Community Power (My Bonnie)

Words by Joanna Cazden; melody, traditional (My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)
Rise Up Singing chapter: Ecology, p.34
A D A - / A B7 E - / A D A - / B7 E A - / A - D B7 / E - A - / A - B7 - / E - A -

They're taking away all our power
By bringing in nuclear plants
They talk of technology's flower
We'd rather give safety a chance
Power, power / Community power is ours for free
Power, power / Oh bring back my power to me

They're fish washing up in the rivers
Pipes crack and the cancer rates rise
They can't find a dump for the garbage
It's trouble catastrophe-sized

The companies can't get insurance
The dangers are so plain to see
How long can they lie to the public
About "public utility"?

But now folks are coming together
Control of our lives we demand
We think we might handle it better
Than experts in Washington-land

Some make this task their occupation
They're camping out, going to jail
While others work hard in the courtrooms
Combined efforts will never fail

They're taking away all our power
And bringing in nuclear plants
Like doomsday machines they will tower
We'll stop 'em however we can (& meanwhile)

I've heard of some farms using windmills
And houses kept warm with chopped wood
And factories running on water-wheels
And the sun heating bathtubs real good!