Alcatraz (Pelican Island)
(Malvina Reynolds)
It was Pelican Island,
When the Bay was clean.
The birds on the flyway
Used to make the scene.
And the Rock was green.
Alcatraz,
We don't need that plastic jazz.
Give us the island the way it was
When the Indians had their day.
Who needs an Astrodome
In San Francisco Bay!
Sad Rock, cruel Rock
To the souls of men,
Must it be a painted rock
From the five and ten,
Miserable again?
They call it real estate,
That's all they can see,
Wild creatures called it home
That's how it could be,
A joy to you and me.
Do your stuff in Dallas,
New York and Abilene.
We've got hot shots of our own
Messing up the scene;
Leave our Bay serene.
Now the Indians claim the Rock
Just a grain of sand
To the wilds we robbed them of
Their ancestral land.
Red Brother, take your stand!
Alcatraz,
We don't need that plastic jazz,
Let's see the Island the way it was.
When the Indians have their day
We'll cheer that Council Fire
In San Francisco Bay!
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