july in the catskills, the hudson is fast filled
by thunderstorms dumping their heads on the windowsills
get out of the lightning, it's fast and it's frightening
but maybe it hits you once in five lifetimes

never notice the raindrops except for the sound
never notice them taking the tops of the hills
from the tops of the hills and sliding them down
to the bottom and leaving them soft on the ground

old eastern mountains have been found ground down
and all the beaches get washed on out
into the ocean and left to drown
out in the ocean we're all sinking

down

baby baby baby i've been moving the sun lately
i've been following you out a ways
baby baby baby i've been thinking lately maybe days seep
in rock cracks between your brain and me
and freeze and split your head

and it breaks your stones
and it breaks your bones
it's a little more patient than i ever thought I could be
and it finds all the cracks in my waterproof skin
bubbling in i'm coming unstuck
baby it's better to weather the weather
hiding inside is like burning your luck

old eastern mountains have been found ground down
and all the beaches will get washed on out
into the ocean and left to drown
out in the ocean we're all sinking

and the power of the water it's subtle and it's clean
dissolving the lost in the streams running past
and you've been found again
and the power of the water
it's slow and out of sight
to wash away all the topsoil
and leave us bare and there to dry

barren there to dry

now the rain's letting up, now the rain's letting up
it was big while it lasted but the rain's letting up

and the air is never so clean as now
but baby you better look up , look up
don't you dare look down

the rain cut and uncovered eroded and smothered
unearthed all the buried things that you did not want found

yeah it cut and uncovered eroded and smothered
unearthed all the buried things that you did not want found

old eastern mountains have been found ground down
and all the beaches will get washed on out
into the ocean and left to drown
out in the ocean we're all sinking

and the power of the water it's subtle and it's clean
dissolving the lost in the streams running past
and you've been found again
and the power of the water
it's slow and out of sight
to wash away all the topsoil
and leave us bare and there to dry
leave us barren there to dry
leave us bare and there to dry



this leaf is


topsoil

BacK



copyright 2003 daniel s. zimmerman