Don't Go in the Water

John Pierce: bass
Ben Wittman: drums
Rick Harris: electric guitars
they closed the mine in this town; it made uranium
they left the tailings in a pile where the river bends
now the Colorado curves in a poisonous smile
don’t go in the water down below the pile
this river feeds Phoenix; it waters LA
it’s in the lettuce they bought in Chicago today
and the tourists will play for miles and miles
in the water down below the pile
arsenic, acetone, methylene chloride
come run the rapids with the lead and the cyanide
take a big long drink of this acceptable risk
you’re down below the bottom line of their cost analysis
it costs too much to clean, too much to move it
it’s somebody’s fault, but it costs too much to prove it
so we’ll cover it up; hope it goes away in a while
with the water down below the pile
bottle your water, move where the air is clean
you might not be downwind, but we’re all downstream
in the grocery store in the produce aisle
we’re in the water down below the pile
they closed the mine in this town; it made uranium
they left the tailings in a pile where the river bends
now the Colorado curves in a poisonous smile
don’t go in the water down below the pile
For more information on the Atlas Mine’s uranium tailings pile on the Colorado
River, contact the Grand Canyon Trust at 520/774 7488.