September 21, 1998

by Dr. Richard Scheinman

(3/4 time in C)

C                                     G
David Chain was killed by a falling tree,

        F                                 C
He wasn't where he was supposed to be

F                     C
Protesting out at Grizzly Creek

    F                             C
He wasn't supposed to die.

    C                                 G
A brave young man with the light in his eye

F                         C
Looking up he could see the sky

        F                         C
He loved the forest like you and I

F                             C
Now he's under the ground

David Chain was just twenty four,
From Austin,Texas, he'd fought before,
A veteran of the forest wars,
In battles 'gainst Company greed.
He'd just arrived to heed the call
To save the forest from Maxxam's saws,
For the fish and the future for us all
Since the government wouldn't enforce the law
Now he's under the ground.

The faller wished he'd had his fucking gun
For these protesters, these environmentalists, these activist scum
Kept him from work he'd just begun
Cutting down all the trees.
Then he cried out and fell to his knees
And he said a prayer for poor Gypsy
He knew that things had changed, utterly,
A man was dead on the ground.

The sheriff (who works for The Company
And not for you, and not for me),
First said, "It looks like an accident"
The woods are dangerous, we all know that
And falling trees go where they will
(And he thought, Anyway, he was terrorist
And trespassing on the Company's land
He had no right to take a stand
He got what he deserved)

John Campbell of Maxxam said they thought no one was there
He lied to protect his investors' shares
Five hundred million's a lot of risk to bear
And his boss is a hard man to please.
For truth to tell they'd been aware
For weeks that this was happening there
That fallers were aiming their logs to scare
The protesters who climbed high in the air
To keep the trees from falling to the ground.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
And we all have promises to keep
And words to say and tears to weep
For the forests and David Chain
For they're killing the land and now killing the men
To stuff their pockets, they don't give a damn,
How come they don't understand,
And now he's under the ground.

So come to the woods to say a prayer
And stay to fight in Gypsy's name
Carry on his work until it's clear
The forests will have nothing to fear
From greedy or ignorant men.

David Chain was killed by a falling tree
He was where he was supposed to be
Fighting the fight for you and me
He was where we are supposed to be,
And now he's under the ground.

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