Black Sea - John McCutcheon

Now, friends, I know you read about it in the papers

Or perhaps you saw the pictures on TV

How the tanker cracked and the sea turned black

But it’s time for some compassion, don’t you see

Hell, the shipping lane was only 10 miles wide

You fishermen, you ought to understand

And when the captain asked for «one on the rocks»

Well, the third mate followed his command

And we’ll change the name to «The Black Sea»

We’ll make it all a tourist spot

And when we’re done we’ll give it back to the people of Alaska

Just to show what man hath wrought

And we’ll pass along the cost to the ones who’ve lost

'Cause you know it’s the American Way

Erect a neon sign for the rest of time:

«Brought to you by Exxon-USA»

Now the government, it was quick on its feet

No, they didn’t leave a single thing to chance

But when it came to pressuring a corporate giant

Don’t you know they did a brand new dance

«I know you got your birds and your mammals and your fishing and your fam’lies

So I hope you’ll understand the brief delay»

But you can bet if this had happened off of Kennebunkport

They’d have cleaned it up the very same day

And we could call it «Spill of Fortune»

Maybe you could buy a fowl

Exxon pulls the strings and the government sings

Throws up its hand and throws in the towel

And if we can get the clearance a special appearance

Is scheduled by the IRS

With a mop and a rake and a big tax break

'Cause they’re used to working in an awful mess

Now I don’t claim to have any answers

But you know that I’ve got questions by the score

Like, who has the power and who has the name

Who has the right and who has the blame

And who has the lawyers and who has the tax breaks

Who has the damage control

Who has the home and who has the future

Who has the troubled soul?

So you can skim off the oil as you skim off the profits

But you’ll only skim the surface of the crime

And when you drive to the pump watch the gas price jump

And I think you’ll understand it all in time

Why up in the land of the midnight sun

You know, we’re really in an awful fix

Seems corporate profits and the public good

Like oil and water, don’t mix

And we could call it «I've Got a Secret»

And everyone could guess what’s being done

Or maybe we could call it «To Tell the Truth»

Now wouldn’t that be a lot of fun?

But it’s more like «Good Morning America»

And everyone is waking up to find

That feather and fin and fur and skin

We’re all judged by the bottom line

But, side by side, we’re gonna turn that tide

'Cause there ain’t gonna be a second time