I've lived upon this river shore since I was very small  I've watched the seasons turning and I've watched the trees grow tall  I've seen the factories coming, they cluster on the shore  They dump their waste into our lake, and every day there's more  chorus:  Oh lovely waters that have carried my canoe  Cuyahoga River, what have they done to you?  Once we would go fishing in rowboats every dawn  Now all we see is tanker ships, and all the fish are gone  We could see trout swimming full twenty feet below  But now the water's turned to ink no matter where we row  Our river it was clean and clear, we'd swim there everyday  Now it's far too dangerous, a fence keeps us away  The sun upon the water shone sparkling and royal  But now we see a rainbow from reflections in the oil  Late last Friday I drove home, smelled fire in the air  Couldn't tell the origin, the smoke was everywhere  A sheet of flame rose through the clouds, it cut them like a knife  I saw the river up in flame and giving up its life  Now the ashes settle on a charred and cindered lake  Staying by this shoreline is a terrible mistake  But the Cuyahoga's seen me grow, and now I've seen it die  Figure I'll stay by it, though I cannot tell you why  words and music by Kristin Lems c MCMLXXXIII Kleine Ding Music (BMI)