earth day

Recorded for Earthlings in honour of Earthday… comissioned several years back by the CBC in Regina…

In honour of Earth Day 2010 I thought that I would share this tune with my friends. It is not a new tune, but it is one that has not really seen the light of day.

Several years ago I managed to cultivate a loverly relationship with the good folks at CBC in Regina. They were often looking for ways and means to appeal to a younger, perhaps hip-er demographic. I was, secretly looking for ways to advance the music, increase the ears and reach the older, less hip, but music buying crowd. It was a beautiful friendship.

Earth Day was one of the artistic offerings that resulted from that symbiotic entanglement. Large as it is, the planet is a consumable resource. Small as we are, we play a huge roll. I know you’ve heard all the tree-huggin’ hippie-like rhetoric before… I’ve heard it a million times too. I even wrote a song about it. Funny enough, however, it wasn’t until stumbling upon this old song in the wake of learning some life-changing news* that I realized what is actually on the line.

My wife and I are now raising our children in the shadow of the largest environmental blemish afflicting the planet. The impact is monumental, despite the “official reports”. They say the water is fine and dandy, but it just don’t taste right/feel right (and why are so many of the long time residents here losing so much hair? I am not referring to the dudes.) My boys are healthy and full of life and vitality. My wife is beautiful and full of the same joie de vivre and brewing our last contribution to the earth’s population. It is my hope that we foolish bipeds can get our act together and with great concerted effort transform our collective footprint. We are not the cancer. Or, rather, we needn’t be… Build. Dance. Sing. Harmonize. Reduce. Re-Use. Recycle.

Soundcloud player

Lyrics:

I know this beautiful blue-green orb once home to paradise
Now the abode of foolish bipeds who unknowingly terrorize
Every remnant of this Eden from the surface to the core
To the ozone atmosphere to every blue-green ocean’s shore &
It’s abhorrent the reasons that this Eden’s being spoiled
See the motivation’s greed and power catalyst is oil

Ya best not drink the water from the tap unless it’s boiled!

Now a few among these bipeds recognise this plight and toil
Every night and earth day to preserve the precious soils
And the crystal pristine waters… And the creatures forced to share them
With these bipeds who ain’t caring when they bent on exploitation
Corporations whose god is bottom line clear cutting forestation vegetation

“We’ve gotta find that profit margin whatever the costs wherever it hides!”

Disguised as exploration’s the rain forrests’s demise
Am I the cancer to the lungs of the planet screaming blue murder?
A tumorous consumer?

Just get me a cheese burger!
They’re 5 for 2 dollars and super size my fries
& I won’t remove my shades or UV skies fry my eyes!

The planet moans turns slightly off its axis
The earth quakes a little to scratch its land filled with plastics
& its askin’ Mother Nature to help prepare the storms &
warn these bipeds ‘bout the effects of global warmin’
ya see the planet is kind & wise, & Mother Nature too
they wanna share their gifts with me & every one of you
& open up our blind eyes to clean burning fuels
see they realise that we are more ignorant than cruel &
and the cure for ignorance is a little bit of schooling.

Shawty this Earth day
We gonna party like this is earth day we gonna talk
Kyoto like this is earth day
It’s a planetary promo this is earthdaayyyyyyy.

earth day can be heard and had at these links:
http://tallisman.bandcamp.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/tallisman
http://soundcloud.com/tallisman/earthday-tallisman

Mastered By: Zee Wavesurfer - www.DeegeeTall.com

Please feel free to download this song for free because it is free. Share it. Burn it. Copy it. Store it in a jar on your bedside table. Work to it. Work out to it. Work it over. Love it. Love to it. Remix it. Post it. If you feel so inclined, you may buy it here by donation (all proceeds will go towards 3 records in the works). Thanks for listening!

./tallis