"Second Nature" by Rush, Album: Hold Your Fire (1987)

A memo to a higher office
Open letter to the powers that be
To a god, a king, a head of state
A captain of industry
To the movers and the shakers...
Can't everybody see?

It ought to be second nature
I mean, the places where we live
Let's talk about this sensibly
We're not insensitive
I know progress has no patience
But something's got to give

I know you're different
You know I'm the same
We're both too busy
To be taking the blame
I'd like some changes
But you don't have the time
We can't go on thinking
It's a victimless crime
No one is blameless
But we're all without shame
We fight the fire while we're feeding the flames

Folks have got to make choices
And choices got to have voices
Folks are basically decent
Conventional wisdom would say
But we read about the exceptions
In the papers every day

It ought to be second nature
At least, that's what I feel
Now I lay me down in Dreamland
I know perfect's not for real
I thought we might get closer
But I'm ready to make a deal

Today is different, and tomorrow the same
It's hard to take the world the way that it came
Too many rapids keep us sweeping along
Too many captains keep on steering us wrong
It's hard to take the heat
It's hard to lay blame
To fight the fire while we're feeding the flames

Thanks to an Anomymous friend of our blog, we'll present two direct environmental songs by Rush. Today's song is about a kind of official appeal (an open letter to those who have power) for paying more attention to environmental issues. It's interesting the gentle style of this song. Sociopolitical and environmental rock songs usually use highly critical, ironic or even brutal language against the ruling classes.

You can hear a cover of this song (unfortunatelly bad quality sound)by the band Deere in youtube

Carnivorous lamb by Gulag, Album: Big Talk, 1989

26 of April. 23 years exactly after the terrible nuclear disaster in Chernobyl in former USSR. We present today a song by a Greek punk group, the Gulag, that views the problem of nuclear accidents not strictly in the prejudiced anticommunist context as was stated in the cold-war era, but also reminds us, beside Chernobyl, the equally serious but of smaller impact accident in USA on 28 of March 1979, that of the Three Mile Island.

Lyrics in Greek:

Σαρκοβόρο Αρνί

Πού θα πάτε; Πού θα πας;
Το νέφος κανέναν δεν ξεχνά
Πού θα πάτε; πού θα πας; δεν έχει σημασία πιά
Το νούμερο των νεκρών, δεν έχει σημασία πιά

Τσερνομπίλ - Three mile Island

Η αδιαφορία των τρελλών, δεν έχει σημασία πιά
Τα σύνορα των κρατών, δεν έχουν σημασία πιά
Η ιστορία των λαών, δεν έχει σημασία πιά
Τα όνειρα του μέλλοντος, δεν έχουν σημασία πιά

Τσερνομπίλ - Three mile Island

Τα παιχνίδια των παιδιών, δεν έχουν σημασία πιά
Ο έρωτας των τυφλών, δεν έχει σημασία πιά
Οι ανέσεις των αστών, δεν έχουν σημασία πιά
Η μιζέρια των φτωχών, δεν έχει σημασία πιά

Τσερνομπίλ - Three mile Island

Οι εκτελέσεις των ποινών, δεν έχουν σημασία πιά
Οι ταραχές των εποχών, δεν έχουν σημασία πιά
Οι πόλεμοι των εθνών, δεν έχουν σημασία πιά
Το ξύπνημα των μαζών, δεν έχει σημασία πιά

Τσερνομπίλ - Three mile Island

And the translation by us in English:

Carnivorous lamb

Where you’ll go? No place to run
Deadly fallout forgets noone!
Where you’ll go, where to run, has no meaning anymore
Counting death toll, has no meaning anymore

Chernobyl – Three Mile Island

Peace of mind of the insane, has no meaning anymore
Borderlines of the States, have no meaning anymore
History of humanity, has no meaning anymore
Future dreams of humankind, have no meaning anymore

Chernobyl – Three Mile Island

Children’s games in the yards, have no meaning anymore
Erotic passions and love, have no meaning anymore
Material comforts of urban classes, have no meaning anymore
Misery of the lower classes, have no meaning anymore

Chernobyl – Three Mile Island

Serving of the sentences, has no meaning anymore
Agitations of the Ages, have no meaning anymore
Nations’ conflicts and wars have no meaning anymore
Mass awake and revolts have no meaning anymore

Chernobyl – Three Mile Island


A song that presents a nuclear accident as the eliminator of human dreams, actions and culture either personal, social or global. What is really the meaning of life and culture in an environment full of radiation, doomed to be sick for millions of years? Let’s see what exactly nuclear power for peaceful aims is:
A wolf in sheep disguise
-that feeds with local societies,
-creates forever-useless landscapes for nuclear disposals,
-keeps our lives under many civil restrictions to prevent terrorist attack,
-keeps us in eternal fear for permanent damages by nuclear accidents,
-keeps us under health risks for those who live close to the plant and also
-it can turn easily and quickly from peaceful to military aims.
A real carnivorous lamb indeed!!!!

You can hear this song and download it free: number 04 song in the wedpage below:

Gulag-04-Sarkovoro a..>

«...And the Earth Shall be Holy» by Ragnarok (UK), album: To Mend The Oaken Heart (1996)

Tears for the sunrise, witness of the dawn,
awakens the sleeper from his rest, still and warm.
Alone he greets the morning, blinks the light from his eyes,
turns his face from the vision, to the gods he cries,
"Why have you forsaken me enslaved to the unknown?
These years of savage plague have left me scarred like ancient stone".

Nerthus, Nerthus I cry for thee, mine eyes burn, sorrows grieve.
The holy fires of Hel have never crimsoned such as these.
Gods of death fathered the children, see them rise.
Midst the paling corn, the priest dances deiseil no more.
The scythe is raised, it can only fall.

