Catchfly Karaoke
To be faithful
is to trust
until Creation sings
–George Garrett
When I discovered a new plant,
I sat down beside it for a minute, or a day,
To make its acquaintance
And try to hear what it had to say.
—John Muir
(To the tune of Gloria Gaynor’s disco hit, I will Survive)
(spoken intro)
First I was afraid; I was petrified;
Frightened all my kind would be
torn from the countryside.
But then I spent so many seasons
Thinking about all the reasons
That I should thrive . . . .
(increase tempo)
Why should you care
About my fate?
I kept wond’ring if you’d see
how it is we relate,
And now I hear scientists say
That we are kinfolk from the start;
But it’s chlorophyll I have
While it’s blood
that’s in your heart!
Hey, hey, I will survive,
Thanks to all the folks in Flagstaff
who care that I thrive.
You won’t let them take me out;
You won’t let those dozers come,
And I’ll survive, I will survive.
You want to know
About the heart?
Well, then I’ll tell you
that my blooming is
just one small part
Of a much bigger scheme of things,
Of a far greater, grand design,
But saving me
Is a real good place to start!
(slow tempo a tad again)
We share water, land, and air
in community.
It’s obvious; we’ve known it
since eternity.
Now what we really need to know
Is how together we can grow,
So we survive,
So that all of us can thrive!
Hey, hey, we will survive,
Thanks to all of you in Flagstaff
who leave us room to thrive.
You won’t let them take us out,
You won’t let those ’dozers come
We will survive, we will survive.
Hey, Hey!
(another spoken verse)
I live in a dim place where so few
people look;
Just a moist and shady,
northern-facing limestone nook
Down in the heart of Fay,
Where on a sunny summer day,
I can survive, I still survive.
This is my place,
Place of the heart,
A place of which I know
I’ll always be a part,
Of a far greater, grand design,
Of a much bigger scheme of things
In which we thrive,
We all survive,
Hey, Hey!
—Scouler’s Catchfly
Silene Scouleri