An original song by high school student Sadie Rooney

“I am very committed to environmental activism and run the Environmental Club here at my school,” Sadie Rooney wrote in an email to The Bluedot Institute. “Last spring, I wrote a song entitled ‘Songbird’ about the pressing issue of climate change.” Here are Sadie’s lyrics. You can also watch her perform the song on YouTube here.

Songbird

When I was young, 
I stuck my toes into the water, 
flowing in the river by my home.

When I was young, 
I skipped stones across the water,
seeing the furthest I could go.

Now the water runs brown, 
and the smoke’s coming down.
Acid rain from above,
packaged, pressed, and sent with love
from corporations killing trees, 
habitat loss killing bees,
stripping us all of a future. 
Our future.

Will the songbirds keep singing
when they don’t have a home?
Will the songbirds keep singing
when the world is made of Styrofoam?

When I was young, 
I would play in the forest,
adopting every crack and tree as my home.

When I was young,
the trees seemed so tall.
Now, there’s a highway where they once would grow.

And I’m getting older, 
but it’s not getting colder.
Heating up and boiling over,
a plastic bag, a sighing shoulder.

Corporations killing peace.
Landfills, junkyards, tar, and grease.
Dark clouds don’t mean 
just rain anymore.

Will the songbirds keep singing 
when we exchange them for cars?
And will the songbirds keep singing 
when they can’t see the stars?

Will the songbirds keep singing
when all our oceans flood?
Will the songbirds keep singing
when we ruin the things that we love?
The things that we love.

Refuse the plastic, Reduce our splendor. 
Reuse our hope, Repair our center. 
Recycle all and Rot away the pain. 

Make the change.
Today not tomorrow. 
It affects us now.
Not just our sons and our daughters. 
Live a life that keeps the songbirds singing proud

’Cause how can the songbirds keep singing
through the choking heat?
Will the songbirds keep singing
when there isn’t enough to eat?

Will the songbirds keep singing 
when they can’t see the stars?
How will we keep singing
when our smoke hides aways the stars?

Hides away the stars.