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Where a Border
Need Not Be
Written for the first-ever meeting of
Canada/US Project WILD Coordinators, this song highlights
how humans sometimes create artificial boundaries that don't
make a lot of sense. Turtle Island is the name given by some
First Nations groups to North America.
Long ago the buffalo roamed in a sea of grass
That stretched forever north and south but it did
not last
Came the gun, came the train, came the survey
crew
And they made the maps and they made the laws
that separate me and you
But the tundra swan, the grizzly bear,and the big
horned ram
Know of no such boundaries as they wander through
this land
They know so well in the natural world that a
border doesn't mean a thing
When it's only a line on someone's map made by a
human being
So welcome 'cross the border where a border
need not be
Life is linked together in a web that you
can't see
Living on Turtle Island is a blessing that we
share
Let us put our heads together, find some way
to show we care
(Let us put our heads & hearts together,
find some way to show we care)
The humpback whale, the wolverine and the caribou
Need shelter, water, food and space just like
humans do
The timber wolf, the elephant,the orangutan
Are being lost 'cause they're seen things so
separate from man
And that's a separation where a border need
not be
Life is linked together in one big family
Living on this planet is a blessing that we
share
Let us put our hearts together, find some way
to show we care
(Let us teach by our example, show our
children that we care)
So welcome you who gather here who care about the
earth
And the life that lives upon it for all that life
is worth
We're here to sing, we're here to grow and share
what we have learned
For the wild is on the comeback trail,we're part
of a tide that's turned
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What's That
Habitat?
A fun introduction to the basics we all need
to survive.
What's that? Habitat ! C'est quoi? L'habitat
!
What's that? Habitat ! C'est quoi? L'habitat
!
Habitat, habitat is where it's at
Now every living creature needs a place to roam
We all need a shelter we can call our home
We'll die without food and water, it's as simple
as that
Put it all together and it's called habitat
Food! (Food!) Water! (Water!) Shelter!
(Shelter!) Space! (Space!) (3X)
Habitat, habitat is where it's at
Just think about that beaver he's in water all
the time
He stockpiles leaves and branches all through the
summertime
He stores them under water and in the winter he
stays fat
'Cos they're under the ice outside his lodge and
that's his habitat
Chorus
Now a grizzly bear needs lots of space to find
all the food she needs
To feed herself and her cubs real well with fish,
raw meat and berries
She gets her water from the lakes and streams and
by the autumn she's so fat
She stays in her den, doesn't eat all winter and
that's her habitat
Chorus
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Bio-diversity
The preservation of global and local
biodiversity is one of the most fundamental environmental
challenges of our times.The first set of species in the song
is from the Canadian list of "species at risk" and the
second is from the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) list.
Bio-diversity, Mother Nature sings this
song
Bio-diversity, I hope that you will sing
along
Bio means life (as in biology)
Diversity means lots of variety
Healthy ecosystems need different living things
And if you listen closely you can hear them sing
chorus
'Cause every living creature has its place
They need food, shelter, water, space
So let us do our part to help them all survive
By keeping their habitat alive
black bear, grizzly bear, smallmouth
salamander, barn owl, pallid bat, golden
seal
and stoneroller, Squanga Lake whitefish,
walrus and king rail, blue racer, red
root,
hop tree, beluga whale, heart-leafed
plantain, soapweed and sea otter,
green sturgeon, Athabaska swift
whooping crane, swift fox, spotted owl,
spotted bat, blackstripe topminnow,
ord's kangaroo rat, wood bison, wood
poppy, mountain plover, great auk,
Englemann's quillwort, blue ash and
Cooper's hawk, marbled murrelet,
right whale and colicroot, grey fox,
loggerhead shrike
Chorus, etc.
hairy-nosed wombat, timber wolf and
grass owl, dove flower, bog turtle,
pitcher plant and rock fowl,
Madagascar boa, peregrine falcon,
black coral, grison, weaver and dolphin,
coelacanth, bush dog, bobcat and
bullfrog, crocodile and hippopotomus
aardvark, egret, blue whale, manatee
ocelot, sea cat, panther and parakeet, rat
snake, pearlfish, bandicoot and jaguar,
armadillo, antelope, cockatoo and condor,
bird-winged butterfly, red leg tarantula,
aye-aye and monkey-puzzle tree
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Cycles
Scientists have identified what first peoples
everywhere know intuitivelyÉthat everything operates in a
circular manner.
