Started this song back in the late 1970's while living in Colorado in the midst of the push to mine shale oil in the Rocky Mountains. Since then, the challenges facing mountain areas have grown even more complex as climate change has led to much longer wildfire seasons and the deaths of millions of trees in mountains areas, including Yosemite, due to invasive species and their catastrophic effects on mountain ecology and habitat.

LYRICS:
Long time ago, when the west was young and free,
Buffalo herds roamed the plains far as the eye could see.
Then progress came their way, and by millions brought 'em down, 
Hides were cut for sale, while bones covered the ground.
And mighty herds roam the plains no more.

CHORUS:
Well, say a prayer for the mountains, so tall.
As the long western winds come to blow.
For tomorrow will they stand so proud at all
Or go the way of the old buffalo.


Now many a year has come and gone, times have come to change, 
Automobiles roam the lands the buffalo herds did range.
They make our travels easier, carry us right along, 
So we scour the earth for ways and means to keep them rolling on.
With scarce a thought to where it all will end.

CHORUS:

And many a clever company with bales of dollar bills, 
Is racing to the mountains with dynamite and drills.  
And they say it’s for the country, and they claim it’s what we need, 
And they always call it progress, though many blame man’s greed,
As they work their ways across the mountain lands.

CHORUS:
And when tomorrow’s winds have blown, and days to come have gone,
Will monuments mark the trails the pronghorn had run upon?
Will evergreens have given way to prime suburban lands,
Will wild flames and climate change have left unhealing brands,
As they work their ways across the mountain lands.

CHORUS:

 © M. Bressler

Notes From Planet Earth

Say a Prayer For the Mountains

A takeoff on the great classic song of the '60s "Me and Bobbi McGee," written by Kris Kristofferson, the indomitable Rhodes Scholar poet and country songwriter.

LYRICS:
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting out the rains.
Feeling nearly faded as my jeans.
When I seen Trump tweeted, sure seemed what I needed, 
Soon I was feeling wonderful again.
He said life will be just beautiful, forever he'll be dutiful, 
He’s a man of amazing hands and bucks and brains -
He’ll do wonders for the planet, grab the women in the cabinet, and build a huge casino in Bahrain,
To Make America Great Again.

(Chorus)
Trump’s just another word for nothing left but lies,
And words that ain’t worth nothing but their free.
And if you believe him Lord well don’t be surprised,
When you finally find you wind up getting played, while someone goes Trumping on his way.


From the coal mines of Kentucky to the California sun, Ol’ Trump he surely finished number two.
But though he wound up second place, he’s the guy who won the race, and so he became President anywho.
And now he’s out there looting cause he knows he owes ol’ Putin, for the many fine favors that he gave.
And I know there just can’t be a doubt that everything will be worked out
With these two buddies walking hand in hand,
To Make America Great Again

(Chorus)

Song by Mike Bressler based on Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee”

Trump's Just Another Word (For Nothing Left But Lies)

The GOP Solution started life as a bumper sticker I thought of making - “Greed, Oilbucks, and Pollution, That's the GOP Solution”. This song came out of that idea.
LYRICS:
Times are tough in this town,
Prices up, pay is down.
Works are jammed, nothing goes  
But brown nose all those CEOs,
What’s the grand old party doing?

Chorus:
Greed, Oilbucks and Pollution  -
That’s the G.O.P. solution!
Greed, Oilbucks and Pollution -
That’s the G.O.P. solution!

Mass deception, no relief!
Vanity beyond belief!
Bless the rich, bash the poor,
Trash the planet to its core,
What’s the grand old party brewing?

Chorus:

Smearing sprees and homilies,
Needless war and casualties,
Cover up each new disgrace,
Shove it up the human race.
What’s the grand old party proven?

Chorus:

Words and Music by Michael Bressler

The GOP Solution

SONG OF THE RESISTANCE
The tune has long been used in struggles for justice, whether in John Brown's Body, Battle Hymn of the Republic, or Ralph Parson's Solidarity Forever. Song of the Resistance is my song for those opposed to the direction our political system has been taking.
LYRICS:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He’d loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword.
He was filled with mighty fury at deeds done in his name,
As these words he proclaimed:

Chorus:
Glory, Glory Hallelujah,
Don’t let the Trump party fool ya.
Oh, they know their lines so good
But they don’t mean quite what they should
Half-truths go marching on.

