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We All Live Downstream

by Banana Slug String Band

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    "The premiere eco-band in the country … Take this CD and do your part in helping to raise the next green generation." ~Chicago Parent Magazine


    These spirited songs pull from bluegrass and gospel influences -- all the celebrate, learn about and take care of our precious resource... WATER!

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1.
WE ALL LIVE DOWN STREAM We all live down stream, better watch out what we put in it We all live down stream, let’s be careful what we do We all live down stream, better look out how we’re using it We all live down stream, and the stream is running through Through the mountains, through the valleys Through the cities, through the towns Through the wild places, where the water falls down Chorus: So, keep the stream clean as it goes past you and me Keep the stream clean as it flows into the sea, Keep the stream clean as it goes past you and me Keep the stream clean keep that river running free We all live downstream, someone else is living up from us We all live downstream, someone else is further down We all live downstream, and it’s up to every one of us We all live downstream, to keep it clean when it comes round Through the farms, through the orchards Through the dry desert sand Each living drop of water It brings life upon the land [Chorus] Keep the stream clean We all live downstream Keep the stream clean It’s up to you and me Keep the stream clean We all live downstream Keep the stream clean Keep that river running free
2.
IT’S A BLUE PLANET There’s water on the sidewalk And on the city streets There’s water in the puddles That I splash beneath my feet There’s water in the air When the day has just begun Each drop of water on the grass Reflects the morning sun I like water that is flowin’ goin’ down a river run I dive into the breaking waves out in the ocean I like it when I’m hikin’ Drink my water cool and slow I like it when its hot and Bubblin up from down below Chorus: Blue, blue, planet…From the mountains to the sea Blue, blue planet…It’s the reason life can be Blue, blue planet…Water up and water down Blue, blue planet…Bringing life the whole world ‘round There’s water on the mountain Or flowin deep beneath the ground I always think of where its been Before I drink it down Water is a gift Bringing life to the land Every drop’s a celebration When your on the desert sand And when you’re in the jungle In a canopy of leaves The constant water driping Is the reason life can breath And when you lying on the grass You look into the sky Water floats round the world In clouds goiin by [Chorus] When the day is grey The fog is floating on the wind I breathe it out and in And then I breathe it out again Water is inside of me This is how I know I see the vapor in my breath When I’m sliding in the snow Water is inside of us We’re in it when we start The pool of water in our eyes Are wellsprings of the heart Water is a part of us In what we do or say Our joy of life and living Lifts us up like bursting spray [Chorus]
3.
THANKFUL FOR THE WATERSHED It starts out small but keeps on growing It’s a continual downhill flowing In every habitat the whole world ‘round A watershed can be found Chorus: Did you hear what the good earth said? Thankful for the watershed Did you hear what the good earth said? Thankful for the watershed Through the rich earth and the cracks in the stone Underneath the meadow where the new oak has grown It comes out of the grass into an oxbow lake It then gets rippled in merganser’s wake [Chorus] It trickles through rivulets and seeps into creeks Silent still pools reflect snow covered peaks It goes into the river and down the cascades Where fish are jumping over white bursting spray [Chorus] Now form a V with your two hands Pretend that they are this great land Look to the valley way down below And the small streams that feed the river’s flow [Chorus] But the watershed does not end here Join your hands with another pair Valley next to valley but it still doesn’t end They all merge together with two more friends [Chorus] Four hands wide now meander to the sea Riparian, marsh and estuary Now every stream and river where water has sped Enters the sea the largest watershed [Chorus] Raise your hands in the air raise them up high Stretch up to the water filling up the sky Now wiggle your fingers let the rain begin So the mountains can shed their water once again [Chorus] Now raise your voice up and give a cheer Thankful that we are all here Now all together let us sing Grateful to water and the life it brings Did you hear what the heron said? Did you hear what the bullfrog said? Did you hear what the eagle said? Did you hear what the dragonfly said? Did you hear what the beaver said? Did you hear what the people said?
4.
ONE LITTLE RIVER Chorus: One little river, goes into one bigger Then into the sea it flows Water, water, water, holds us all together Bringing life wherever it goes Where the water flows (sing & response) Where the water flows (“ “ “) High up in the sky (“ “ “) Or in the ground way down below (“ “ “) From the mountains to the valleys (“ “ “) And into the sea (“ “ “) There’s a watershed (“ “ “) Wherever you may be (“ “ “) There’s a watershed (“ “ “) We should all get to know (“ “ “) There’s a watershed (“ “ “) Where the water flows (“ “ “) [Chorus]
5.
Listen 05:04
LISTEN Mayflies…where have they gone Mayflies…used to live in this pond Stoneflies…Where have they gone Stoneflies…Used to live in this pond Caddisflies…Where have they gone Caddisflies …Used to live in this pond Chorus: Listen to what they say to me and you Listen to what they say to do Clean the water…keep the water clean Clean the water…keep the water clean You can tell the health of a stream or a pond By seeing who is there and who is gone Go down to the creek and turn over a rock Listen to the insects when they talk [Chorus] Mayflies, Stoneflies and Caddisflies you see Are good indicators of water quality In the stream and the lake their little larvae stay alive But if the water is bad they can’t survive [Chorus] If all you find in the stream are worms and snails Then your test for good water has surely failed They’re the only ones that tolerate bad conditions So its time for action its time to listen [Chorus] Keep the water free of silt and pesticides With plants on the banks for invertebrates to hide Keep the water cool and if we do all of that There will be a healthy aquatic habitat [Chorus] Mayflies…Now they’re back where they should be Mayflies…Livin’ in good water qulity Stoneflies…Now they’re back where they should be Stoneflies…Livin’ in good water qulity Caddisflies…Now they’re back where they should be Caddisflies…Livin’ in good water qulity [Chorus]
6.
