The earth has been around since time began, it's seen it all.
Just think about the changes brought by man, it could recall.
We've changed the way we get around, we've changed the sizes of our towns
We've changed our houses and our clothes and on and on it goes.

If the earth could talk, if the trees could sing a song
Then we all could know what's been happenin' all along.
If we could see it through their eyes and hear it in their words
What would their story be?

The trees have grown from pinecones, pods and seeds to be quite tall.
Their view of our environment and its needs could teach us all.
They've seen the things we have abused, they've watched as natural resources were used
They'll warn us of our future and our fate and hope it's not too late.

If the earth could talk, if the trees could sing a song
Then we all could know what's been happenin' all along.
If we could see it through their eyes and hear it in their words
What would their story be?

If the earth could talk, if the trees could sing a song

Bring It Around Again
By Joan Maute
©Studio 2

Bring it around again, see it begin
Bring it around again watch how it ends.
Bring it around again the starts and endings will blend.
Bring it around again and we'll see where we have been.

There say there's a time for each boy and each girl, a time to live and to die.
A time to be making your mark on the world, a time to run under the sky.
There are times to be growing and times to be knowing, times to bend with the wind
The times for the basis the friends form the faces of memories your lives will send

Bring it around again, see it begin
Bring it around again watch how it ends.
Bring it around again the starts and endings will blend.
Bring it around again and we'll see where we have been.

As you look all around you at nature's display you'll see cycles of living and dead.
The dead feeds the living the night becomes day the leader becomes the led.
From the chain of the seasons you see all the reasons understand what why and how
The answers will show you the questions will know you the knowledge is what you have now.

Bring it around again, see it begin
Bring it around again watch how it ends.
Bring it around again the starts and endings will blend.
Bring it around again and we'll see where we have been.

Bring it around again, see it begin
Bring it around again watch how it ends.
Bring it around again the starts and endings will blend.
Bring it around again and we'll see know we have been.

Directions to Nowhere (Talking Map Reading Blues)
Joan Maute
© Studio 2

I was takin' a trip the other day
When I got confused about which way
I was to turn so in nothin' flat
I found I was lost, and needed a map.
Which way is north? What's the Scale? What does THIS mean?

You know our world is mostly round
But maps are flat and so I found,
That things don't look like they really are
Whether you're in a plane, a ship or a car.
When something round gets flattened out, you get distortion.

As I tried to make some sense of things
I saw stars and squares and little flat rings
I finally found an "N" which meant of course
That that direction would be north.
What a surprise; it pointed left! No wonder I got lost.

So I twisted the map 'til things looked right
and I studied that map with all my might.
But none of this could change the fact
That I wasn't looking at the right kind of map.
It was the right state, but it showed land useage...not roads!

Well I got unlost and finished my trip.
But I'd like to share this little tip.
There are all kinds of maps that you can use
And to make sure it's the right one you choose.
You need to look at the scale and key
Look real close and you will see
Just exactly what that map's about
And if it's worth...figuring out.

Wet and Dry
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

Let's take a trip across this planet that we call our home.
Kick your shoes off, relax your mind.
You'll see that it's divided into major wet and dry zones.
Seven continents, four oceans you'll find.

The dry part is land, may be rocks, dirt, or sand,
and the wet part is oceans so blue.
Seven continents to name, just four oceans for the same,
Listen, I'll sing them to you.

There's North and South America to start.
Europe and Asia share one part.
Heading south down to Africa and then on to Australia.
At the bottom you'll finally hit Antarctica.

The oceans that we know are mainly four.
Pacific is on our western shore,
Atlantic is east of us, Indian south of Asia,
To the north we'll find the Arctic.

There's North and South America to start.
Europe and Asia share one part.
Heading south down to Africa and then on to Australia.
At the bottom you'll finally hit Antarctica.

Let's take a trip across this planet that we call our home.
Kick your shoes off, relax your mind.
You'll see that it's divided into major wet and dry zones.
The names of which, you now should know.

How You Slice It
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

Longitude slices the long way around.
Latitude dices climb up or down.
Longitude lines go from pole to pole.
Latitude's parallel, that much I know.

Longitude lines go north and south,
But east and west is how they're measured.
They can help you find a river mouth,
Or maybe a buried treasure.

Latitude lines go east and west,
But they're north or south of the equator.
They'll always pass the parallel test.
If you measure them now or later.

Longitude slices the long way around.
Latitude dices climb up or down.
Longitude lines go from pole to pole.
Latitude's parallel, that much I know.

North, south, east, west, four hemispheres,
But only two at a time.
Which ones they are it's very clear,
Depends on where you cut the line.

360 degrees in longitude,
180 east or west around.
But when you get to latitude,
There's 90 up and 90 down.

Longitude slices the long way around.
Latitude dices climb up or down.
Longitude lines go from pole to pole.
Latitude's parallel, that much I know.

The Key's the Key
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2

When you look at a map,
What is it you really see?
Cities, lines, and symbols,
Rivers, countries, boundaries.
Maps are many sizes
Many colors stare at me,
But what do all these symbols mean?
Better look and read the key.