He’d seen through all the pretense when they shouted out for war.
The host of shady campaigns where they showed their moral core.
The mighty zeal for power, and the massive mess they made,
And these words he hath said 

Chorus:


Well media hordes were marching forth to orders from their kings,
Talk show hosts ranted like some parrots on a fling.
But the Lord almighty roared in wrath, then laughed at what he’d seen,
As these words he did say.

Chorus:

So, we’ll stand up for our country, and freedoms that we prize,
In the face of all the fear-mongers’ richly worded lies.
Keep watchfires blazing ‘til the dawn of brighter days,
And these words we shall say:

Chorus:

Glory, Glory Hallelujah,
Don’t let the Trump party fool ya.
Oh, their tweets are mighty good 
But they don’t mean quite what they should
Half-truths go marching on.

© Michael Bressler

Song of the Resistance

Our big question regarding what we are doing to the world we inherited, and our legacy to those whose times are to come.

LYRICS:

A brightly shining tropic sea, gleaming wide and blue,
Kaleidoscopic artistry, live in every hue.
Eyes rise in disbelief, in the glorious realm of coral reef,
Flashy schools of neon fish fool away the time.
Further 'long, picture’s wrong, 
Coral bleached, fish are gone,
Water grown way too warm, with the planet's changing clime.

(Chorus)
What will be our legacy, quickly dawning down the bend?
A vision found and brought to be?
Or a gift we pawned about to end?
Where prisons, fakes and fools unfold an earth ablaze for oil and gold?
Blinding lies and dying tides right before our eyes!
What will be our reply?

A mighty flow of ice and snow tumbles down to sea,
A monument of cold and white and bracing majesty.
A glacier reaching past the shore, greets the ocean, with a roar,
Leaves a trail of ice caps, the restless waves to ply.
But swiftly now they’re taken down,
Ancient glaciers turned around,
The air grown way too warm, with our planet's changing clime. 

(Chorus)
What will be our legacy, quickly dawning down the bend?
A vision found and brought to be?
Or a gift we pawned about to end?
Where tyrants reign and dark clouds roll an earth enchained for oil and gold
Ice sheets slide and oceans rise, right before our eyes!
What will be our reply?

‘Neath northern lights and midnight sun an Inuit family’s home
On wild and windswept tundra where caribou herds still roam.
They span timeless arctic lands, pry some food from nature’s hands,
Share in what the earth provides each soul passing by.
But troubled times are setting in,
Ice and game getting thin,
The land grown way too warm, with our planet’s changing clime.

(Chorus)
What will be our legacy, quickly dawning down the bend?
A vision found and brought to be?
Or a gift we pawned about to end?
Will sirens wail, and storm winds blow, an earth betrayed for oil and gold?
Dice roll live through northern skies, right before our eyes!
What will be our reply?

© Michael Bressler

Legacy

A takeoff on the great classic song of the '60s "Me and Bobbi McGee," written by Kris Kristofferson, the indomitable Rhodes Scholar poet and country songwriter.

LYRICS:
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting out the rains.
Feeling nearly faded as my jeans.
When I seen that Trump was tweetin', made me feel so fine, 
Seemed that sun was 'bout to shine again.
He said he'd be so dutiful and life would be just beautiful, 
He’s got such great big hands and bucks and brains -
He’ll do wonders for the planet, grab the women in the cabinet, and build a huge casino in Bahrain,
To Make America Great Again.

(Chorus)
Trump is just another word for nothing left but lies,
And words that ain’t worth nothing, but their free.
And if you're feeling you believe him Lord well don’t get too surprised,
When you finally find you wind up getting played, while someone goes Trumping on his way.


From the coal mines of Kentucky to the California sun, Ol’ Trump he up and finished number two.
But though he wound up second place, well he’s the one who won the race, and so he became President anywho.
And now he’s busy looting cause he owes owes so much to Putin, for the many fine favors he obtained.
And I know there just can’t be a doubt that everything will be worked out
With these two buddies walking hand in hand,
To Make America Great Again

(Chorus)

Song by Mike Bressler based on Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee”

Mike Bressler

Trump Is Just Another Word

PARTISAN SONGS OF THE BRAVE NEW MILLENNIUM. Songs for people  opposed to the con artists who seek to maximize their power and wealth through unprincipled manipulation and exploitation of people and planet.

Mike Bressler - Notes From Planet Earth

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