ONE DROP OF WATER You can find water everywhere one drop of water, one drop of water Way down in the ground or high up in the air one drop of water, one drop of water Its frozen in the ice or rolling in the sea one drop of water, one drop of water There is water in you and me one drop of water, one drop of water Water passes through all time untold one drop of water, one drop of water It never goes away so its very very old one drop of water, one drop of water It may change but it never goes away one drop of water, one drop of water Its ancient water that we drink today one drop of water, one drop of water Chorus: Water is a precious thing, oh yeah Life oh life is what it brings Think of all the places on little drop has been one drop of water, one drop of water It’s gone up and down out and in one drop of water, one drop of water It made a quiet drip to the rocks below one drop of water, one drop of water Then a powerful rush when others joined the flow one drop of water, one drop of water Maybe it was the tear where a princess wept one drop of water, one drop of water Or it once was in a puddle where a dinosaur stepped one drop of water, one drop of water Was it in the Nile when it first began to run one drop of water, one drop of water Or it once was in the bath of George Washington one drop of water, one drop of water Water can’t tell you its tale of glory one drop of water, one drop of water So you must tell this miraculous story one drop of water, one drop of water It doesn’t matter where the journey begins one drop of water, one drop of water It travels through all time and space and never ends one drop of water, one drop of water
7.
STORM DRAIN BLUES Chorus: I get blue whenever it rains I see what comes through this storm drain I’ve got the storm drain blues (*storm drain blues) I’ve got the storm drain blues (*storm drain blues) Tell me how to lose these storm drain blues Everything dumped on the land out there Comes right through this storm drain here I’ve got the storm drain blues I’ve got the storm drain blues Tell me how to lose these storm drain blues Oil and grime, soap and slime are running down the drain Pesticides take a ride every time it rains Whatever’s dumped on the land gets washed away and then There’s no away, so we play these storm drain blues again Non point source pollution it forms a dangerous stew It contaminates and concentrates to make a toxic brew Our waterways they need to stay chemical free The solution to pollution it is up to you and me [Chorus] From parking lots to sidewalks, city streets and lawns Runoff flows through storm drains and into streams and ponds And if it carries chemicals, nutrients and debris It can foul our waterways so its up to you and me To use compost instead of fertilizer, soap that’s phosphate free Clean up our yards and neighborhoods dispose of oil properly Keep chemicals out of your kitchen sink let’s take action here today If we can do all of this we’ll keep those storm drain blues away
8.
LET OUR WETLANDS STAND Wetland life is really the best Migrating birds stop here to nest It’s a restaurant and a fine hotel It’s a habitat that serves life well There are wetlands the whole world round In every continent and country wetlands can be found Chorus: They’re the link between water and land Hold on to our wetlands let our wetlands stand (2x) There are wetlands inland and out by the sea There’s a marsh, a swamp and an estuary There’s an oxbow lake, a vernal pool too A bottomland, a bog, a fen and a slough There are many names for wetlands its plain to see But one thing they have in common is hydrology [Chorus] If the water table’s high or the water table’s low It soaks it up like a sponge or it lets it go It’s like a water filter so the water will be Reduced in pollution and silt free Wetlands aren’t wastelands as some have said They’re a vital part of our watershed [Chorus] Bridge: Our wetlands disappear each year They’re dredged, drained and filled For housing tracts or parking lots or new farms to be tilled More than before we know for sure they’re more than mud and sand Hold on to our wetlands, let or wetlands stand When you go to the wetlands get down low Put your feet in the mud let it ooze between your toes Stand real still and listen to the sound The bounty of life is humming all around Find a wetland near you and go there today Get to know its wild side, try to keep it that way
9.
That's Water 03:16
THAT’S WATER Watch it go hear it flow Wherever it is it makes life grow Rain, hail, ice and snow That’s water, H20 That’s water, H20 That’s water From the clouds up high, To the ground down low This water world that we all know Puts on an awesome show Of water, H20 That’s water, H20 That’s water Bridge: Two little atoms of hydrogen Combine with one of oxygen This molecule that we all know Is a gift of life called H20 Take a dive in this lake with me Float down the river to the big blue sea Flow real fast or drip so slow With water, H20 That’s water, H20 That’s water
10.
River Song 07:15
RIVER SONG It happened one day on the mountain so high A river was born from out of the sky The rain and the snow came falling down And started to run as they hit the ground Chorus: Blurp ah pa-shoosh rumbly pound A white rapid river makes a wonderful sound In the short days of winter this river still flows Under the ice and the silence of snow As the sun rises higher the ice it wears thin Like a raft it floats down as the spring thaw begins. [Chorus] Over beds made of granite it sweeps and it rolls It is narrow and steep and so icy cold It carries small rocks and it grinds them to sand It carves out a valley and gouges the land [Chorus] It rushes along past steep canyon walls That echo the song (sound) of a canyon wren’s call Through a rainbow of flowers it bubbles and sings Feeding green meadows and the new life of spring [Chorus] Over flat colored stones it riffles along Kingfishers and frogs join in with its songs With rapids and falls, spray bursting in air This river brings life to salmon and bear [Chorus] A strider it glides where an eddy has turned Into dark pools in the shade of green ferns A dragonfly’s wings shine in the sun While a dipper bobs by a swift rocky run [Chorus] It meanders past farms and past a small town Where on warm summer days the children come down They tie an old rope to the limb of a tree And swing into the river feeling wild and free [Chorus] Their parents float in an afternoon dream Where orange lilies cling to the side of the stream In the shallows the toddlers splash as they wade While grandparents cool their feet in the shade [Chorus] Deer come to drink at the end of day’s light In the soft muddy banks are the footprints of night The current divides where a small creek comes in Around a rock bar it’s united again [Chorus] It fills up a lake and is still for a day But soon the wide river goes along on its way It rolls past rocks and banks lined with trees It carries small boats of fall covered leaves [Chorus] It rolls and it rolls ‘til it rolls past me It makes me smile for it’s wild and free I know it is happy for it’s wild and free But I wave it good bye as it enters the sea [Chorus] The water in the sea rises up to the sky And the wind blows a cloud to the mountain so high The rain and the snow come falling down And flow to the river as they hit the ground Blurp ah pa-shoosh rumbly pound A white rapid river makes a wonderful sound!

