June 20, 2013

"Mitigation Blues"

For everyone who lives in the woods. Words by Chas S. Clifton. Find your own tune—I had something like "Statesboro Blues" in mind.


I been raking that ol’ pine duff,
Yeah, I been raking that ol’ pine duff,
Whatever I do, it’s not enough.
Now every day I cut and haul,
Yes, every day I cut and haul,
Oh Lord, where can I put it all?
(Biomass . . . I got the mitigation blues)
I cut the deck from off our home,
Yeah, I cut the deck from off our home—
‘Cause I don't want to see it all covered with foam.
(Class A, now that's the stuff)
Now every tree looks like a lolipop,
Yeah, every tree looks like a lollipop.
Get enough wind, and they’ll still burn up.
(Those nasty mitigation blues)

The sky is yellow, and the sun’s turned red,
The sky is yellow, and the sun’s turned red.
Now I’m afraid to go to bed.

(And I got them smoky sky blues.)

Fire trucks run up and down the road,
Fire trucks run up and down the road,
It’s in the next county over, that’s what we’re told

I drop my tools when the siren blows,
Yeah, I drop my tools when the siren blows,
Run and put on my yellow firefightin' clothes.

(too late for mitigation now)

Look up there, see the plane coming in,
Look up there, see the plane coming in—
Better watch out, it’s got an orange fin.

If the feds drive up, and they say, “It’s ours,”
If the feds drive up, and they say, “It’s ours.”
I get to go home and take a shower.

 (It’s margarita time)

There’s a meeting down at the school house,
There’s a meeting down at the school house.
They’ll tell you if your home is a total loss.

Horses up against the wire,
Horses up against the wire,
Cut the fence, let ‘em run from the fire.

Lookouts, escape, and safety zone,
Lookouts, escape, and safety zone,
When’s this fire going to leave us alone?

When you see your house on the evening news,
When you see your house on the evening news,
Then you know you really got the mitigation blues.

The little boy don’t like us, he just stays away.
The little boy don’t like us, he surely stays away,
I’d like a big blizzard on next Christmas Day.

 (winter mitigation blues)

2 comments:

Gromit said...

Awesome!

T

Anonymous said...

:) That may become an anthem...