Great Big trees along the street
little green weeds poking through concrete
Where the rivers roll and meet
all that soil under the street

Watch it rise, Watch it fall
feel it blow, listen to it call

Flower gardens in the spring
little honey bee yes, doing her thing
birds arrive just have to sing
wind makes trees sway and swing

Watch it rise, Watch it fall
feel it blow, listen to it call

Nature, Nature
That's Nature in the City

green leaves, breathe in out
green leaves muffle that sound
green leaves, breathe in out
green leaves throwing shade down
green leaves, breathe in out
green leaves soaking up sunshine

the rolling fog’s misty vapors
-nature, nature-
the Whipping winds between skyscrapers
- that's nature in the city-
birds make nests out of newspapers
-nature, nature-
people & critters can be neighbors
- that's nature in the city-

Watch it rise, Watch it fall
feel it blow, listen to it call

in New York you hear blue jays
-nature, nature-
Red wing black birds in LA
- that's nature in the city-
in the park, hear the owl
-nature, nature-
in some cities, coyotes howl
- that's nature in the city-

Down in the ground
they’ve been sucking on the tree roots
minding their own business
for seventeen years
when the ground warms up
they build a little tunnel
they wait to get warm
then they appear as

CHORUS

Cicada, crawl out of your hole
Cicada, seventeen years old
Cicada, grow those wings and fly
sing your love song, reproduce and die

they’re looking for a vertical
surface they can climb up
where they hang on
and split their skeleton wide
emerging as adults
they’re kinda white and gooey
pumping up their wings
they dry off and fly as

CHORUS

They don’t bite , they don’t sting
“We’re looking for a mate
that’s why we fly and sing”
eaten by birds, dogs and ants
"the predators will eat us
but they don’t stand a chance "
they don’t stand a chance
to stop

CHORUS

the males are the singers,
the females are the choosers
making new cicadas
that’s all that’s in their head
after they’re together
the female finds a tree branch
she lays her eggs,
while the male drops dead

CHORUS

CHORUS

With my hand, I effect how clear the water flows
with my hand, I direct just where my trash goes
with my hand, I effect my own neighborhood
with my hand, I can make it look bad or good
with my hand, yes my hand

wet newspapers all over the street
candy wrappers stuck on your feet,
plastic bags flying in the wind,
where did all this trash begin?
it all came from people’s hands
and today’s the day to understand
trash is what we produce
and we control what we let loose
there’s trash in the water, trash in the air,
trash is trouble everywhere

CHORUS

A friend of mine didn’t know
when he threw his trash out his car window
that I was standing there and I did protest
but he shrugged his shoulders as he confessed
he said “I’m giving someone a job”
I said “no you’re not you’re just being a slob
when people see your trash there
they’re gonna think that we don’t care
they’re gonna throw their trash right next to yours
and there will be more trash then there was before
look at the street and understand
you control the trash around here

CHORUS

You bought that candy at the corner store
how does it’s wrapper get to the shore?
the shore of the river, the ocean or lake
wrappers on the ground rain water takes
them down the street into the sewer,
yo where did you think your litter goes?
it goes through the sewer, through the pipes
out to the river to the beach you like
so look at the litter on the sand
it all came from someone’s hand

CHORUS

Seaside, lakeside, on the river
boats come and go take away and deliver
goods we buy and goods we sell
look at the water fall under it’s spell

it’s powerful, it’s practical, it’s so pretty
wherever it is it’s the heart of the city

it’s where people always live
for the food and trade that the water gives
whether lakes river or ocean
people love to look at it’s motion

it’s powerful, it’s practical, it’s so pretty
wherever it is it’s the heart of the city

It's the heart, watch it flow
It's the heart, boats come and go
It's the heart, everybody knows
It's the heart, yes the heart of the city

people walk by it, talk by it ,
laugh with their friends by it
boat on it, float on it,
skate in their coats on it
fish in it, swim in it,
put their bare feet in it
eat by it, sleep by it , soak in the sun by it

Yeyyo, Yeyyo, Yeyyo, Yeyyo,

bait your hook, cast your line
fishin’s a wonderful way to waste time
skipping stones counting frogs
looking at turtles sitting on logs

it’s powerful, it’s practical, it’s so pretty
wherever it is it’s the heart of the city