(Spoken) A bicycle is a cycle, 'cause the wheels
go round and round
But did you know that animals cycle, as their
numbers go up and down?
Nature has a million cycles, and they're truly
everywhere
Cycles are so very important, though you may not
know they're there
Cycles, cycles, nature goes round and
round
Cycles, cycles, populations up and down
There's a water cycle, and a bunny cycle and a
carbon cycle, too
There are natural cycles everywhere, they're a
part of me and you
Now the water cycle is a simple cycle,there's
water vapour in the air
Then it all comes down as snow and rain and it
melts into the ground
Then it flows into rivers, oceans and lakes and
evaporates to the sky
The water comes down as snow and rain and the
cycle goes round again
Chorus
Now living up north in the boreal forest is a
bunny named the snowshoe hare
Its population grows, then gets real low every
nine years or so
Then for nine more years, there are more and
more,then the population goes way down
Then their numbers start increasing one more time
and the cycle goes round and round
Chorus
Now carbon is the name of an element that's part
of every living thing
It's in the air as carbon dioxide and the plants
breathe the carbon in
It becomes a part of the branches and leaves and
when they fall down to the ground
They decompose into CO2 and the cycle goes round
round and round
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Invadin' Alien
Blues
Thanks to teacher, principal and wildlife
educator Stephen Gillis for the idea of how
to treat this important subject in song.
There are aliens taking over our wetlands
There are aliens crowding out our fish
There are aliens living in our Great Lakes
But these aliens don't come from outer space
They come here from our very own planet
But from far, far away and they're strangers here
These introduced species can be a pretty big
problem
'Cause there's nothing very much in Nature that's
able to stop them
The invadin' aliens are everywhere
Introduced species around the world,
my friend you'd better best beware
Zebra mussel, gypsy moth
and purple loosestrife
These are just a few, they might give you
those invadin' alien blues
oooh...
In some of our wetlands grows a pretty purple
flower
That makes lots of seeds, and so it grows too
well
It chokes out all the space that's needed by
wetlands wildlife
It's a pretty little killer with the name of
purple loosestrife
Chorus
Now the zebra mussel is like a tiny little clam
That has millions of babies and they stick
everywhere
They plug up pipes, cover rocks and eat all the
plankton
They're really such a nuisance, we have no reason
to thank them
Chorus...
We've got to do our best to keep them from
spreading
If we don't do our part, they might give you
those invadin' alien blues
oooh...
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Three Simple
Rules
This song is dedicated to Tagish/Carcross
First Nation elder Art Johns, whose wise and gentle words
appear in The Caribou Song.
Great grand-dad was a man who was wise as he
could be
And he always made a living from the land and
from the sea
And he always fed his children with the bounties
of this Earth
Oh he never was a rich man but he knew his inner
worth
Even though he had to take life to feed his
family
He lived by three simple rules and my dad taught
these to me
Respect all life
Take only what you need
(and for heaven's sake)
Use all that you take
Chief Joseph was a leader of his First Nations
clan
And he always taught his people respect for the
land
Every creature has a spirit, every plant a living
soul
What a magic way to live a life and it made his
people whole
And even during hard times he knew down in his
heart
The wisdom of those simple rules, everyone must
do their part
Chorus
(and for the spirit's sake)
And now I am a person of the twenty-first century
And I wonder how to live my life on Earth
responsibly
For I know that there are limits and we can't go
on and on
Consuming and polluting 'til everything is gone
And now I know the answers are as old as they can
be
If my great grand-dad were here today he'd say
these words to me
Chorus
(and for the planet's sake)
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Be Like
Me
words and music by Kent Greentree © Kent
Greentree
Written by a dear friend, this song was
inspired by the vision of Phil Gatensby, also a member of
the Tagish/Carcross First Nation.
