"Gaia" by Tiamat, Album: Wildhoney (1994)

A new serum eradicates the illness
An old man rises from his wheelchair
When suffering unknown attacks the painless
And common animals are becoming rare

As water spins in circles twice
Spiders, snakes and the little mice
Get twisted around and tumble down
When Nature calls we all shall drown

If the earth is dying of a growing thirst
Rain shall fall on dried out soil
And every kind of bud shall burst
A sough of relief to insects - turmoil

As water spins in circles twice
Spiders, snakes and the little mice
Get twisted around and tumble down
When Nature calls we all shall drown

A realization of the power of Nature, a paganistic perception of natute when humans have no technological power and materialistic perceptions of nature. If we keep on living under such perceptions probably we won't reach to this point of selfdestruction. A personification of nature as powerfull Mother Gaia was an effective factor of selfrestriction to the human power and arrogance in the past. On the contrary, a disenchanted and reduced to material perception of nature has led to the predatory and non sustainable exploitation that thrreatens us all with pollution and climate changing. Reason was not always the better consultant per se!

you can hear this song in youtube

"Sacrament Of Wilderness" by Nightwish, album: Oceanborn (1998)

Naked in midwinter magic
Lies an angel in the snow
- The frozen figure crossed by tracks of wolves
An encounter, symbolic, yet truthful
With a hungry choir of woods
An agreement immemorial to be born

Dulcet elvenharps from a dryad forest
Accompany all charming tunes
of a sacrament by a campfire
A promise between the tameless
and the one with a tool
Tonight the journey from cave begins

I want to hunt with the tameless
I want to learn the wisdom of mountains afar
we will honor the angel in the snow
We will make the streams for our children flow

Wrapped in furs beneath the northern lights
From my cave I watch the land untamed
And wonder if some becoming season
will make the angel melt in shame

A visionary represantation of nature and wildereness in the past. In the end there is anxiety about the future of this natural balance that make the angel of nature melt in shame

You can hear this song in youtube

"Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, album: Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)

Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no,

Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.

Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh,

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one.

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no,

A classic antiwar song against Vietnam war. We read in wikipedia about this song:

The song was inspired by David Eisenhower, the grandson of President
Dwight David Eisenhower who married Julie Nixon, the daughter of
President Richard Nixon in 1968 (Eisenhower later enlisted in the Navy
Reserve).John Fogerty told Rolling Stone: "Julie Nixon was hanging
around with David Eisenhower, and you just had the feeling that none
of these people were going to be involved with the war. In 1969, the
majority of the country thought morale was great among the troops, and
like eighty percent of them were in favor of the war. But to some of
us who were watching closely, we just knew we were headed for trouble."

This song was popular during the Vietnam War and is included in
several Vietnam films and computer games. The song symbolizes the
thoughts of a man who is being drafted. This spoke out against the war
in Vietnam. It is sung from the perspective of one of these men (who
is not the son of a Senator, millionaire, or military leader, thus not
a "fortunate son"), who ends up fighting in the Vietnam War.

You can hear this song in youtube

El Condor Pasa (If I could) by Simon/Garfunkel, Album: Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)

I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail
Yes i would, if i could, i surely would
I'd rather be a hammer than a nail
Yes i would, if i only could, i surely would

Away, i'd rather sail away
Like a swan that's here and gone
A man gets tied up to the ground
He gives the world its saddest sound
Its saddest sound

I'd rather be a forest than a street
Yes i would, if i could, i surely would
I'd rather feel the earth beneath my feet
Yes i would, if i only could, i surely would

A song, not directly environmental, but singer's wishes seems to be inspired by the monotonous urban environment he lives and his feelings to escape away from the everyday routine he is forced to live in. Especially the verse "I'd rather be a forest than a street" shows the huge difference of an environment full of life and variation in contrast with the monotonous paved street full of cars and pollution.

The song was an old traditional peruvian song and the artists took the music and put their completely different lyrics. They faced some foolish problems with copyright, because someone else, many decades before, has re-written the music of the song in the version Simon-Garfunkel heard it for the first time, and his descendants went them to court.

You can hear this song in youtube

“Όταν θα γεννηθεί ο γιος σου” του ντουέτου Λήδα-Σπύρος, άλμπουμ: “Χαμένο τίποτα δεν πάει” “When your son will be born” by Leda-Spyros (duet) (1974)

Όταν θα γεννηθεί ο γιος σου
θα 'ναι μια μέρα σαν τις άλλες,
νοικοκυρές θα πλένουν ρούχα
παιδιά θα παίζουν στις τραμπάλες.

Θα ταξιδεύουν μ' αεροπλάνα
θα πλημμυρίζουν τα γραφεία,
άλλοι θ' αφήνουν το φεγγάρι
θα ψάχνουν σ' άλλο γαλαξία.

Όταν θα γεννηθεί ο γιος σου
πες του την πρώτη σου ιστορία
για την αλήθεια που λυτρώνει
και πολεμάει την αδικία.

Μην τον βυζάξεις με το ψέμα
μακρύς ο δρόμος που θα πάρει,
θα μετανοιώσει και θα κλάψει
κι όλο στα ίδια θα γυρνάει.

Όταν θα γεννηθεί ο γιος σου
τα εργοστάσια θα μας πνίγουν,
φύλλα στα δέντρα δεν θα υπάρχουν
μαύροι καπνοί θα μας τυλίγουν.

Τότε πες του να δει τον ήλιο
ύστερα απ' τη νεροποντή,
είν' δικός του ο κόσμος όλος
να τονε φτιάξει απ' την αρχή.

Όταν θα γεννηθεί ο γιος σου...

translation:

When your son will be born
It will be a common day like all others
Women will do the household
Children will play in playgrounds

They’ll travel with planes
They’ll crowd offices
Some others will leave Moon
And will explore other galaxies

When your son will be born
Tell him your first tale
About the truth that liberates
And fights injustice

Don’t nurse him in lies
He has a long way to go
He will regret and will cry
And he’ll meet the same old story

When your son will be born
Industries will surround us
Trees will lost their leaves forever
Black smokes will wrap us

That time tell him to see the sun
After a rainfall
The world all is his own
To make it from the start again
When your son will be born…

A beautiful old Greek song from mid 70s about the uncertain social and environmental future of next generations and the parental duty to show their kids the right way.

You can hear this song in youtube

Blog Action Day 2009 (Dedicated to Climate Change)

15 of October today, Blog Action Day for 2009 and as the topic of our blog is rock music and ecology, we review some songs related to climate change:

Songs with lyrics about Climate Change:

Testament “The Greenhouse effect”


Evil Dead “Global Warming”


Gojira “Global Warming”


Bad Religion “Kyoto now”


Jill Sobule “Manhattan in January”




Songs that were dedicated or used in campaigns to stop climate change:

Perry Farrell “Woman in the window”


Thom York “Harrowdown Hill”


Melissa Etheridge “I need to wake up”


Madonna “Hey You”


Nunatak "How many people"

"Eclipse" by John Denver, Album: Back Home Again (1974)

The sun is slowly fading in the western sky
Sometimes it takes forever for the day to end
Sometimes it takes a lifetime
Sometimes I think I’ll never see the sun again

In the east a shaded moon is hanging lazily
I do believe I saw the old man smile
I do believe I did
I do believe he’s been hanging all the while

I think its kind of interesting the way things get to be
The way that people work with their machines
Serenity’s a long time coming to me
The fact I don’t believe I know what it means

There’s a heavy smog between me and my mountains
Its enough to make a grown man sit and cry
Its enough to make you wonder
Its enough to make the world roll up and die

I think its kind of interesting the way things get to be
The way that people work with their machines
Serenity’s a long time coming to me
The fact I don’t believe I know what it means any more

When the sun is slowly fading in the western sky
Sometimes it takes forever the day to end
Sometimes it takes a lifetime
Sometimes I think I’ll never see the sun again
Sun again

This song is about the smoggy polluted atmosphere in urban environments. As a J. Denver's fan wrote:

Eclipse features a clarinet and a percussion whose sound resembles that of a clock pendulum. The lyrics illustrate the negative effects of industrial emissions not only on the Earth but also on the narrator. As the sun gradually sets, he realizes that the smoggy air eclipses his view of the mountains. Sometimes he fears he'll "never see the sun again," perhaps due to air thick enough with pollution to block the sun. “it's enough to make the world roll up and die”.