about

Join in the musical fun as the award-winning Banana Slug String Band – Doug Dirt, Airy Larry, Solar Steve and Marine Mark – bring out their latest collection of earth-loving songs about understanding and caring for our precious watersheds.

Strong bluegrass and gospel styles infuse this album, which features Grammy-award-winning bluegrass musicians Laurie Lewis and Tim O'Brien.

As Slug fans across the country know, the Banana Slugs' music is contagious! Children can't help singing, dancing and laughing along… all while learning important science concepts. From ""We All Live Downstream" and "Thankful for the Watershed " to "One Little River" and "Storm Drain Blues," this newest recording – as with all Banana Slugs' music – has a lot to show and tell about this home we call Earth.

credits

released March 1, 2008

All songs written by Steve Van Zandt
Arrangements by the Banana Slug String Band & Jonathan Arthur
Produced by Jonathan Arthur
Executive Producers: Doug Greenfield & Larry Graff
(c) Slug Music/BMI

"Solar" Steve Van Zandt - guitar & vocals
"Marine" Mark Nolan - guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, ukulele & vocals
Doug "Dirt" Greenfield - electric & acoustic guitar bass, bicycle horn & vocals
"Airy" Larry Graff - guitar, bass & vocals

Special guests:
Tim O'Brien, violin
Laurie Lewis, violin & vocals
Barry Philips, cello
Gary Kehoe, drums
Papiba Godinho, percussion
Dave Faulkner, keyboards
Bruce Macmillan, dobro & lap steel
Luke Curley, trombone
Mike Levy, piano
Jon Kennedy, piano
Sean Feder, banjo
Will Kahn, tambourine
Jonathan Arthur, kazoo, vocals & guitar
Gayle Swain, vocals
Cath Robinson, vocals
Nicole Benjamin, vocals
Valerie Joi & the Inner Light Choral Ensemble

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Banana Slug String Band Santa Cruz

Booty-shakin' music for kids ... or anyone 'young' enough to love this precious Earth!

"The best thing about Banana Slug String Band albums? An adult can listen to them [i]almost[/i] as many times as the kids want them played and not experience an urge to strangle a purple dinosaur.
Dr. Amy Rogers, Science Thrillers
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