The key's the key, the key's the key.
It's the magic decoder the confusion unloader,
It can save you from scrambling your mind.
Don't let symbols unnerve you 'cause it's right there to serve you.
Use it once and you'll use it all the time.

What's this color stand for?
What can this symbol mean?
How big are the cities?
What's the distance in between?
Is this the state capital?
Does this show the hot and cold?
What about the rainfall?
Mining, farming, things untold?

The key's the key, the key's the key.
It's the magic decoder the confusion unloader,
It can save you from scrambling your mind.
Don't let symbols unnerve you 'cause it's right there to serve you.
Use it once and you'll use it all the time.

Where does this state begin?
What's the name of this new nation?
What's the export, what does it mean?
What's the latest population?
If you want to know the scale,
If you want to really see
Just what everything stands for
See the corner, read the key.

The key's the key, the key's the key...

.Pick it Up (Don't throw it Down)
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

Trash should not be on the ground
Pick it up don't thrown it down.
Do you part, our land will be safe and clean for you and me.

When you have some candy, popcorn, fruit, or gum
It will be real dandy to do this when you're done.
Look for a garbage can; put trash where it belongs
Help us take care of our land and remember this song,

Trash should not be on the ground
Pick it up don't thrown it down.
Do you part, our land will be safe and clean for you and me.

Take a look around you and tell me what you see
A park some grass a room with class that should be litter free.
So when you're cleaning up your room or riding in the car
Sing this song, it can't be wrong for people near and far

Trash should not be on the ground
Pick it up don't thrown it down.
Do you part our land will be safe and clean for you and me.

Litter can be paper, or toys or cans or plates
Help us now and later a clean world cannot wait.
Don't throw things out car windows don't leave things on the floor.
Take some time do what is fine and sing this song once more.

Trash should not be on the ground
Pick it up don't thrown it down.
Do you part, our land will be safe and clean for you and me.
Safe and clean for you an me.

Use It Again
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

When we recycle we use it again.
When we recycle we're the world's friend.
We're saving power, resources and trees,
.So don't throw it out, recycle it please.

.We should be very sure we don't use more than our share.
Then in the future, our resources will still be there.
Look for cans or bottles, you use them everywhere
When you do recycle them, show the world you really care.

When we recycle we use it again.
When we recycle we're the world's friend.
We're saving power, resources and trees,
So don't throw it out, recycle it please.

.When you use paper you know it had to come from trees.
So when you're done don't throw it out, won't you recycle, please?
Our land, water, and air; our energy and trees
Should always be right there for all to share love and see.

When we recycle we use it again.
When we recycle we're the world's friend.
We're saving power, resources and trees,
So don't throw it out, recycle it please.

Let Us Plant a Tree
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

Chorus: Let us plant a tree, see how lovely it will be.
Watch it stretch and grow in the sun.
And then years away we will hear them say,
See what man and nature have done.

Branches will be strong and the leaves will sing a song.
As the roots hold fast in the wind.
Such a simple joy for every girl and boy,
To feel that you're nature's friend.

Chorus: Let us plant a tree, see how lovely it will be....

Keep our forests green keep the air so fresh and clean.
Keep the deep clear blue or our lakes.
For this is our land we should help it all we can,
We should give back more than we take.

Chorus: Let us plant a tree, see how lovely it will be.....

Many gifts it gives homes for animals to live.
Air and shade for you and for me.
As it grows so tall, it reminds us all
How our forests and world should be.

Chorus: Let us plant a tree, see how lovely it will be....

In your own back yard to plant a tree's not hard.
You can help with water and care
So be nature's friend, pass it on so it won't end.
There'll be trees for all of us to share.

Chorus: Let us plant a tree, see how lovely it will be....

Talking Clean Town
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

I was walking through a town the other day
And I saw it had changed in many ways.
It seems some kids and adults got together
And made that town look a whole lot better.
The parks were clean, the river was clean, and even...downtown!

Now you may not think a clean town's strange
But I smiled when I saw how it had changed.
It really proved what could be done,
And I even heard someone say, it was fun!
What was fun? all that work? Right!

So I asked what was the hardest part
And one girl said it was getting things started,
But once they saw how things could be
It made folks work more, as I could see.
People were working together feeling proud of their town.

Everyone said they really cared
Everyone said the work was shared.
They started by working in one small place
And then moved on to a larger space.
They picked up paper, and old tin cans, and lots, and lots, of t-r-a-s-h!

Once they had things nice and clean
They planted trees and flowers and things.
They wanted to give more back to the land.
They wanted to lend a helping hand.
So they found that many hands make work light,
Young and old worked with all their might
They made their town a better place to be
For people, like you and me.

Make a Trap to Capture the Wind
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

See a boat go sailing 'cross a clear blue crystal bay.
See a kite go flying on a brisk and windy day.
The wind can help us to have some fun it can bring a smile to our face.
It blows around always on the run; it can help us win our race.

And the wind goes 'round turn it up and down,
It can help us doing a chore.
See the wheel spin 'round high above the ground.
.It can help us more and more.