You can hear this song in youtube

“American President Loved His War” by Crying 4 Kafka (2009) Lyrics by Paul R. Abramson

AMERICAN PRESIDENT WANTED A WAR,
IN A LAND, FAR, FAR AWAY.
TOLD HIS SOLDIERS IF THEY WON,
HE’D LEAD THE VICTORY PARADE

AMERICAN PRESIDENT WANTED A WAR,
HE PREACHED IT EVERY DAY
PAID THE DEVIL WITH HIS SOUL
TO WIN ANOTHER RACE

AMERICAN PRESIDENT WANTED A WAR,
DIDN’T CARE BOUT WHAT IT COST
IF IT GAVE EM FOUR MORE YEARS
FUCK, IF WE WON OR LOST

AMERICAN PRESIDENT WANTED A WAR
DISTRACTION WHAT HE NEEDED
COUNTRY GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL
THAT’S WHERE THE MAN SUCCEEDED

NO ONE EVER KNOWS,
PRICE THE SOLDIER PAYS,
UNTIL THE GIFT
THE SOLDIER MAKES,
ENDS IN SHALLOW GRAVES.

PRESIDENTS GO TO WAR IN
VANITY AND PRIDE
NOTHING MORE TO OFFER
THAN BRUTAL HOMICIDE

WHO CAN SACRIFICE,
IN GREED AND LUST,
EVERY HOPE AND DREAM
ENDS IN DISMAL DUST.

AMERICAN PRESIDENT LOVED HIS WAR
AND ALL THE MONEY IT MADE HIM
TOLD HIS FRIENDS TO BUY UP STOCK
IN OIL AND AMMUNITION

AMERICAN PRESIDENT LOVED HIS WAR
AND ALL THE POWER IT GAVE HIM
BILL OF RIGHTS CAN GO TO HELL
AND…FUCK THE CONSTITUTION

NO ONE EVER KNOWS,
PRICE THE SOLDIER PAYS,
UNTIL THE GIFT
THE SOLDIER MAKES,
ENDS IN SHALLOW GRAVES.

PRESIDENTS GO TO WAR IN
VANITY AND PRIDE
NOTHING MORE TO OFFER
THAN BRUTAL HOMICIDE

NO ONE EVER KNOWS,
PRICE THE SOLDIER PAYS,
UNTIL THE GIFT
THE SOLDIER MAKES,
ENDS IN SHALLOW GRAVES.

PRESIDENTS GO TO WAR IN
VANITY AND PRIDE
NOTHING MORE TO OFFER
THAN BRUTAL HOMICIDE

NO ONE EVER KNOWS,
PRICE THE SOLDIER PAYS,
UNTIL THE GIFT
THE SOLDIER MAKES,
ENDS IN SHALLOW GRAVES.

PRESIDENTS GO TO WAR IN
VANITY AND PRIDE
NOTHING MORE TO OFFER
THAN BRUTAL HOMICIDE

That’s a new anti-war song about the notorious violent international policy by George Bush Junior that affected, not only the poor targets in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, but also the human and individual rights all over the world, even inside USA!

In order to reinforce USA’s presence and control in oil production territories he didn’t hesitate to promote, support and do massacres, bloodsheds, ethnic cleansing and tortures against the local resistance. All in the name of the so-called fight against terrorism, but in reality all in the name of profits and greed.

In addition, as ecologists we are aware of the huge environmental impact for the future generations from the use of extremely toxic weapons of new technology and ammunition like depleted uranium.

You can visit the myspace of this interesting punk band to hear this song among other new stuff by them

Βαθιά πληγή (Gash), by Κίτρινα ποδήλατα (Yellow Bicycles) , Album: Ανάδυση (Emergence)(2009)

Έγινε η γη βαθιά πληγή δώστε της ξανά ζωή
Για να μπορέσω να μεγαλώσω
Αυτόν τον κόσμο που αγαπώ να τον γλιτώσω

Τέρμα τα μίση, τέρμα οι φόνοι
Τεχνολογίες που η φύση τις πληρώνει
Τέρμα ο κόσμος των ταχυτήτων
Το νερό, ο αέρας δεν είναι η άνεση των λίγων
Οι αντιθέσεις δεν είναι λύση
Τέρμα οι μεγάλοι ευεργέτες απ’ τη φύση
Τέρμα οι σπατάλες για τη μαγκιά μας
Τα ‘χουμε όλα δανειστεί απ’ τα παιδιά μας

Έγινε η γη βαθιά πληγή δώστε της ξανά ζωή
Για να μπορέσω να μεγαλώσω
Αυτόν τον κόσμο που αγαπώ να τον γλιτώσω

Μια στιγμή, κλείσε τα μάτια κι άφησε να περάσει από μπροστά σου
αυτός ο κόσμος που θες κι ονειρεύεσαι.
Κλείσε τα μάτια και θα δεις πως είμαι εγώ εκεί μπροστά που θες να φτάσεις.
Άσε την αγάπη να υψωθεί στον ουρανό.
Άσε την αγάπη να ξεκλειδώσει την καρδιά σου.
Είναι απλό. Τόσο απλό. Άφησε εμένα να γίνω οδηγός.
Άφησε εμένα.

Translation:

Earth became a gash, give her life again
In order to be able to grow up myself
To save this world I love
Give an end to hate, give an end to kill
To technology nature pays the toll
Give an end to the world of speed
The water, the air are not comforts for the few
Conflicts are not the solution
Stop the great supporters
Stop the expenses for our arrogance
All are borrowed from our children
Earth became a gash, give her life again
In order to be able to grow up
To save this world I love
Just close your eyes for a moment
and let the world you dream pass before you
Close your eyes and you’ll see that I am standing where you want to go
Let love reach out the sky
Let love unlock your heart
I’s simple, quite so simple. Let me be your leader
Let me…

The song starts and ends with audio fragments from radio or TV news about climate changing and ecological destructions. Also children voices sing the chorus and parts of the lyrics. A song that is an appeal from those who will suffer a lot in the future from our today’s improvident actions.