Yeyyo, Yeyyo, Yeyyo, Yeyyo,

CHORUS

Green Spaces, Green places,
where everybody goes
Green Spaces, Green places,
where everybody knows,
Green Spaces, Green places,
it’s where the fun does start
Green Spaces, Green places,
that’s my city’s park

If you go into the park
at the right time of year
you might see a bird
that’s usually not here
it comes from far away
and it’s just passing through
stopping in your park
like migrating birds will do

CHORUS

you can see all kinds of people
running everywhere
chasing every kind of ball
and frisbees in the air
families have their picnics,
and sweethearts have their stroll
and when the soccer player scores
everyone yells “goooooaaallll”

CHORUS

CHORUS

Here come the flies in black
clean water engenders
here come the flies in black
they live until september

Well, the black flies will attack, remember that
just in case you’re ever face to face and make contact
heard it first from me, billy b
means what you think you saw you might have seen
so don’t blink be what was there’s gone
black flies bit your body and moved on
hide in shadow, move in silence
reproduction based in violence
but yo, they ain’t on no government list
they straight won’t exist
if flames on the river hiss
if you feel something strange
watch your back
cause you never quite know
where the black fly is at, uh eah

CHORUS

now from the deepest
of the darkest of night
on you she flies in,
bites right through skin
tight blood will bloom, fly consumes
but then like boom your hands bring doom
gory slickness on your arm
the only witness
living memories, yeah fibs
the fish are pleased
’cause clean water breeds them
Well now flies draw blood and then they lick it
’cause protein, they get wicked on ya
your hands are your only line of defense
cause keeping rivers clean just makes sense
they don’t fear us, cheer us,
try to get near us, and spear us
yeah, fibs licking up all that,
what that stand for? flies in black

CHORUS

Black flies, take a bite with me,
take a bite with me, take a bite with me
Now come on, take a lick with me,
take a lick with me, take a lick with me
Now Humans,take a whack with me,
take a whack with me,take a whack with me
Come on, make your neck work, now freeze.........
Their bites itch me

Now the Cuyahoga River
flows through Cleveland
What happened there
some people still aren’t believing
with all the floating oil, trash and tires,
the river.......caught on fire
People said “Whoa, this has to stop,”
laws were passed, pollution dropped
the river cleaned up, insects returned,
laying eggs in the water that had burned
the black fly is the first bug back,
if the water gets cleaner dragonflies attack
cleaner still and the mayflies dance,
even cleaner water, stone flies advance
you can tell how clean a river is
if you look in the water to find which fly lives
today’s pollution regulators look at biological indicators

CHORUS

If you go out to the woods
on a warm wet night
and you stand real still
oh, you might feel fright
because everywhere
you can hear leaves move
is there something there,
is it coming for you?
Yes, you..

CHORUS

Who’s that moving through the darkness
under cover of the night
twigs are snapping all around you
something’s there but out of sight

oh, the forest floor
is just covered with leaves
and on every warm night
worms come out to feed
up out of their holes
to pull down their food
yes, they eat dead leaves
the same ones moving round you
Yes, you...

Who’s that moving through the darkness
under cover of the night
twigs are snapping all around you
something’s there but out of sight
who’s that moving through the darkness
under cover of the night
segments squeezing seti braking
it’s a worm avoiding light

They relax and contract
and extend their front end
squeeze and release
their bristle brake anatomy
seti traction, yeah, hydraulic action,
it’s the squirmin’ worm physiology

yes on every warm night
worms move up and down
across the forest floor
and right through the ground
when they drag dead leaves
they rustle tussle and toil
then they get’ em back home
they turn them into soil
top soil

Who’s that moving through the darkness
under cover of the night
twigs are snapping all around you
something’s there but out of sight
who’s that moving through the darkness
under cover of the night
segments squeezing seti braking
it’s a worm avoiding light

Skyscrapers create
the concrete canyons
where the peregrines nest
with their companions
they lay their eggs
the chicks are hatched
they learn to fly
they learn to attack

