Musical Reflections on Earth Day

“Dragonfly” by Ziggy Marley.

Few quotes have had as profound an impact on my life as the one that came before me by way of a Peninsula Pulse article on Fish Creek native Helen Schreiber (published Sept. 4, 2015) written by Patti Podgers:

“When she wasn’t guiding visitors through her village, Helen was walking its paths picking up litter and trash,” Podgers wrote. “She earned the nickname ‘the bag lady’ for her efforts. When asked why she picked up garbage, Helen responded, ‘It may not be my trash, but it is my town.’”

How many times Helen’s words have inspired me to stop while out on walks when a stray plastic bottle in the ditch catches my eye. With the approach of Earth Day, I began to reflect more on the words that have passed through my ears and given me pause to consider my impact on my environment and Mother Earth.

Naturally, many of those words came musically. As I celebrate Earth Week out and about in Door County, I’ll let the sound of birds, wind and water be my soundtrack, and the following words be my guide.

“Dragonfly” by Ziggy Marley

Hey Mister Bee the world change but you remain the same

And I wonder how you’ll survive with the environment going down the drain

Hey Miss Dragonfly I see you look at me with your beautiful eyes

You must be wondering what type of creature am I

“Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell

Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now

Give me spots on my apples

But leave me the birds and the bees

Don’t it always seem to go

That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone

Paved paradise, put up a parking lot

“The 3 R’s” by Jack Johnson

If you’re going to the market to buy some juice

You’ve got to bring your own bags and you learn to reduce your waste

And if your brother or your sister’s got some cool clothes

You could try them on before you buy some more of those

Reuse, we’ve got to learn to reuse

“Mercy Me (The Ecology)” by Marvin Gaye

Oh, mercy, mercy me.

Ah, things ain’t what they used to be.

What about this over crowded land?

How much more abuse from man can she stand?

“Green River” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

I can hear the bullfrog callin’ me.

Wonder if my rope’s still hangin’ to the tree.

Love to kick my feet way down the shallow water,

Shoe fly, dragonfly, get back to your mother

“Mother Nature’s Son” by The Beatles

Find me in my field of grass

Mother Nature’s son

Swaying daisies sing a lazy song beneath the sun