You can hear this song in youtube

Album: “From Mars To Sirius” by Gojira (2005)

Ocean Planet

I'm in a mental cage,
I'm locked up
Imprisoned I live,
Deathlike, sickening
Strong is your hold
On my resignation
I don't see the stars,
My memories are veiled

In fluid dreams
I fall I'm restless
Walls made of stone
Are turned into water now
Enlightened demons
Are taking me by the hand
Approaching me,
This great eye speaking

Mountainous waves
Are breaking on my despair
Awaken me but I'm still dreaming
And I just plunge
Into this sea of light
Set open the doors of soul
I'm living

Lightning struck me
I see the path I was so scared of
And fly to the stars
Conviction now increasing at last
My skin is broken
I see the smallest part of me
My mind is alive
But I'll never bow to this again

Why do they call me there
How can I fly to
All this water
I don't feel like
I could ever swim to them
Whales in the sky
I feel they're so close
Inside, and yet so far away
Burst into tears, I feel sad
My dreams aflame
The force is now away
Lie on a stone,
Drop this load and cry to see
The ocean planet is on burn



Backbone

Indestructible
On this rock I lie
But I'm alive for good
And I just free myself now
From all what was wrong
Break the unbreakable

All the stars
Fearlessly bright
They call me out there
Order me to face the wind
My structure's alive,
My body's on the way
Don't bow down
Before the walls
Of fear and madness
They try to counter me
And strike me down
To the ground again

Inexhaustible
The strength of fire
Is running through me
Spine like beam of light
What mortal could ever
Break this force
Unconstrained
I see at last
My backbone straighten
Thy serpent made of bones
Finally rise up
From the ground awaken

Beat your feet
On the ground now, go!



From The Sky

At the very first sound
There was just light
And then, a storm
Of time and space
Just came and struck
Created our time
In water life
We understand
It just only began
Forced to look to the sky
And wonder why
We cannot face the fact that
We're all scared now
Of mysteries of life
There is a mask that soon will fall
Before the strong embrace
Of love and might
Of light in the dark
I go for the quest
I have to give myself the answer
Enter now this place in the wild
I can see the glade
My feeling now is growing bigger
From the sky

I do feel like no one can save me
I am so alone and yet I cried
I called for help, forsaken
But now I know
The only way is to
Understand the living
Obey the rule of light
And face the fear
Inside out!

Lost, I found there a stone
Erected in line
With one of the brightest stars
Of all the night sky vault
And I took my time
Took off the moss
Washed away the dust
And gave a new lease of life
Its' mystical force
I grab it now
And praise this lord
Of earth and stone
Make passage for souls awaken
So it returns
To where it's always been
With the gods
Now coming, I feel the love
It comes from on high

I know the words
But now I fell it inside
It grows, it's there
And all it comes from the sky



Flying Whales

Waters of chaos
Have invaded all space
The flood on earth again
I have to find the whales
That once did guide us
To dry lands of life
I won't despair
I'll break this dark all around

Under the heavy sea
I'll search the flight of whales

Beneath the seas I searched
And had a different view
Of us on earth:
The sinking ship of men
But it's beyond the stars
I found the place
Where they were
And they finally came to light

Over the winds
They dwell in light
Like the arrow in the sky
I found myself on higher grounds
From up here
For I see them in flight

Now I can see the whales
Looming out of the dark
Like arrows in the sky
I can't believe my eyes
But it's true

Huge tunnel ends in light
Like banks of clouds they gather
See massive shape of flesh
Swimming giants in the clear
The mightiest comes to me
I'm on the wing, wide open
They teach me how to fly
Slowly moving in the air
They dance

So much told with no words at all
Powerful presence for only speech
Breath

Over the winds
They dwell in light
Fly



In The Wilderness

On my way
To the vision-come-true
I enter a galaxy rising
And I land on this
Brown and green old place
Whose wild is giant trees

Trees so strong
That they never can fall
Four suns alight
In silver grey sky
Wild river flows
With rage alive
Lions of fire approach me

Carved by the wind
And the fall of water
From the treetops
I can see the end of a time

Living respectful
Low your axe
And learn from the trees

Second dawn
Meet the sylvanlings
Passageways into the deep
Invitations to explore the forest
Lions gales and chambers

A tree trunk
Larger than a mountain
Stands on the top
Of this hill
Made of rock and mist

Living respectful
Low your axe
And learn from the trees

Henceforth
I will be always there
Planet earth will overcome
Men destroyed
Scorned and killed their lives
But the world is on her way


World To Come

I'm sitting by a lake
But it's not of this earth
The water is so clear
And the birds are alive
A mirror for the sky
They see themselves
And fly away

I'm sitting by a lake
The universe is alive
I lay down by the river-flow
It's a river of stars
I'm living by the ocean
It's an ocean of light
How do you call
This place around us
It's a world that I once saw
In a dream

Will you please tell me now
If I'm dead or alive
Landscapes so bright
All around
It's a city of light
Were who when and why?
I think therefore I am
I feel like I know this land
But it must be so far away...

This world is life
This "clouds-and-wonders"
Is all I need
And it will never go
You say it's lost
I don't believe it
This is my vision
We can never know

This is the earth
But ages after
I know the world
Will overcome its' pain
The simple fact
I dream about it
Already makes it
Happen in the rain

It's right in front
But you don't face it
I'm dedicated
All my life in me
And made of light
Our sun is growing
Like in the heart of some of us
I pray

And other lands
You will discover
This form of life
Is not the only one
I was a child
And I just knew it
And know I know
The vision came alive

To Sirius

Now from a solar system
To another I fly
I come with life in my veins
Through darkened space I ran
I left a struggle behind
And faced the fear that's alive
I lost a world and traveled
Straight across from the sky
To find the gates of the heart

I come to sirius c
To learn from you friends of old
And wish to come into being
And behold I'm with you
I am ready now to go
The distance and even beyond
Recover all my forces
All the strength of the world
And feel the light into me

From the strength of god
We go to the power of goddess
This place is a throne
For brightness
The age of war is over

For god's sake
They have never heard of you
"You'll never reach
This master race"
Our force sickening
Killing the time
Human laws
Already slain many lives

There was a streak of madness
But now I know
I see its now the only truth
The scars in me are opened
Won't you please call me beyond

Crave affection love and courage
Being courageous
And flying instead of
Falling down
Follow these instructions
I've been given
In this dream awake

There is no goal to reach now
Leviathans
No complaint at all
Dolphins from upper space
Are in front of me
In present they dwell

This is my way
I've found my home
My state of real
There is no goal to reach
This is my way


Global Warming

Four hundred thousand years ago
They came from outer space
And gave us life here
And we are taking everything for granted
I don't think we should do this now
And when I see the smoke around
I feel like I'm not
From humankind down there
I feel like glaciers are my eyes
And mountains are my head
My heart is ocean
And I feel all alone
Because everybody's wrong
I feel the living
What is this thing that we call hate
And that's inside of me
Get out of here!

A world is down
And none can rebuild it
Disabled lands are evolving
My eyes are shut, a vision is dying
My head explodes
And I fall in disgrace

I hold my inner child within
And tell him not to cry
"don't fear the living"
One day you will stand as a king
And now fear can erase
This light below us
Each one of us is now engaged
This secret we all have
This truth is growing
And as a warrior I have to fight
I can already feel
The love I'll discover

I had this dream, our planet surviving
The guiding stars always growing
And all the worlds
The fates all the countries
They're all rebuilding at the same time
I never fell and always believed in
We could evolve and get older
Open your eyes and let all this flow
Now see a new hope is growing inside

We will see our children growing

A concept album about a myctical experience and vision of the unification in nature and the phenomenon of life. The artist is aware of our insignificance, our arrogance, our ignorance. He is worrying about nature destruction, but he leaves us with a message full of hope. We read in wikipedia:

From Mars to Sirius is a concept album, focusing on the changing environment of the Earth, and how humanity must do something to save the Earth before it is too late...

