Anti Fracking Song - (You Can't be Rich) On Shattered Land - Alex Hickey

A song I wrote in response to the documentary, Gasland, and in support of the movement to ban hydraulic fracturing in Nova Scotia and everwhere. Recorded in my living room by the sea. At the suggestion of my friend, Michael, I've changed the title of this song, but haven't changed the title on the video itself. Time is too precious. Call it whatever you want.
©2011 - I've put this under a Creative Commons license so that it can be used for non-commercial use by people interested in spreading the word about Hydraulic Fracturing. For exact licensing terms, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Lyrics:
My man can't find work, no matter where he looks
We're on the dole; we're busted flat
We thought of growing some weed back in the woods,
But we don't want our kids mixed up in that

It was Borrow Now and Foreclose Later
We're up to our keisters in alligators
Don't know what we can do
Gonna take a miracle to pull us through

Then this fellow came up to our door
Offerin' money to mine out back
You'll get paid for doin' nothin', folks
If you'll just sign here and let us frack

So we can be rich, on shattered land
Or poor, on land that's whole
That's the choice they're offering
Hey Mister
That's just a bounty on our souls

Our kids are learning to do without
There's more to life than clothes and toys
And yeah we'd love to give them everything
But this is the devil's choice

I say it sounds too good to be true
and I ask the man
"What's the risk of cancer"
He says, "You can have your money up front"
And, you know, that ain't no kind of answer.

'Cause if it's Money Now and Tumours Later
Shove your hydraulic fracturator
Don't want your poisons in our well
Hey Mister
You can go to hell

I guess I'm going back to school
Study Tourism Management
And my man's planted our Victory Garden
He's washin' the dishes and mindin' the kids

'Cause it's Borrow Now, but Payback Later
We love this land and won't betray her
There's always something we can do
Hard Work is gonna have to be what pulls us through

'Cause you can't be rich, on shattered land
Or poor, on land that's whole
That's no choice they're offering
Hey Mister
Can't put a bounty on our souls.