Bonnie--I had to dig through a bunch of floppies to find this, but figured it would be worth the trouble if you take it to Bear Island! How did you get to know folks there? Say hi to Gary Potts--I survived one of his famous boat rides on the lake once.

I was quite involved in the Temagami struggle in 1989/90 (old growth pine forest & native land claim issues) and wrote a couple of songs about that stuff. Banjo-friendly at that. This one is a parody of "I Can See Your Aura (And It's Ugly)" by Mark Graham, a song that probably deserves this fate, but the less said the better. (Rick can probably refer you to the tune).

There are some topical references in this song. Patti Starr was convicted of illegal fundraising for the Ontario Liberal Party (the government at that time) and did some jail time for it. About three months after I wrote the song, Liberal Premier Dave Peterson lost an election which had been considered a shoe-in for him, to the complete bafflement of the media. Little did they know about the curse I put on him...

I Can See Your Clearcuts (Aura)
                            

I've done lots of forest "tending"
It's a task that's never-ending
In the forests of Her Majesty the Queen (or so they say)
And it really bums me out
Cause you have without a doubt
The worst clearcuts that this forester's ever seen.

        I can see your clearcuts and they're ugly
        What grew there once you never can restore
        And to the Teme-Augama Anishnabai you've brought more lies and treachery
        So Dave I cannot vote for you no more.

When the Tories ruled before
You said "Nuclear power no more"
Now you've sold us out and we see where we are;
Now that Darlington's gone through
You want another one or two
Cause your ethics were all learned from Patti Starr.

You could cut them here and there
And not leave the landscape bare
But it's better you should leave those pines alone
Because Mr. Justice Steele does not have the final deal
And you can't go selling trees that you don't own.

Well I've got a chainsaw too, and I'm coming after you
You'll see it cut a hole in your front door;
I'll carve up your furniture just like it was balsam fir
And leave it up to you to grow some more.

-B.C.
(attention CSIS: last verse is a joke, get it?)

(attention CSIS: last verse is a joke, get it?)