This album follows a character who sees the world end and sets out on a journey to find the Flying Whales so they can teach the character to fly. Said character flies to Sirius C, where the 'Master Race' teaches him to restore life to the planet (possibly Earth or Mars).

The usage of interplanetary endeavoring in Sirius bears similarities to Voltaire's Micromégas, which tells the story of a man traveling through space originally from the planet Sirus.

It also bears similarities to ideas put forward in Bob Frissell's book "Nothing in This Book is True, But it's Exactly How Things Are"

We present the lyrics that have more direct reference to environmental issues. For the rest of them visit darklyrics com.

You can hear some songs from this album in youtube
Ocean Planet
Backbone
From the sky
Flying whales
In the Wilderness
World to come
Global warming

Also the interesting video clip "To Sirius" from this album:

Greece was bunt out again!

A ska song by ska-bungies written for this new tragedy. It calls us to take resposibility and action against corrupted governments that have yield forests to building societies and promote antiforest laws serving certain private interests

Pink Floyd's Best of "Echoes" was promoted as Carbon neutral

Music industry can't be out of the spirit of the time, the global warming concern, especially when such a perspective will be a very good profitable investment. In a co-operation with the The CarbonNeutral Company (ex Future Forests), a consulting company for planetary carbon reduction, they promote Pink Floyd's Best of "Echoes" as carbon Neutral, supporting a forest planting campaign that compensates for the carbon emmisions of the production and distribution of the album. We read in PR Newswire:

Pink Floyd breathe life into new forests

Future Forests help Pink Floyd make their latest album Carbon Neutral

Today Future Forests announce their latest music-based project to tackle global warming with an innovative, environmental initiative as Pink Floyd release their forthcoming Carbon Neutral(r) album "Echoes" on the 5th November 2001, through EMI:Chrysalis.

This partnership will result in the creation of four new "long term indigenous" forests around the world in Scotland (Dryhope Burn), India, Mexico and Louisiana in the US.

The number of trees planted will be sufficient to absorb the emissions of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, caused by the production and distribution of the band's CDs. The more albums Pink Floyd sell - the more forests get planted. Pink Floyd fans can get involved by planting trees online at http://www.pinkfloyd.com. Each will receive a branded certificate and map, and the trees will be planted in the Pink Floyd forests.

Global climate change is the single biggest threat to the survival of our world, and this partnership allows Pink Floyd to communicate with their fans on a global scale.

The music industry was one of the first supporters of Future Forests. All this began four years ago around the campfire at Glastonbury Festival, when Neneh Cherry was so excited about the Future Forests initiative she helped the company talk to other music industry legends including Neil Tennant, and the networking process began.

Dan Morrell, founder of Future Forests says, "Our climate is changing. We can all do something to stop the problem escalating - and no action is too small. Alongside reducing emissions at source, forestry has a real role to play, soaking up some of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We are proud to be working with Pink Floyd and their fans, to help make a difference."

Pink Floyd's new album "Echoes" is released on the 5th November 2001, and is a career spanning retrospective 2 CD set of 26 of their greatest hits.

Notes to Editors

Future Forests' support from the music industry includes Pink Floyd, Pet Shop Boys, Afrika Bambaataa, Alex James, Joe Strummer, Neneh Cherry, Billie, Atomic Kitten, UB40, Damien Hirst, Glastonbury Festival and Tower Records (and many more).

* Future Forests, leading international environmental business, works with business and the public to deliver simple and effective solutions to global climate change. The service was founded and built on the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through 'gold standard' forestry.

* Future Forests' Carbon Neutral(r) symbol is applied to a wide variety of its client operations, products or services. The symbol signals to staff, customers and the public that Future Forests has used best practice carbon offset projects to absorb or balance an equivalent amount of CO2 from the atmosphere to that released in making the product or delivering the service.

* Future Forests' clients number over 90 businesses including Barclays, Avis, Mazda, Hilton Hotels and the RAC; 10,000+ members of the public; and a growing number of celebrities.

* Future Forests' 'gold standard' offset projects are those which remove carbon dioxide emissions in ways which protect and enhance the natural environment, and which support the socio-economic development of the societies in which the projects are established.

* The Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management (ECCM) is a specialist team of scientists and advisors in carbon management to government and industry. ECCM works with Future Forests to undertake emissions assessment and to conduct regular inspection of all planting sites to how many trees need to be planted in specific areas to re-absorb the promised level of carbon dioxide.

Let's now hear some old Pink Floyd's songs in memory of the late Syd Barrett:

Artemis-Euthymis & Eutychia sing for ecological awareness

We present an interesting performance in a Greek concert, a combination of three songs, one classic greek by Hatzidakis/Gatsos “Persephone’s Nightmare” (having been presented a year ago by us) performed by “Eutychia” and two hip-hop songs by the hip-hop duet “Artemis/Euthimis” (ex-Terror X Crew), “Scientific Certainty” and “Solar Nature”. We present only the parts of lyrics that performed in the concert and include ecological messages.

We must notify that this hip hop duet was originally anarchist concerning their political orientation, but today they seem to adopt nationalistic views of the extreme left in Greece. No matter this unpleasant turn they keep on being considered as one of the most prominent hip hop performers in our country.


(Εφιάλτης της Περσεφόνης)
Εκεί που φύτρωνε φλισκούνι κι άγρια μέντα
κι έβγαζε η γη το πρώτο της κυκλάμινο
τώρα χωριάτες παζαρεύουν τα τσιμέντα
και τα πουλιά πέφτουν νεκρά στην υψικάμινο.

(Επιστημονική πραγματικότητα)
Λοιπόν στη Νέα Εποχή μας περιμένει μια νέα έκπληξη:
ταύτιση του πολιτισμού με την τεχνολογική εξέλιξη.
Μονόφθαλμη η ανθρωπότητα βαδίζει στον νέο αιώνα
χτίζοντας κτήρια υβριστικά ψηλά στη νέα Βαβυλώνα
Τ'ανθρώπινο σώμα θα υποστεί εξευτελιστική τυποποίηση
Λογισμικά θα πλάθουν ανθρώπους "κατ'εικόνα και ομοίωση"
Ικανούς για επιβίωση παρά την χημική αλλοτρίωση
και μόλυνση που δεν δέχεται αποτοξίνωση
Πλήθος οι χημικές εισβολές σε ακτές και πηγές
προκαλούν οικολογικές αλλαγές
Προετοιμάζουν τον οργανισμό
για μη οργανικές μεταλλαγμένες τροφές
με γενετικές επιρροές
για φυτείες ανθρώπων που ευδοκιμούν στ'αστικά κέντρα
δίχως χώμα και δέντρα, μόνο με ηλεκτρικό ρεύμα
Σ'ένα δάσος από κεραίες
μ'αναμεταδότες στα κομβικά σημεία
συχνότητες υποκαθιστούν την ανθρώπινη επικοινωνία

(Εφιάλτης της Περσεφόνης)
Κοιμήσου Περσεφόνη
στην αγκαλιά της γης
στου κόσμου το μπαλκόνι
ποτέ μην ξαναβγείς.

