Season 280: Before The Breathin’ Air Is Gone

I have lived in a temperate rainforest all my life. One place received only 102 days of sunshine a year! I like to sing and I like to walk. Iam not a fast walker nor am I a slow walker. As a Half fast walker I frequently end up singing in the rain!

 
I've wanted to do this one for a long time. Dave Alvin and his brother Phil (co-founders of the Blasters) grew up in Downey, California, near the Rio Hondo/Los Angeles River. The river bed was paved when the big dams and water collection projects were built to control floods and make sure that as much runoff from mountain snows as possible made it to the reservoirs. The area once was one of the largest orange producers in the world, and the Rancho Cucamonga region (for you Bugs Bunny fans) was the largest wine-grape growing area in the U.S. But developers bulldozed all the orange groves and most of the vineyards to make way for housing for the defense contractors and other industrial workers who flooded into SoCal during the '50s and '60s. This song is about that, and more.

 
It's Summer in the Northern Hemisphere and quite breezy where I am today.
 
280-1

This morning the family was sleeping in, in the camper, while Eddie and I sneaked off to an empty picnic table on the lake shore to find some loosely related song so the environment. We found a few.

 
280-2

Another lake side video. Several environmental things mentioned in this song.

 
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I have a song about two birds that's allegorical (it's actually about a failed friendship). Would this work for the Season?
 
Thought about doing this one for Val's tree Season, but didn't, so here it is for the nature Season.

 
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Wow, great start to the Season!

pabrizzer • It's only mother nature • What a terrific opening to this Season! This is a really good song, and unfortunately all too true.

wee_ginga_yin • Oh Siner-Man • Good song. I love the illustrations, I just finished re-reading The Inferno a while ago. Have you ever read Larry Niven's novel "Inferno," based on Dante?

Recovering Bassist • Headed for the country • Aw Rayna! Good puppy! Good song, too!

Recovering Bassist • I want to walk you home • Another good song! New to me, thanks for introducing me to it!

bird's eye view of my ukelele • Skysong • Yup, new to me! :) Love it - I always love your stuff!

IamNoMan • Singing in the Rain • I've walked - and rode my bicycle - in the rain many many times. It's never bothered me. You only get so wet. I've sung this song in the rain many times as well. Good addition to the Season! Well done!

hendulele • Dry River • This is real fine. No accompanist needed!

NotAnotherLinda • Summer Breeze • Oh boy, this is a good cover! I love the reverb and the atmosphere you've created!

Jazzbanjorex • Up A Lazy River • Grand old song - well done! I gotta learn this one!

Jazzbanjorex • The best things in life are free • 3/4 time! Wonderful! I gotta try this!

Jazzbanjorex • Summertime • Not only a favorite, it's also one of the best-written songs of all time! Love your breezy, easy take on this!

Jazzbanjorex • Raindrops keep falling on my head • Butch Cassidy! Love it, terrific rendition.

Jazzbanjorex • Red roses for a blue lady • I love this old classic, it haver a very interesting melodic dip in there. Well done, love the summer sound of water!

Recovering Bassist • Big Wind • Well that was fun!

AlanDP • The Rain Don't Ever Stop In Oklahoma • I like this, never heard it before. Terrific rendition. Yup, it's a heart breaker, but that's part of nature too!

IamNoMan • Whose Garden Was This • Perfect song choice. Thanks for the chords, I played along with you!
 
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this video is about the exquisite beauty of nature - but enough about pan's people (rehearsing their dance to the original on top of the pops back in '69)... the song isn't bad either ;)

"green river" by creedence clearwater revival

 
Dang nab it! I've barely begun listening to all the good stuff posted for SOTU 279 and another super theme is up and rolling! How do you all manage to keep up? I will need to get busy as soon as we get back home! Love the theme, Randy!
 
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Original

An new original. I've had fragments of this song lurking in my mind for many years. Most of it is true. The part about the man who disappeared while fishing is completely made up. The Cibolo is a creek that runs near my house. In the '98 flood, it flooded the highways so bad that my wife and I were stuck at our house for three days. But we had plenty of food and the electricity never went out (somehow), so we were okay. But most of the nearby small town went completely underwater. I had gone somewhere that morning, and on the way home I did see someone mowing his yard around noon that day. By 8 o'clock that night, his house was underwater.



Down in the Cibolo

It's a lazy little creek
Doesn't run too deep
In most places you might go
But you better beware
Better take some care
Where the water runs real slow

You could sink a car
Where the alligator gars
Are drifting in the murk
And every now and then
No telling when
Something worse might lurk

Down in the Cibolo
Where them big old catfish grow
Just take your cane pole to the big fishing hole
Down in the Cibolo

Now, Willie Jackson
Was looking for action
He cut him a big cane pole
It was big as his wrist
He said, "I'll catch the biggest fish
Outta that deepest hole"

He strung it with some twine
And I heard his dog whine
When he baited it with half a chicken
He went down to that stream
Someone heard a scream
And that say that his dog is still looking
for him

Down in the Cibolo
Where them big old yellowcats grow
You better take your shotgun if you've trotlines to run
Down in the Cibolo

They still remember that date
Back in ninety-eight
When the rain, it never stopped falling
The creek jumped its banks
There were no prayers of thanks
When the Cibolo came calling

They were mowing their yards
When it started raining hard
On a sunny Saturday
By eight that night
It was a terrible sight
'Cause the rain just wouldn't go away
It was falling

Down on the Cibolo
A five hundred year flood, you know
Better run for high ground when that much rain falls down
Down on the Cibolo

Yeah, it's a lazy little creek
Doesn't run too deep
In most places you might go
And when the summer heat ain't fooling
I got a watermelon cooling
Down in the Cibolo
We'll go

Down by the Cibolo
Where them shady pecan trees grow
It can't be beat, we'll get away from this heat
Down by the Cibolo
 
Probably going to take a different approach for most of this season related to my work. Probably going to post a lot of songs and work a few things out...the first of which are my feelings for out current head of the EPA and the "work" he is doing. Maybe I will crank out Seasons in the sun just to be silly at some point.
A song about the atmosphere.
 
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