proudly now sing, giving honour and praise,
Which you, heroes, have earned without question
Though a century has gone, deep in our hearts
We shall honour your deeds through our lifetime.

We thank you for all that you've done for our sake,
For the freedom that we now have been blessed with;
May our songs be conveyed in spirit to you all
For today we recall you with honour.

Our final respects we utter in song,
To our leaders, and martyrs, now passed on;
We honour their strong faith in Christ and His word
May this same faith, in us, become strengthened.