(Νέα προσθήκη στίχων)
Ολος ο κόσμος σου βρίσκεται εμπρός σου
Και κάθε λάθος του είναι δικό σου
Ολος ο κόσμος σου βρίσκεται εμπρός σου
Είναι στο χέρι σου, κάν’τον δικό σου

(Ηλιακή φύσις)
Αεροπλάνα που πάνω τους δε φέρουν αναγνωριστικά
μας ψεκάζουν από ψηλά με χημικά συστηματικά,
Φθόριο και χλώριο σε πολύ μεγάλα ποσοστά
εντοπίζεται μέσα στα πόσιμα μας ύδατα σωστά;
Τεχνητά δημιουργημένοι ιοί και βακτήρια συχνά
πυκνά ξεφεύγουνε μέσα από τα εργαστήρια.
Σκόπιμα η αγορά με μεταλλαγμένα τρόφιμα
κάποιοι θέλουν να αλλοιώσουν τον γενετικό μας κώδικα.
Παρεμβαίνουνε στα κλιματολογικά φαινόμενα
βιονικές δυνάμεις εναντίον μας και όπλα αθόρυβα.
Μας κρατάνε μακριά από την ελεύθερη ενέργεια
και όλο εντείνεται το ηλεκτρονικό φακέλωμα.
Μας βομβαρδίζουν με υποσυνείδητα μηνύματα
υπνωτικές υποβολές, ναρκωτικά και μικροκύματα.
Ακόμα βιοτσίπ ενέσιμα και εγκεφαλικά εμφυτεύματα.
Παρ' όλα αυτά δεν μπορούνε να μας κάνουνε τίποτα!

(Νέα προσθήκη στίχων)
Ολος ο κόσμος σου βρίσκεται εμπρός σου
Και κάθε λάθος του είναι δικό σου
Ολος ο κόσμος σου βρίσκεται εμπρός σου
Είναι στο χέρι σου, κάν’τον δικό σου


and the translation:

(Persephone's nightmare)
Where once herbs were grown in the fields
with leaves and flowers full of fragrance
Now there’re plants making concrete and steel
and birds fall dead in melting furnace

(Scientific Certainty)
So, New Age has a surpise for us
Equation of civilization and technological progress
A blind humanity enters in the new century
Constracting arrogant tall buildings in the new Babylon
Human body will suffer an abusive standardization
Computer programs will create identical humans
Able for survival despite the chemical alienation
and irreversible pollution
Full of toxic invasions in coasts and springs
cause ecological changes
They prepare our organism
For non-organic GMO foods
with genetic transformations
for plants of humans thrived in urban environment
without soil and trees, only supplied by electric power
in a forest of antennas
with broadcasters in central places
frequencies substitute human contact

(Persephone's nightmare)
Sleep away Persephone
inside earth’s embrace
never, never come up to our world again

(New addendum)
All the world is in front of you
And its every mistake is yours
All the world is in front of you
It’s in your hand to make it yours

(Solar Nature)
Airplanes with no indetification signs
Spay us with chemicals continuously
Flour and Chlorine in high concentrations
Traced in our drinking water
Artificial viruses and bacteria
Escape from laboratories
They release on purpose GMO foods in markets
Some want to alter our genetic code
We intervene in climatic phenomena
Bionic powers and silent weapons point against us
They keep us away from the free energy
Electronic keeping in file is in progress
They showered us with subliminal messages
Hypnotic suggestion, narcotic and microwaves
Injectable biochips and brain implants
But they can’t do anything to us

(New addendum)
All the world is in front of you
And its every mistake is yours
All the world is in front of you
It’s in your hand to make it yours

Stratovarius, album: Visions, 1997

Paradise

Late at night I find myself again wondering and watching TV.
I can't believe what's on the screen, something that I wouldn't care to see.
Many rare species will perish soon and we'll be short on food.
Why do we have to be so selfish, we've got to change our attitude.
I know that I am no the only one that's worried,
why don't we all wake up, and realize.
Like the birds in the sky we are flying so high,
without making any kind of sacrifice.
We've got so little time to undo this crime or we'll lose our Paradise.
It seems to me that there's no sense at all, nobody cares it's always the same.
Mother nature's crying out in pain I know we're the one's to blame.


Visions

I have seen the future of mankind,
The wisdom of my prophecies you'll find.
Follow the truth and be careful, are we the last?

Hundred years has passed what have we done,
Inconceivable damage under the sun.
I think it's too late to change the man - we are the last.

The world keeps turning while people yearn for more,
Mother nature is crying for change,
The time will come when we all must pay for what we have done,
Are you prepared for that?

As we are reaching the end of the century
There's message we can send,
Be strong and bold and never lose your mind
'cause we are the last.

The world keeps turning while people yearn for more,
Mother nature is crying for change,
the time will come when we all must pay for what we have done,
Are you prepared for that?

Signs of the end I see,
Let them hear my voice in every corner of the world,
Take heed of the warnings that I give,
I have seen the Southern Cross forming in the sky.

"There shall be heard in the air the noise of weapons
and in the same year the divines shall be enemies.
They shall unjustly put down the holy laws
and by thunder and war, true believers shall die"
[Nostradamus: Century I V:43]

"For forty years the rainbow shall not appear
For forty years it shall be seen every day
The parched earth shall wax drier every day
And a great flood when it shall appear"
[Nostradamus: Century I:17]

After us the road goes on forever
Many changes lie along the path
That's the price we pay for our selfishness
We are headed for the end

"From the skies shall come the powerful kind
Before and after the Mars reigns at will
Not far from the great age of Millennium
Buried ones shall come out of their graves"
[Nostradamus: Century X:72, 74]

When the comet tears out the sky
You and I must die
After all this the time will come for the chosen ones
To rise from their graves to be free again

The beast is gone forever, there's no more pain
Instead so many things for us to attain
The sun is shining brightly after the rain
The land is green and full of life again

The sorrows wiped away now
It's time to smile
And learn from the past
Together we will try

"Twenty years of reign of the moon having past
Seven thousand years another shall hold his monarchy
When the sun shall resume his days past
Then is fulfilled and ends my prophecy"
[Nostradamus: Century I:48]

A wonder about people's ignorance for their destructive activities at the expense of nature and their consequent uncertain future.

You can hear these songs in youtube
Paradise
Visions

"Poor Worms" by Malvina Reynolds (1971)

Being people isn't all that it's cracked up to be,
But soon this problem will be solved for me,
I'll be worms, worms, worms,

Wiggley, woggley,
Googley, goggley worms.

I wonder how the worms will like the D.D.T.
And the bitter flavor in the taste of me,
Poor worms, worms, worms.

Wiggley, woggley,
Googley, goggley worms.

The cement and the bottles that I left behind,
They'll be tough to eat and mighty hard to grind,
Poor worms, worms, worms.

Wiggley, woggley,
Googley, goggley worms.

The birds will eat the worms and then the birds will fly,
And soon you'll hear me singing up there in the sky,
Goodbye, goodbye.

Wiggley, woggley,
Googley, goggley worms.

A sarcastic song that talks about the poisons and non decomposable wastes that are released to nature by humans. We'll be soon end up being eaten by worms in the recycling natural process, but poisons will destroy natural balances and unrecycled litters will be added to the piles of waste of next generations.

You can hear a Malvina's song here

“Ο ΚΑΚΟΣ ΣΟΥ ΕΑΥΤΟΣ” από Αρνάκια, album: Στο στόμα του λύκου, "Your Evil Self" by Little Lambs, album: In wolf's mouth (1993)

Οταν οι γνώμες των άλλων σ' εξοργίζουν
κι όταν οι αρχές σου τη βία υποστηρίζουν
για ποιόν αγώνα λοιπόν θα ξεκινήσεις
με ποιόν εχθρό θα χτυπηθείς.

