Bold New Direction

This post will be very short and to the point. Beginning very soon I will be striking out in a bold new direction with this blog. I am not going to get into the nitty gritty of what that direction will be at the moment but it will involve our new house in the hood, weekly videos and have a lot to do with this new song I wrote, the lyrics of which are posted below. Stay tuned and I will be back with a new post shortly. Peace!

Dig It (The Ballad of John Root)

John Root was a man who lived in the city and worked in a concrete box
Owned a nice little house with a wife, cat and dog that sat proudly on the block
John and his wife worked everyday until their bones were numb
Did all their cookin' in a microwave and they never saw the sun

Old John Root thought this old routine was kind of getting old
Felt it unnatural wearing down his very soul
All his food had started to taste like the plastic it came in
So one day he didn't show up to work he had gone to his shed instead

Well he grabbed rake, he grabbed his hoe, he grabbed his shovel and don't you know
He dug his lawn and he turned the earth and the worms helped for what it's worth
John's neighbors asked why are you tearing up your lawn
He turned towards them with a crazy grin and said I'm starting an Urban Farm

I'm going to
Dig a little earth and run my toes through it
Spread a couple seeds and let the water flow
Let a little sunlight in and watch my garden grow
Can you dig it man?

Well John's wife came home from work and gave a little shriek
Her husband was covered from head to toe with dirt and looked kind of like a freak
And the yard was divided in rows, with sprinkler connected to a hose
John my darlin' what have done where our lawn was once now there is none

He said, right where you're standing three sisters: corn, squash and beans
And in those rows over there, broccoli, kale and collard greens
There's beets, turnips, rutabaga and your favorite brussel sprouts
And for a little bit of protein there's a chicken coop behind the house

John's wife was taken aback and didn't know quite what to think
Although she dug the idea of fresh fruit and veggies to eat and drink
So she took her suit coat off and hung it on the front hedge
She picked up the nearest hoe and she made this little pledge

She said I'm going to
Dig a little earth and run my toes through it
Spread a couple seeds and let the water flow
Let a little sunlight in and watch our garden grow
I dig it man

Soon all the little kids in the hood became quite intrigued
Their little minds watched as the rows of dirt turned into colorful greenery
The plants sprouted flowers that turned into fruit, all from those tiny seeds
The little tikes lined up in the front yard and asked John will you teach us please?

John and his wife said sure, first you'll learn to weed
Then put a little compost round the roots and give the chickens feed
Green thumbs were created and the tikes turned into teens
And instead of new graffiti on the fences they were taggin' with sunflower seeds

And that's the ballad of John Root and his crazy dream
To start a farm in the city, making things pretty and a little more green
There's now flowers in the vacant lots and grape vines climbing trees
So if you ever feel down and out maybe an Urban Farm is what you need

Go on and
Dig a little earth and run your toes through it
Spread a couple seeds and let the water flow
Let a little sunlight in and watch your garden grow
Just go and dig it man

Dan Wilder
February 27, 2009