Be like me sang the bird not so high up in
the tree
I am simply just a song that needed me to sing
And I'll sing for you or anyone who will listen
to me sing
For the joy that swells within me when I hear my
sweet voice ring
Be like me sang the bird (3x) when I hear my
sweet voice ring
Be like me sang the tree as I stand before the
wind
I reach up for the sun as my roots reach deep
within
And I draw from both the earth and sky from these
I fill my needs
And I gladly give my life to you to build the air
you breathe
Be like me sang the tree (3x) for I build the
air you breathe
Be like me sang the river, I'm like the lifeline
on your palm
Eternity in motion and an ever-changing song
You may dam me and divert me or poison life from
me
But from a trickle in the mountains I will always
reach the sea
Be like me sang the river (3x) I will always
reach the sea
Be like me sang the ground I'm the womb from
which you start
Please learn to feed each other please open up
your hearts
As I've given of myself to you, to each other
give the same
Know in spite of what you do to me I love you
all the same
Be like me sang the ground(3x) for I love you
all the same
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The Caribou
Song
The caribou herds in the southern portion of
the Yukon Territory have dwindled considerably in recent
years. This is a call to protect all wildlife (and
ourselves) by protecting critical habitat.
Once upon a time throughout this land the caribou
did roam
Thousands and thousands wandered through the
hills, our backyard was their home
They provided food and shelter for the First Ones
Then along came the miners and the rails, the
habitat began to change
And up went the fences and the roads in the
middle of their winter range
Now the Carcross herd is barely just surviving
We've got to do something soon
O caribou, caribou,
symbol of the northland, the wilderness so
true
O caribou, caribou,
we will be in trouble if we don't take care of
you
(if we take care of your habitat, we'll be
taking care of you)
Now the caribou is perfect for the North,it's
adapted to a land that's cold
It's hooves are big and wide and they act like
snowshoes
and shovels in the deep, deep snow
And their hollow hair keeps them toasty warm
They dine on lichens, a kind of plant, that no
other critter wants to eat
So caribou survive where other animals can't,
they have a very special niche
And the caribou when it dies, it feeds its
neighbours &emdash;
The wolves and the ravens too!
Chorus
As goes the land so go ourselves and all of us
depend on the land
If the wildlife is in trouble then we are too, so
we'd better lend a helping hand
Won't you take the time to try and help your
neighbour?
Everything's connected somehow
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Better Living
Through Chemistry
"Progress" is not always what it's cracked up
to be.
This song is definitely intended to be
tongue-in-cheek.
The other day I heard the news, a little
something made me blue
A hole in the ozone not too far away from me
It came as a shock 'cause I'd been led to believe
That science was the saviour of us all you see
We're suppose to be living better lives through
chemistry
We've got holes in the ozone, oil in the sea
Toxic chemicals in you and me
Don't you know we're all living better lives
through chemistry
There's mercury in the rainbow trout
And in our bodies you can have no doubt
Don't you know we're all living better lives
through chemistry
Oh baby, oh baby, now don't you be scared
But there are human-made chemicals everywhere
Don't you know you can't escape 'er
We've got dioxin in the toilet paper
Don't you know we're all living better lives
through chemistry
You've got to learn your ABC's
Your CFC's and DDT's and PCB's
Don't you know you can't escape 'er
We've got dioxin in the toilet paper
Don't you know we're all living better lives
through chemistry
There are artificial hormones in our meat
And cancer-causing chemicals in what we eat
Don't you know we're all living better lives
through chemistry
There's hydrogenated fats and cholesterol too
Preservatives enough to pickle me and you
Don't you know we're all living better lives
through chemistry
Oh baby, oh baby, now don't you be sad
But mutated children really aren't so bad
Don't you know you can't escape 'er
We've got dioxin in the toilet paper
Don't you know we're all living better lives
through chemistry
We've got radioactive people knocking at my door
And acid rain dissolving the lake shore
You can see pretty well what progress has done
for us
Of course it's not up to you and me to change
The things we do each day that cause this pain
We'll just bow our heads and say&emdash;"In
Science We Trust"
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Hymne à
la Terre
Mother Earth knows no human languages,yet we
must sing her praise in all of them.