Κι αν θελήσεις κάποτε ν' αλλάξεις την ζωή σου
πρέπει να διώξεις το κακό που τρώει την ψυχή σου
γιατί δεν φτάνει μονάχα να γκρεμίζεις
ο κακός σου εαυτός καραδοκεί.

σκότωσε τον μπάτσο που έχεις μέσα σου
σκότωσε τον μπάτσο πριν είναι αργά

Κι όταν χρειαστείς κουράγιο μην τρομάξεις
σκέψου πως δεν έχεις τίποτα να χάσεις
πρέπει την μάχη αυτή να την κερδίσεις
είναι καιρός για αλλαγή.

Translation

When other’s opinions makes you angry
When your principles support violence
What kind of struggle you’re gonna start
Which enemy you’re gonna strike

And if you want to change your life someday
You must throw away the evil that eats your soul
‘cause it’s not enough only to destruct
Your evil self lurks

Kill your cop inside you
Kill him before its too late

And when you’ll need courage don’t be panic
Think you have nothing to lose
You must earn this fight
It’s time for change

Kill your cop inside you
Kill him before its too late

These lyrics must be taken deeply into account by any social movement that fights for a better society. First of all we must reject our violent ego that reproduces violence in a vicious circle, undermining any social victory against a totalitarian state or exploitative system. When you cut a tree branch to make a war club, then you don’t expect from it to become a green tree again.

Ghandi, M.L.King succeed much more things than any bloody revolution that turned to be a more violent authority than the overthrown regime. Zapatistas succeeded not by the use of their weapons, but by their gradually minimized use in favour of creation of supporting social nets all over the world and by non violent actions that, as it has been stated, “throw more ink than bullets”.

This song is topical today in our country that is suffering an uprising of social and state violence, after the tragic events of late December caused by the murder of a child by a policeman. Many assasinations and attacks against police took place after that event that have nothing to do with social upheavals, offering an excuse to the totalitarian and highly corrupted greek government to release extreme police violence against social activists, immigrants and political refugees and to proceed to restrictions of human rights especially during demonstrations, communications and internet use.

You can hear this song in youtube

Album: “The Way Of All Flesh” by Gojira (2008)

Toxic Garbage Island

Mysterious form, soul in the dark
under this heavy sealing concrete waves
Followed by servants, funeral cortege
this pale ghost is gathering his strength

Ghost, pale, the procession is crawling

Plastic form dead things it is now so clear
How could I fail to understand
Cities are burning the trees are dying
My heart awake but still
pain is killing me
Pain is killing me

Take this pestilent destruction out of my way
The great pacific garbage patch is exhausting
And the world is sliding away
in a vortex of floating refuse
With the sacred one you have lost

Plastic bag in the sea [4x]

This song we think is about nuclear power and waste.



A Sight To Behold

Reflecting ourselves in the blood of all the beings we slay
Misunderstand each other, out of control we remain
There is a mystery, we're facing a sight to behold
This is what we make of the world, we throw everything away

The way we all behave is not understandable
It is so sad to see the wealth of our planet fade away
We all behave like children, taking off the head of our teddy bear
to see what's inside, taking, not giving back
We drain the oceans and suck all the blood out of the soil
We spend the time we have left fighting and killing each other
Lust for comfort, entertainment becomes an obsession
And there is so much time to kill

The way I see things is so simple
The fact I'm walking standing on this land
Exhausted is the realm of nature, friends are dying
The living creatures on our side
The way I see myself so confused so sophisticated
I have to stay away from me
But I still don't get the point
What's worth destroying all the worlds
Try not to get it anymore

You burn yourself, set fire for good
We die eyes closed, dig our own grave now
Tossed in the blaze naked on the flame
Lost with no pride, drowned in the filth
The giant snake is coming down to eat our heads
and the flood will kill us, Mantus is rising from under

The way I see things is so simple
The fact I'm living dying on this land
Exhausted is the realm of nature, friends are dying
The living creatures on our side
The way I see myself so confused so sophisticated
Don't have to stay away from me
But I still don't get the point
What's worth destroying all the worlds

Try not to get it anymore [4x]



Wolf Down The Earth

First of all you will eat all the bodies
No matter they pray for freedom they'll kill you
Forward you crush those going backward
The wolves are now your lords
Voracious flames upon the earth

Second step you eat all the creation
Swallow the trees the lakes and all the valleys
Crush the moon, and drink the rivers flowing
Deep rolling ocean blow
Burning all that lives

They teach you how to conquer and rule the world
The towers that you built so strong, no man can touch
They tell you how to find and raise the fears
and let them grow inside of your heart they need no walls

Is there a chance you face the void inside?
Winds of doom will blow your pride away

Behold the bright lights coming down on time
Before these altars black, made from your sacrifice
You take for granted what's been there for ages
Inside the womb the new blood gets ready to fight

The buildings of our fathers
crumbling in dark vibrations
Wolf down the one that made us all
No hope, you wolf down the earth

Both songs are about human attitude towards nature.

You can hear some songs from this album in youtube:
Toxic Garbage Island
A Sight to Behold
Wolf down the Earth

IN MEMORY: "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson, album: History: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)

From Wikipedia:
On the morning of June 25, 2009, Jackson reportedly collapsed at a rented home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles. After he collapsed, Jackson's personal physician, who was with him at the time, attempted to resuscitate him. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a 911 call at 12:21 pm (PST) and arrived nine minutes later. Jackson was reportedly not breathing and CPR was quickly performed.

Resuscitation efforts continued both en route to the UCLA Medical Center, and after arrival at approximately 1:14 pm (20:14 UTC), for a further hour. He fell into a coma and died shortly after arrival. The cause of death is as yet unknown, but he was noted to be already in cardiac arrest by the paramedics who attended him. Jackson was pronounced dead at about 2:26 pm local time (21:26 UTC).

Los Angeles Police Department homicide and robbery division detectives attended the scene as a matter of routine in high profile death cases. The case was transferred to the Los Angeles coroner for investigation as there was no doctor in attendance to sign the death certificate. Jackson's body was transported by helicopter from UCLA to the LA Coroners offices. The autopsy is said to be scheduled for Friday, June 26, 2009.

Prior to his death, Jackson had been scheduled to perform 50 sold-out concerts to over one million people, at London's O2 arena, from July 13, 2009 to March 6, 2010. During a publicity press conference, Jackson made suggestions of possible retirement.

What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain...
What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we've shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores?

What have we done to the world
Look what we've done
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son...
What about flowering fields
Is there a time
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores

I used to dream
I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don't know where we are
Although I know we've drifted far

Hey, what about yesterday
(What about us)
What about the seas
(What about us)
The heavens are falling down
(What about us)
I can't even breathe
(What about us)
What about apathy
(What about us)
I need you
(What about us)
What about nature's worth
(ooo, ooo)
It's our planet's womb
(What about us)
What about animals
(What about it)
We've turned kingdoms to dust
(What about us)
What about elephants
(What about us)
Have we lost their trust
(What about us)
What about crying whales
(What about us)
We're ravaging the seas
(What about us)
What about forest trails
(ooo, ooo)
Burnt despite our pleas
(What about us)
What about the holy land
(What about it)
Torn apart by creed
(What about us)
What about the common man
(What about us)
Can't we set him free
(What about us)
What about children dying
(What about us)
Can't you hear them cry
(What about us)
Where did we go wrong
(ooo, ooo)
Someone tell me why
(What about us)
What about babies
(What about it)
What about the days
(What about us)
What about all their joy
(What about us)
What about the man
(What about us)
What about the crying man
(What about us)
What about Abraham
(What was us)
What about death again
(ooo, ooo)
Do we give a damn

We read about this beautiful song in wikipedia:

"Earth Song" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Jackson had a long-standing history of releasing socially conscious material such as "We Are the World", "Man in the Mirror" and "Heal the World". However, "Earth Song" was the first that overtly dealt with the environment and animal welfare.