Ancient people thought the wind was a god to fear and trust.
They caught the wind in sails of cloth be it gentle breeze or gust.
They used the wind to help irrigate; it ran mills for grain and wood.
We can learn from them for our present state, it can help us do some good.

And the wind goes 'round turn it up and down,
It could work a pump or a gear.
See the sail spin 'round high above the ground.
Bringing history very near.

People hang their clothes out to dry them in the breeze.
A bird can catch the wind and ride along it with great ease.
It's a simple task done by your or me make a trap to capture the wind.
It can do our work; it's pollution free; it can help us reach our end.

And the wind goes 'round turn it up and down,
What it does is now in our care.
See the bar spin 'round high above the ground.
It is present here and there.

They talk of building towers high atop some hill.
Or turbines, props, and rotors making power at our will.
They speak of huge generators, direct heat, storage and load.
We need ideas now and later to help us down the road.

And the wind goes 'round turn it up and down,
It's an answer we can't ignore.
See that blade spin 'round high above the ground.
Can you help it help us some more.
And the wind goes 'round turn it up and down...fade

Solar Power Rag
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

Shine, shine, shine on down,
Shine upon the city and the town.
Sun shine on you and me
Warm us up and make us free.

We got to catch it, got to magnify it;
Gonna stretch it, any way we'll try it.
Build your windows facing the south,
You need a wall to keep the north winds out.

Shine, shine, shine on down,
Shine upon the city and the town.
Sun shine on you and me
Warm us up and make us free.

You can save that warmth in a water wall,
Dark brick, rocks, anything at all.
When the sun goes down and the sky is black,
they'll give you all the warm air back.

Shine, shine, shine on down,
Shine upon the city and the town.
Sun shine on you and me
Warm us up and make us free.

You see solar panels on a satellite,
Collection panels at a building site.
Solar water heaters, ovens and cells,
Where it'll end you never can tell.

Shine, shine, shine on down,
Shine upon the city and the town.
Sun shine on you and me
Warm us up and make us free.

So use the principles the sun respects;
Dark absorbs and light reflects.
Low winter sun should shine in your house,
Overhang'll keep the summer out.

.Shine, shine, shine on down,
Shine upon the city and the town.
Sun shine on you and me
Warm us up and make us free.

Mighty River Running Strong
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

See the water flowing down,
In rivers and streams, how pretty.
From sources high or underground,
It races, turns, it makes me giddy.
It falls it grows,
Gaining power, rushing faster as it flows,
Bubbling, foaming, building current as it goes,
A mighty river running strong.

We can leash the water's strength,
In hydroelectric plants.
They've studied tidal power at length,
and made it work in France.
In comes the tide,
They close the gates and trap it, keep it locked inside,
Then later on they let the gates open wide,
The water drops o're generators it will ride,
Spinning turbines making power.

Water give us energy,
We've used the best locations,
From rivers, reservoirs and seas,
For power appropriations.
We've built great dams,
Big and small they help us every way they can,
Then later on they let the gates open wide,
It's time to renovate, reactivate and plan,
They burn no fuel, leave no waste or scars upon the land,
A mighty river running strong,
See the water flowing down,
In rivers and streams, how pretty

Talking Conservation Blues
By Joan Maute
© Studio 2 Music

I was sitting in the classroom one Friday,
When I heard my teacher say,
"Your future could be filled with misery
''Cause we're running out of energy."
I thought, "Oh no, here we go again,
Energy crisis, higher prices,
What do I care? I don't even buy gas,...yet."

You know what he said, the same old stuff
We've got to slow down or we won't have enough.
He talked about the problem facing our nation,
The he said we could help it with conservation.
What's this we? I don't waste energy. I hardly even use it.

He said there really was something we could do,
And our weekend assignment might give us a clue.
Every time we used energy we were to write it down,
Then Monday in class we'd compare what we found.
Some kids were complaining, a whole weekend's work,
All that writing, but I didn't care,
You can't write down what you don't use.

Sunday night I looked at my list,
It wasn't too long but there was nothing I had missed.
I'd used heat and some gas and just a little power,
To run the clock that tells me the hour.
Oh I forgot...my stereo, clock radio, take deck,
Color television, lights, and electronic games,

Well that was about all I'd ever use,
The things went dark, someone blue a fuse.
My hair dryer went off, so did my Atari,
My electric trains and remote-control Ferrari.
I couldn't even use my electric toothbrush, amplifier, guitar...
And my fish were freezing!

I fixed the fuse and got something to ear,
I used the electric can opener and the mixer set on "beat",.
the blender, microwave and food processor,
"Mister Coffee", "Presto Burger" and "Little Professor"
Popcorn popper, toaster oven, refrigerator, ice crusher,
Crockpot, electric frypan,and the dishwasher.

We shared our lists in class on Monday,
Each student seemed to have a lot to say,
Some said we should walk, skate, or ride together,
Others felt we should dress to match the weather.
I spent two seconds reading my list,
Then thirty minutes on the things I missed.