CHORUS

it’s there again the peregrine
pow, the pigeon explosion
pow, the pigeon quick death motion
pow, the pigeon caught from above
pow, the pigeon just because
it’s there again the peregrine

with keen eyesight
they look for food
for themselves
and their growing brood
they see their prey
they drop and dive
two hundred miles a hour
just to survive

CHORUS

In nature they live
on canyon walls
and from their perch
they see it all
the birds and rodents
and snakes below
all moving food
the peregrine knows

CHORUS

CHORUS
Well, all across the U.S.A.
you can hear the people say,
“Aw, there’s so much algae in our lake.
When l swim l take a rake,
and when it stinks to high heaven,
it ain’t for heaven’s sake. PU.!!
Yes, the fish swim belly up,
and if you put some of that lake in a cup
and drank it,
you’d swim that way too.”

Farmers in the country, homeowners in suburbs,
lose topsoil and fertilizer in streams and over curbs.
Then the topsoil and fertilizer runs
into the river as the rains come.
The river then carries it’s heavy load
down to the lake where the algae grows,
and grows and grows and grows

But when there’s a swamp
that the river runs through,
there’s a lot that pot of peat can do.
Thick green growth is a fine strainer,
topsoil and fertilizer retainer.

The Mighty Magnificent Marsh.
It will take what the lake would think harsh.
It will hold on to
what the river brings through
that mighty magnificent marsh.

CHORUS

When the building sides are gone
on lakeshores and riverbanks,
they'll drain a swamp and pull the plug
on a long-time nutrient tank.
Then the nutrients and the phosphates run
into the river as the rains come.
The river then carries it’s heavy load
down to the lake where the algae grows,
and grows and grows and grows

But when there’s a swamp that the river runs through,
there’s a lot that pot of peat can do.
Thick green growth is a fine strainer,
topsoil and fertilizer retainer.

The Mighty Magnificent Marsh.
It will take what the lake would think harsh.
It will hold on to what the river brings through
that mighty magnificent marsh.

CHORUS

They live in the city, the suburbs too
out in the country yeah, they fly by you
they fly over tree tops
looking down on the land
with eyesight better than any man
talking ’bout crows, we’re talking ’bout crows
black feathers, black beak, black eyes, what’s that bird?
we’re talking ’bout crows

you’re out in the park
and you start to hear
a lot of crows squawking
so you move to get near
they’re up in the trees
making a racket
the've surrounded an owl
if they can they’ll attack it

talking ’bout crows, we’re talking ’bout crows
black feathers, black beak, black eyes, what’s that bird?
we’re talking ’bout crows

It’s winter in Auburn
there’s thousands crows
the light and the heat
draw them in droves
for one hundred of years
they’ve been unwanted guests
they’re smart and vocal and leave a mess

they fly over highways
looking down below
for poor little critters
dead on the road
the crows watch for cars
and then make their move
we call it road kill
for them it’s food

talking ’bout crows, we’re talking ’bout crows
black feathers, black beak, black eyes, what’s that bird?
we’re talking ’bout crows

over the cut down corn field the whole flock flies
looking to feed on the seed
that the farmer passed by
they land in the field, hop around the corn rows
flock squawks back and forth, talking ’bout crows

Big rain fell on the city today
Big rain chased all the people away
the big rain falls and the people start running
lightning strikes the fire trucks coming
everybody knows it really is something
Big Rain, ah, haa, Big Rain

CHORUS

Well now,
the sun does shine
and the wind does blow
the earth does quake
and the water flows
the city seems so big and tall
next to nature, cities are small
that’s all

Big wind, she blowing in from the sea
Big wind a hurricane at seventy....three
the streets are flooded and the wires are down
lights are out nobody’s moving around
the windows rattle to the roaring sound
Big Wind

CHORUS

Big snow covered everything in sight
Big snow turned the whole city white
the big snow falls tires start slipping
the roofs caving in and the basement’s dripping
at your nose the cold is nipping
Big Snow

CHORUS

Volcano blows, the earth inside out
Volcano blows up, with a rumble and a shout
it covers everything in fine gray ash
turning engines into trash
it will happen again just like the past
Volcano blows

Well now,
the sun does shine and the wind does blow
the earth does quake and the water flows
pavements crack bricks will fall
next to nature, cities are small that’s all