You can hear this song and video clip in youtube

IN MEMORY: Michael Jackson sings for a better world

"Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson (1988)

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favourite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See Their Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere To Go
That's Why I Want You To Know

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change)

I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No
Home, Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
(Washed-Out Dream)
They Follow The Pattern Of The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With Me
(Starting With Me!)

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make A Change
(Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make A Change)

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
(Change His Ways-Ooh!)
And No Message Could've Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make That . . .
(Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make That . . .)
Change!

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror,
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
(If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place)
(Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make The Change)
(You Gotta Get It Right, While You Got The Time)
('Cause When You Close Your Heart)
You Can't Close Your . . .Your Mind!
(Then You Close Your . . . Mind!)

With That Man In The Mirror
(Man In The Mirror, Oh Yeah!)
That Man, That Man, That Man
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
(Better Change!)
You Know . . .That Man
No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make A Change


A call to reject our selfish way of life and see the misery around us. It’s the only way for a better world.

You can hear this song in youtube



"Heal The World" by Michael Jackson, Album: Dangerous (1991)

There's A Place In Your Heart
And I Know That It Is Love
And This Place Could Be Much
Brighter Than Tomorrow
And If You Really Try
You'll Find There's No Need To Cry
In This Place You'll Feel
There's No Hurt Or Sorrow

There Are Ways To Get There
If You Care Enough For The Living
Make A Little Space
Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

If You Want To Know Why
There's A Love That Cannot Lie
Love Is Strong
It Only Cares For Joyful Giving
If We Try
We Shall See
In This Bliss
We Cannot Feel
Fear Or Dread
We Stop Existing And Start Living

Then It Feels That Always
Love's Enough For Us Growing
So Make A Better World
Make A Better World...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

And The Dream We Were Conceived In
Will Reveal A Joyful Face
And The World We Once Believed In
Will Shine Again In Grace
Then Why Do We Keep Strangling Life
Wound This Earth
Crucify Its Soul
Though It's Plain To See
This World Is Heavenly
Be God's Glow

We Could Fly So High
Let Our Spirits Never Die
In My Heart
I Feel You Are All My Brothers
Create A World With No Fear
Together We'll Cry
Happy Tears
See The Nations Turn Their Swords
Into Plowshares

We Could Really Get There
If You Cared Enough For The Living
Make A Little Space
To Make A Better Place...

With the same thematology as “Man in the Mirror”, Heal the world” is focused on world children’s poverty and famine. We read in wikipedia:

In a 2001 Internet chat with fans, Jackson said "Heal the World" is the song he is most proud to have created. He also created the Heal the World Foundation, a charitable organization which was designed to improve the lives of children. The organization was also meant to teach said children about how to help others. This concept of 'betterment for all' would become a centerpiece for the Dangerous World Tour. In the documentary Living with Michael Jackson, Jackson said he created the song in his "giving tree" at the Neverland Ranch.

You can hear this song in youtube

"Windsong" by John Denver, album: Windsong(1975)

The wind is the whisper of our mother the earth
The wind is the hand of our father the sky
The wind watches over our struggles and pleasures
The wind is the goddess who first learned to fly

The wind is the bearer of bad and good tidings
The weaver of darkness, the bringer of dawn
The wind gives the rain, then builds us a rainbow
The wind is the singer when sang the first song

The wind is a twister of anger and warning
The wind brings the fragrance of freshly mown hay
The wind is a racer, a wild stallion running
The sweet taste of love on a slow summers day

The wind knows the songs of the cities and canyons
The thunder of mountains, the roar of the sea
The wind is the taker and giver of mornings
The wind is the symbol of all that is free

So welcome the wind and the wisdom she offers
Follow her summons when she calls again
In your heart and your spirit let the breezes surround you
Lift up your voice then and sing with the wind

We read about this song here:

Windsong is a taken from the album of the same name and is about communing with nature, a tribute to the natural force and quality of the wind. “The wind is the symbol of all that is free”

You can hear this song in youtube

Soliradity to the fight for survival in Peruvian Amazon

Three songs by Sepultura about struggle for survival and Human Rights all over the world, dedicated to peruvian indigenous people for their fight to death to protect their land from invasive capitalism. From Palestine to Amazonian territory, the violent authority is the same, supporting destructive and predatory economical policies against local societies and natural environment







Peru is witnessing violent clashes between indigenous groups desperately trying to protect the Amazon and the government, which has pushed through legislation allowing intensive mining, logging, and large scale farming in the rainforest.

If the government and extractive industries have their way, the Peruvian rainforest and its people will suffer massive devastation, with disastrous consequences for the global climate.

Sign the urgent petition below, and support the courageous struggle of the indigenous peoples to protect the Amazon -- a prominent and well respected Latin American politician will deliver it to President Alan Garcia on our behalf.


Petition to the President of Peru, Alan Garcia:
We urge you to immediately cease the forceful suppression of indigenous protests, to suspend laws that open up the Amazon to extractive industries, and to engage in a genuine dialogue with indigenous groups to end the conflict and address their legitimate demands and rights.

sign the petition

"No Town" by Malvina Reynolds (1965)

This is no town, no town,
This is no town.

Well I don't know the people next door,
Maybe I never saw them before.
No one belongs in this old place,
A lot of houses in empty space.

This is no town, no town,
This is no town.

Town is a place where you lived and grew,
And things around there mean something to you.
But this old place means nothing to me
But a big no job misery.

This is no town, no town,
This is no town.

A town is a place that begins and ends,
You know your friends and your daddy's friends,
And the guy that runs the grocery store
Lives round the corner or right next door, but

This is no town, no town,
This is no town.

A town is a place where you belong,
Somebody cares if you're right or wrong,
Somebody cares if you live or die,
If they can't help you maybe they try, but

This is no town, no town,
This is no town.

A description of the dehumanising and alienating modern urban environment, deprived of real human relations, solidarity, care of our neighbours, control of our lives, and any social value that characterized the lost world of smaller towns and citizenship, as included in the ancient greek term of "polis". We read in wikipedia:

The first form of citizenship was based on the way people lived in the ancient Greek times, in small-scale organic communities of the polis. In those days citizenship was not seen as a public matter, separated from the private life of the individual person. The obligations of citizenship were deeply connected into one’s everyday life in the polis. To be truly human, one had to be an active citizen to the community, which Aristotle famously expressed: “To take no part in the running of the community's affairs is to be either a beast or a god!” This form of citizenship was based on obligations of citizens towards the community, rather than rights given to the citizens of the community. This was not a problem because they all had a strong affinity with the polis; their own destiny and the destiny of the community were strongly linked. Also, citizens of the polis saw obligations to the community as an opportunity to be virtuous, it was a source of honour and respect. In Athens, citizens were both ruler and ruled, important political and judicial offices were rotated and all citizens had the right to speak and vote in the political assembly.

Big cities of today are constructed and organized not to fulfill the true natural human needs and quality of life, but the needs of of market and economy for quick and effective transportation of products and robot-like clockwork and alienated workers.

