Dot Earth Blog: A Billion Years of Time and Toil Are Etched in These Old Hills

Here?s a musical post honoring a classic March transition in the Hudson Valley from a blast of snow on Friday to a blaze of sunshine and hint of spring today. The sap is running strong in the sugar maples, guaranteeing good times at the ?sap to syrup? festivals tomorrow at the?Taconic Outdoor Education Center in Fahnestock State Park and on March 24 at Little Stony Point Park, where visitors will likely hear Pete Seeger sing about ?maple syrup time.?

Last summer, I broke a songwriting drought with ?Breakneck Ridge,? essentially a hymn for the Hudson Highlands, which I?ve been lucky to call home since 1991. (For those who aren?t aware, I?ve been a performing songwriter for close to 20 years, with music providing a vital counterpoint to journalism.) I?m also spending time in a friend?s studio recording this and a dozen or so of my other songs. I?m impatient and always eager for feedback, so here?s the current mix, with the backing vocals thanks to my close friends from Motherlode Trio:

There?ll be more elements soon, including accordion and actual flute to replace the digital penny whistles. The lyrics are below, annotated in spots to back up the lines on regional geology and history:

Breakneck Ridge ? ? ? ?2012 Andrew Revkin

I came from old New England?s shore. I miss those salty tides.?My friends from Rocky Mountains high, they crave their starry skies.

Some flock to California towns, where sunsets glow like ale.?But it?s Hudson River banks and hills that make my soul set sail.

From Breakneck Ridge to the Bear Mountain Bridge, and all that lies between. In autumn?s gold and winter?s snows, and spring and summer?s green. (repeat)

A billion years of time and toil are etched in these old hills.?Carved by ice and dynamite, but they stand strong here still.

Seen tomahawks and cannon fire, and mighty industries. But these Hudson Highlands will endure when we are history.

From Breakneck Ridge to the Bear Mountain Bridge, and all that lies between. In autumn?s gold and winter?s snows, and spring and summer?s green. (repeat)

I?ve been around this whole wide world. I?ve been up toward the pole. But when I?m gone please lay me down in Hudson Valley soil.

From Breakneck Ridge to the Bear Mountain Bridge, and all that lies between. In autumn?s gold and winter?s snows, and spring and summer?s green. (repeat)

Source: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/a-billion-years-of-time-and-toil-are-etched-in-these-old-hills/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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