David Coller

Lyrics

Small Blue Island © 2021 David Coller (ASCAP)

There is an Elm Street in every town
But oh, the elm trees, they’ve all come down
But for the street signs you’d never know
We walked with giants and not so long ago
That’s how it works, how we forget
We tell ourselves it’s history and yet
The loss is real, the loss is there,
A broken window, an empty chair

This good brown earth that grows the grain
Will it awaken to the falling rain?
Or will the wind blow dust to dust
And our plows all go to rust?
The barren field, the empty sky
The lifeless ocean, the hopeless cry
What will you have when it comes to this?
A wave goodbye and a farewell kiss

We build our dreams, we seek the stars
We fly our airplanes, and we drive our cars
Where once the skies went dark with doves
And prairies rumbled with the sound of hooves
And every day we close a door
One firefly less, one street light more
When these things go they’re gone for good
Just like the elm trees in your neighborhood

This small blue island in the void
It is our one hope, our life, our joy
You live in Eden, after all
This is The Garden, there was no Fall
So tend it well, with love and care
A gift like this is all too rare
Will it be said of this sacred place
That it was wasted on us, the human race?
A song of hope, an empty rhyme
A new beginning, a sad decline
The choice is yours, the choice is mine
Let’s make the right one while we have time