Story Behind The Song

I deplore the desecration of nature and wild life habitat.

Song Description

A group of developers crash a town meeting and promise prosperity in exchange for town's swamp. Town takes offense and sends them back home by train - slow train.

Lyrics

THE SWAMP

A flock of very noisy men
met as arranged at ten to ten.
They piled into a fleet of cars,
And drove off puffing big cigars.
Parked behind the rail road station
in the town of destination.

The meeting hall was up the street.
With rubber soles on silent feet,
they snuck up to the double door,
and flung it open with a roar.
People fainted left and right,
others paled and just sat tight,

as the noisy men burst in,
crying, "You will never win!
A power plant and toxic dump
will soon replace your useless swamp.
We're here to make the town repent
you ever tried to make a dent

in saving forests, swamps and fields
and keeping us from making deals,
and drill and mine and build and use
the hills and forests as we choose.
Our plans promote prosperity
for now, into posterity."

People had heard quite enough,
and cried, as anger made them tough,
"STOP! Our swamp is not for sale!"
The noisy men turned red, then pale.
Before they knew it they were brought
back to the station where they thought

they'd get into their fleet of cars
and drive home, puffing big cigars.
But they were forced to go by train,
and had to wait in driving rain.
The train took very long to come,
and there were only seats for some.

The seats were hard, the floor was worse,
days later all the men would curse
if swamps came up in conversation.
But there was happy celebration
back in the town where all the cars
still stood and reeked of big cigars.

The frogs and birds out in the swamp
were saved from power plant and dump
for now.........