Lyrics to "The Ballad of Hetch Hetchy Valley"

Listen to the song:

There is a valley precious to God
Where huge waterfalls pour down from out of the clouds
Down steep granite faces half a mile deep
Til the dam builders came there—now the faces just weep

Under hundreds of feet of water dark blue
Sleeps Hetch Hetchy Valley—this story is true
Hetch Hetchy Valley was most sacred sod
A love lesson created by the fingers of God
Til the outrageous day of gross infamy
When the sick work was started on the O’Shaugnesssy

The O’Shaughnessy Dam that O’Shaughnessy Dam
The O’Shaughnessy Dam the O’Shaughnessy Dam
The O’Shaughnessy Dam the O’Shaughnessy Dam
The O’Shaughnessy Dam that O’Shaughnessy Dam

Before concrete was poured each tree fell with a thud
A world treasure meadow turned to tree stumps and mud
The Hetch Hetchy Valley—Yosemite’s twin
To dam it and drown it—what a terrible sin

That O’Shaughnessy Dam the O’Shaughnessy Dam
The O’Shaughnessy Dam that O’Shaughnessy Dam
The O’Shaughnessy Dam the O’Shaughnessy Dam
The O’Shaughnessy Dam the O’Shaughnessy Dam

Wapama Falls, Tueelala Falls too
And Kolana Rock—we’ll sing about you
Such soul-stirring beauty can rarely be found
Resurrect what’s been ruined and bring that dam down!

That O’Shaughnessy Dam the O’Shaughnessy Dam 
The O’Shaughnessy Dam the O’Shaughnessy Dam
The O’Shaughnessy Dam the O’Shaughnessy Dam
The O’Shaughnessy Dam that O’Shaughnessy Dam

What mankind has ruined God and man can repair
It would only be justice—it would only be fair
And we hope and we pray that the day will soon come
When Hetch Hetchy Meadow will again see the sun—
Hetch Hetchy Meadow will again see the sun!

Words and music © 2003 by Bernie Beldner

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