You can hear a related song by Malvina "Little Boxes" in youtube

Photo was taken from www.reconnaissanceart.com

"Embrace The World" by Gojira, Album “The Link”(2003)

I sit on a rock
Cannot be touched by struggle & confusion
I reclaim my space inside my structure
Look at this point
All is about nothing, everything comes near
The remotest parts of the world

By silence
We can dissolve disruptive vibrations
I have to try
Gaïa's alive for good
Under my feet the forest
Over me the largest
It's roundness I feel
Lifelong misery
How do we get to Avalon?
There is a bridge beyond
Indestructible the earth is a temple

I cannot see what is wrong and
All gods are one

I close my eyes
I'm all around, I feel so present
Embracing it's vastness I hold
Facing the world
I become a part of it
I'm not alone anymore

I embrace the world

Meditations about the feeling of unity in Nature

You can hear some songs from this album in youtube:
Wisdom comes
Indians
Dawn

Album: "Ast" by Skagos (2009)

The Drums Pound Every Night in a Glorious Celebration of Life

Cast them in to the fire,
totems of sacrifice and woe,
for the Sun god is here,
and he is generous.

The drums pound every night
in a glorious celebration of life!
The earth is bountiful and rich-
fertilized and multiplied.

The sky gives way to great storms,
a deluge that deafens all.
Game trails run as raging torrents,
and the end is fucking nigh!
The end is fucking nigh!


Blossoms Will Sprout From the Carcass

We walk upon the soaked carcasses of those who once gave us life.
Be it rain, wind of the weight of finality, the cadavers fall and fall.
Day light is meek, and the night grows long and cold.
Fungi lurch forward for a final gulping breath.
All is returned to the earth and the rain will fall and fall.

Rain will fall and fall.

It's the fury of the storm.
It's the endless falling rain.
It's the growing of the dark.
It's the thrive in decay.
It's the voice of woe.
It's the call of the moon.
It's the cold retribution of
the dark rider known as death.

Two pagan naturalistic songs about the cirle of life and death that inspire woe and respect to mother nature. Skagos is a band of the new trend in Black Metal Scene with biocentric direction in their thematology. This scene was named "Cascadian Black Metal" with Wolves in the Throne Room being the most famous band of this movement.

This movement has inspired its name by the proposed by environmental activists environmental independent state of Cascadia in the Pacific Northwest of North America being formed by the hypothesized union of the states located there.

We read in their myspace about their influences:

The constant, laconic suggestions of our subconscious. The ever bleak, damp landscape of endless Cascadian forests being nefariously whittled away by an inescapable capitalistic dominion.

You can hear some of their songs in their myspace

"Reise Reise" by Rammstein, album: Reise, Reise (2004)

Auf den Wellen wird gefochten,
wo Fisch und Fleisch zur See geflochten,
der eine sticht die Lanz' im Meer,
der andr'e wirft sie in das Meer

Ah, Ahoi

Reise, Reise,
Seemann, reise,
jeder tut's auf seine Weise,
der eine stt den Speer zum Mann,
der andere zum Fische dann

Reise, Reise,
Seemann, Reise,
und die Wellen weinen leise,
in ihrem Blute steckt ein Speer,
blutet leise in das Meer

Die Lanze muss im Fleisch ertrinken,
Fisch und Mann zur Tiefe sinken,
wo die schwarze Seele wohnt,
ist kein Licht am Horizont

Ah, Ahoi

Reise, Reise,
Seemann, reise,
jeder tut's auf seine Weise,
der eine stt den Speer zum Mann,
der andere zum Fische dann

Reise, Reise,
Seemann, reise,
und die Wellen weinen leise,
in ihrem Blute steckt ein Speer,
blutet leise in das Meer

Reise, Reise

Reise, Reise,
Seemann, reise,
und die Wellen weinen leise,
in ihrem Herzen steckt ein Speer,
bluten sich am Ufer leer,
bluten sich am Ufer leer

english translation from here:

Even on the waves there is fighting
Where fish and flesh are woven into sea
One stabs the lance while in the army
Another throws it into the ocean

Ahoy

Arise, arise seaman arise
Each does it in his own way
One thrusts the spear into a man
Another then into the fish

Arise, arise seaman arise
And the waves cry softly
In their blood a spear is lodged
They bleed softly into the ocean

The lance must be drowned in flesh
Fish and man sink to the depths
Where the black soul dwells
there is no light on the horizon

Ahoy

Arise, arise seaman arise
Each does it in his own way
One thrusts the spear into a man
Another then into the fish

Arise, arise seaman arise
And the waves cry softly
In their blood a spear is lodged
They bleed softly into the ocean

Arise, arise seaman arise
And the waves cry softly
In their heart a spear is lodged
They bleed themselves dry on the shore

Obscured lyrics, may they have to do with any kind of violence in the sea by humans. But the video clip is quite interesting with footage from the environmental movie "The day after tomorrow". Also the title means Journey and Arise. As we read in wikipedia and in the above site:

The phrase "Reise, Reise" is used by seamen as a wake-up call and finds its roots in the Middle High German verb "risen", which meant "to rise" (to which it is obviously related as well). This verb has since died out in New High German, though the noun was retained and came to mean "journey" or "voyage". The verb "reisen" was rederived from the noun "Reise", but now means "to journey" or "to travel". It seems the old meaning has been preserved in this phrase in the seaman's language.

So hearing the song and seeing the video clip, the song may become an environmental warning too
You can hear the son and see the video clip here

“Woodman, spare that tree!” by George Pope Morris, 1830: The first protest song for environment?

Rock songs, when sociopolitically orientated, are undoubtedly protest songs. The history of protest songs may be lost in ancient times. There were many references in medieval ages or later about folk singers who critisize or abuse authorities, either cosmic or religious, rebellion songs of any era, etc.

Concerning environmental awareness, we were recently surprised by discovering an american 19th century poem/song about the protection of a tree, the so-called “Woodman spare that tree”. The poem was written by George Pope Morris in 1830. The music was written by Henry Russell. This poem was published in 1837 in the New York Mirror, and was extremely popular in America.

Here are the fascinating lyrics in Old English, in a time when post-materialistic values, especially concerning environment, were practically non-existent, or were eccentric views of some wellfare people. As we see in the above picture (from the book cover of its edition), a well-dressed man asks from the woodman not to cut the tree:


Woodman, spare that tree!
Touch not a single bough!
In youth it sheltered me,
And I'll protect it now.
'Twas my forefather's hand
That placed it near his cot:
There, woodman, let it stand,
Thy axe shall harm it not!

That old familiar tree,
Whose glory and renown
Are spread o'er land and sea,
And wouldst thou hew it down?
Woodman, forbear thy stroke!
Cut not its earth-bound ties;
Oh, spare that aged oak,
Now towering to the skies!

When but an idle boy
I sought its grateful shade;
In all their gushing joy
Here too my sisters played.
My mother kissed me here;
My father pressed my hand --
Forgive this foolish tear,
But let that old oak stand!

My heart-strings round thee cling,
Close as thy bark, old friend!
Here shall the wild-bird sing,
And still thy branches bend.
Old tree! the storm still brave!
And, woodman, leave the spot:
While I've a hand to save,
Thy axe shall harm it not.


You can read more in the following link listening instrumentally the melody of the song:

http://www.contemplator.com/america/woodman.html



YOU CAN HEAR A PERFORMANCE OF THIS SONG HERE

also read about protest songs in wikipedia