The Black Fly Song, Essay Example

“The Black Fly Song” is a Canadian song penned by Wade Hemsworth and was written in 1949 as a reflection of his lived experiences in Northern Ontario. It has been covered by a variety of Canadian artists and has become a classic within Canadian folk music.  The song sheds light on the various experiences Hemsworth encountered when he joined a crew working for the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario to survey the Little Abitibi Rover to discern whether it was feasible to construct a dam called the Abitibi Canyon Generating Station in the region. In addition, Hemsworth states that “I wasn’t with Black Toby…that was another expedition. I was writing a song; I wasn’t writing literature.” He describes the conditions he was in during this expedition and reflects folk themes that is so evident in Canadian poetry and literature. The title of the song is interesting because it focuses on the derided and hated flies that Hemsworth repeatedly decries. As such, an image of the countryside in Ontario is saturated with this image of the black fly, and it is clear that the author resents the presence of the fly, which is “everywhere” regardless of where one is. The author clearly did not enjoy this expedition to an area that is disputed, but nonetheless weaves in a litany of references that reference this region in Ontario. The most unique part of this song is the way that the word “Ontario” is pronounced towards the end, which would have been recognizable as a regional idiosyncrasy in the Canadian countryside .

Seemingly, despite its brevity and mundane content, this song has increasingly entered the lore of Canadian history because of its references to the North Ontario region and pertinence today to the region. Indeed, the infestation of black flies has persisted into the present day. The chorus states that “the black-flies the little blackflies/Always the black-fly no matter where you go/I’ll die with the black-fly a picking my bones,” thereby underscoring the miserable conditions in the region as a result of an infestation that took place in the middle of the twentieth century. The poet describes the difficult conditions they were in on this expedition to survey the river for an upcoming project, as it was hard to breath in the region because of how heavy the swarms were there at that time. The trials and tribulations of working in the region was further evident in the fact that the workers had to lather themselves in balsam gum and bacon fat just to keep the annoying bugs and black flies away. Thus image suggests that other scented materials humans like to use to make themselves smell good such as lotions, soaps, perfumes, and aftershave attract the flies to humans even more. The image enhances the image of dirtiness and displeasure the men feel working in the woods in Northern Ontario because of the presence of the flies. In addition, this song alludes to the controversy over this region in North Ontario between Canada and the United States. This particular region of North Ontario continues to be fought over between the  United States and Canada. Both nations insist that that region belongs to themselves, thereby rendering the locale stateless still in the present day.  At a rudimentary level, this song attests to the fact that the countryside in North Ontario is unfit for human beings because of the conditions present there. As such, the author conveys his desire to never go back to that locale ever again in his life.

The author uses vivid imagery to underscore how much of a nuisance the black flies in the northern Ontario region are. The repetition of the word blackflies reflects how ubiquitous the flies are and how those who went on this expedition cannot escape the swarms of flies while in the woods. The flies swarm, bite, and harass the men on the expedition. The very presence of the blackflies suggest that the Abitibi River is flowing with uncontaminated water that is free from any organic pollution, which is why the flies can grow and thrive in Northern Ontario. Blackflies were present everywhere, yet, unlike mosquitoes, blackflies did not pose a risk to human health because they simply would take a chunk of human skin rather than leaving barbs in the skin and exposing people to infection. The color black is used to convey how the men decried the “wonderful experience” the survey crew had when looking at the Abitibi River. Toby is described as “Black” in the end, which suggests that he was so covered by the black flies that he became identified with them. Such images suggest the notion that humans are unfit to live in the region, so it would be insane for the construction of any man-made infrastructure because the area was unlivable. Such images explore ideas about civilization versus nature, and the limits of anthropogenic control over the forces of nature. Survey crews are sent out in order to test the feasibility of constructing and running man-made entities such as a dam on the river. However, this simple song intimates that man cannot control all facets of nature. Indeed, black flies continue to hamper northern Ontario without respite in sight in the near future.

Works Cited

Mouland, Elizabeth. (ed.) Tracing One Warm Line: Poetry of Canada. St John’s: Breakwater     Books, 188-9. Southern Music Publishing Company (Canada) Ltd, 1994. Print.