This song in Canada's other official language
is by Marlynn Bourque&emdash;her first ever.
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Mère Terre, Mère Terre,
quand t'ai-je bien soigné?
Mère Terre, Mère Terre,
j'aime tant t'admirer
Tes montagnes me font si grande,
tu m'a appris à respirer
Plus je prends le temps de
t'apprendre,
plus j'arrive à te
respecter
Tes poissons frétillent dans tes
veines
Tes fleurs embaument nos matinées
Tes oiseaux planent sur tes plaines
Tes loups hurlent à m'en faire
pleurer
Et tu tournes, tournes sur
toi-même
Avec l'Univers, tu sais si bien danser
refrain
Ton vent du nord dans sa cadence
Avec tes arbres vient chanter
Tes océans si grands, immenses
Avec ta lune créent des
marées
Ton silence en moi prends
présence
C'est pour mieux me faire aimer
refrain
La vie en moi a pris naissance
Ton feu si chaud m'a
réchauffé
Les vieilles molécules de ton air
Avec dinosaures, j'aurai partagé
Ça me rappelle que j'ai de la
chance
D'être avec toi pendant autant
d'années
Mère Terre, Mère Terre,
quand t'ai-je bien soigné?
Mère Terre, Mère
Terre,
j'aime tant t'admirer
Tes montagnes me font si grande,
tu m'a appris à respirer
Plus je prends le temps de
t'apprendre,
plus j'arrive à me
respecter
Plus je prends le temps de
m'apprendre,
plus j'arrive à me
respecter
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Mother Earth, Mother Earth
When did I care for you?
Mother Earth, Mother Earth
I admire you so
Your mountains make me feel so
grand
You taught me to breathe
As I come to know you
I respect you more and more
Your fish wriggle in your veins
Your flowers perfume our mornings
Your birds soar over your plains
Your howling wolves make me cry
And you spin and spin on yourself
With the Universe you dance so well
chorus
Your north wind in its cadence
Comes to sing with your trees
Your oceans so big, immense
With your moon create the tides
Your silence takes presence in me
So that I may love even more
chorus
Life has been given birth in me
Your fire so hot has warmed me
Ancient molecules of your air
I may have shared with dinosaurs
It reminds me that I'm lucky
To be with you for so long
Mother Earth, Mother Earth
When did I take care for you?
Mother Earth, Mother Earth
I admire you so much
Your mountains make me feel so
grand
You taught me to breathe
As I come to know you
I respect you more and more
As I come to know myself
I respect myself more and more
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Think About
the Planet
It's much too easy to become overwhelmed with
the world's problems. I hope this song, and this album helps
you realize your actions are important.You can
make your dream come true.
Maybe you get scared sometimes when you hear
about our dirty world
They tell us that there's garbage everywhere, too
much for every boy and girl
But I believe that if we try, we can clean it up
and kiss pollution goodbye
It's really very simple, here's what you have to
do
Think about the planet when you go to bed
And dream sweet dreams of clean streams in
your head
Clean hearts, clean streets, clean minds
Leave all that ugly pollution behind
And when you wake up in the morning make the
dream come true
Maybe when you hear the TV news about wars and
guns and violent stuff
It makes you sad or feel real bad or want to
fight and be real tough
But getting mad yourself only makes things worse,
If you want to change the world you've got to
change yourself first
So try to be happy and sing along with me
Think about your neighbour when you go to
bed
And find all the ways to be kind in your
head
Kind to yourself, to your neighbours and
friends
'Cause that's the only way we'll make the
violence end
And when you wake up in he morning make the
dream come true
So any time that you're feeling like there is
nothing that you can do
To change the things that make you sad just
remember this little tune
'Cos nothing is so bad that there is no hope
To sing and to dream can help anyone cope
But you've got to work hard to make the dream
come true
(repeat each chorus)
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