2006-04-11

Earth Day

This lyric was circulating around the time of the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. George Carlin wrote the original version; this one's been modified by what Pete Seeger called the folk process. Sing it slowly, maestoso, and with great irony.

Oh beautiful for smoggy skies,
Insecticided grain,
For garbage mountain majesties
Above the asphalt plain:
America, America,
Man spreads his trash on thee,
And makes a mess with filthiness
From sea to oily sea.

(Original lyrics; melody.)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You forgot to include a pointer to the melody.

John Cowan said...

Fixed, thanks.

Ben Buckley said...

Heh, very good.

John Cowan said...

If Canada and the U.S. (or parts of them) ever merge, I think America the Beautiful would be a very suitable national anthem, using verses 1, 2, 7, and 4 of the 1913 version I linked to.