Witness of the morning wipe thy moisty eyes.
Tis time no more for grieving, time for gods to rise.
The corn grows pale and yellow, scythe is honed and sharp,
Hunting-moon will waxen as the days grow dark.
Now the quick must fall as leaves drop silently from trees,
and, cold and still, push up their mounds into the Autumn breeze.

Mankind, mankind I cry for thee, mine eyes burn, sorrows grieve.
The holy fires of Hel have never crimsoned such as these.
Gods of death fathered the children, see them rise.
Midst the paling corn, the priest dances deiseil no more.
The scythe is raised, it can only fall.

With plaited limbs of golden stalks, the ben holds the spirit of the corn.
Awaits the Spring, her naked body stripped of emerald, buried, shall be reborn.

With golden spears and plumed heads, the master race believed invincible,
but gold must bend before the scythe or else to break, to fall so cold and still.

And the Earth shall be holy once more.

Waiting the season in endless time, I've seen the sunrise and She was mine.
No more confusion, darkness brings light; gods are awakened, now they will fight.
Mankind warned so many times by vision, word and deed.
As corn you grew so tall and strong, but now you've gone to seed.

Abred, Abred I cry for thee, mine eyes burn, sorrows grieve.
The holy fires of Hel have never crimsoned such as these.
Gods of death fathered the children, see them rise.
Midst the paling corn, the priest dances deiseil no more.
The scythe is raised, it can only fall.

Mother Earth’s abuse and human feeling of superiority in a pagan orientated mournful song about Mother Earth-Humans relation. You can hear some songs from this band in youtube:
Bonne Waerod We Haeles
To Waelhealle
Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi

“Wasteland” by Solitary Experiments, album: Advance Into The Unknown (2003)

Suddenly came from somewhere
A threatening storm of dreadful fear
This slowly rising became fast
More critical and dangerous

It filled the air with dust and dirt
And swallowed the light from the earth
The sky stands under burning fires
Spread the age of dark empires

See the tears in my eyes
Take a look to the skies
There's nothing to prevent
We are waiting for the end
Our world is dying
Mother earth is crying
There's nothing to prevent
We are waiting for the end

Devastated landscapes everywhere
Breathe contaminated air
Feel and taste the acid rain
Falling down, increasing pain

Last days of the whole mankind
Senseless race against the time
In a world without a chance
Where nothing still remains

See the tears in my eyes
Take a look to the skies
There's nothing to prevent
We are waiting for the end
Our world is dying
Mother earth is crying
There's nothing to prevent
We are waiting for the end

An apocalyptic song (thanks again to our friend Mpinelikomistress) about a future collapse of biosphere and the consequent devastation of humanity. If we’ll come to such a condition, we’ll be simply unable to reverse things and we’ll watch our elimination.

You can hear songs from this band in their myspace

“Happy Birthday” by Steve Wonder, album: Hotter Than July (1980)

You know it doesn't make much sense
There ought to be a law against
Anyone who takes offense
At a day in your celebration
'Cause we all know in our minds
That there ought to be a time
That we can set aside
To show just how much we love you
And I'm sure you will agree
It couldn't fit more perfectly
Than to have a world party
on the day you came to be

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you

I just never understood
How a man who died for good
Could not have a day that would
Be set aside for his recognition
Because it should never be
Just because some cannot see
The dream as clear as he
That they should make it become an illusion
And we all know everything
That he stood for time will bring
For in peace our hearts will sing
Thanks to Martin Luther King

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you

Why has there never been a holiday
Where peace is celebrated
all throughout the world

The time is overdue
For people like me and you
You know the way to truth
Is love and unity to all God's children
It should be a great event
And the whole day should be spent
In full remembrance
Of those who lived and died
for the oneness of all people
So let us all begin
We know that love can win
Let it out don't hold it in
Sing it loud as you can

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you

We know the key to unity of all people
Is in the dream that you had so long ago
That lives in all of the hearts of people
That believe in unity
We'll make the dream become a reality
I know we will
Because our hearts tell us so

Another song about Martin Luther King, proposed by our friend Amana. We read in wikipedia about the background of the purpose and promotion of this song:

Wonder wrote "Happy Birthday" in order to honor Martin Luther King and used the song to campaign for King's birthday, January 15, to become a national holiday in the USA. The sleeve liner design (of the 1980 Motown LP issue) is entirely dedicated to these two purposes. Both sides are printed in a black-and-white semi-glossy photographic process. One side features a large square photograph portrait of King inset on a black background with white lettering above and below. Above the photo is printed "Martin Luther King, Jr." "January 15, 1929 -- April 4, 1968" (on two lines, centered), and below it appears a passage of text written by Wonder. The text below the photo reads:

It is believed that for a man to lay down his life for the love of others is the supreme sacrifice. Jesus Christ by his own example showed us that there is no greater love. For nearly two thousand years now we have been striving to have the strength to follow that example. Martin Luther King was a man who had that strength. He showed us, non-violently, a better way of life, a way of mutual respect, helping us to avoid much bitter confrontation and inevitable bloodshed. We still have a long road to travel until we reach the world that was his dream. We in the United States must not forget either his supreme sacrifice or that dream.

I and a growing number of people believe that it is time for our country to adopt legislation that will make January 15, Martin Luther King's birthday, a national holiday, both in recognition of what he achieved and as a reminder of the distance which still has to be traveled.

Join me in the observance of January 15, 1981 as a national holiday.
Stevland Morris a/k/a Stevie Wonder

You can hear this song in youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNAy6Bhij8A&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6sNSl2g15E&feature=related