Overview

Listen to Chief Seattle - English Lyrics

In the beginning, there was light,
The earth and the trees were a beautiful sight.
Some animals swam in blue crystal lakes,
Like the fish with their small fry and ducks with their drakes.
Some on the wing sailed through skies so blue,
And others drank nectar and fresh morning dew.
And so could be seen in its glory and strife,
A beautiful, intricate web of life.

And out of this web of life came man,
Or perhaps he was put here by God's loving hand.
But one thing we know, is that he has the brains,
He can rechannel water and forecast the rains.
A mere buzz of a chainsaw, and he's got a home,
A quick plow to grow food where just buffalo roam.
Man's genius gives him incredible power,
To build bridges that s t r e t c h, and buildings that tower .

He grows huge crops very nearly pest free,
But the poisons run into the streams and the sea.
And the fish that were swimming in clear pristine waters,
Are dying, and so are the birds and the otters.
We cut down trees, we can't stop, were not able,
We need to survive; to put food on the table.
And we know this makes sense, so we don't change our way,
It's not man that we're hurting, just animals pay.

Can man be so blind, he can't see what he's doing?
His waste dumps oozing, factories spewing!
But in some people's view it's no big surprise,
That diseases like cancer are still on the rise.
While children are swimming out in the pollution,
Mother nature will surely seek her retribution.
A wise word from once a great Chief still foretells,
"What we do to the web, we do to ourselves".