Brian Lindsay 2018
“Brian felt compelled to write this song after a few short years of restoration work on Washington’s creeks and rivers provided a dismaying number of examples for the narrative.”
Countercurrent: https://countercurrentmusic.bandcamp.com/track/house-on-the-river
https://countercurrentmusic.bandcamp.com/track/house-on-the-river
Late last fall when the rain came around I saw a house submerged from the windows down The owner was there but he didn’t even frown, said I’ve seen it worse before Chorus: Why, why would you build your house where the waters flow free to the north and south Why, why would you build your house right on the banks of the river The excavator creeks and groans as it dumps its load of riprap stone, To shore up the bank and protect your home, but why was it there at all? Daddy sends the kids to the yard to play, says close to the water’s edge don’t you stray We’re losing a foot of lawn a day and we can’t seem to tame the river Those northwest floods in the spring and the fall should come as no surprise to us all They’re likely to be your own downfall if you gamble with the river So to souls who are hurt by floods these days, my tears I’ll shed, my glass I’ll raise But to permitters and builders, remember this phrase, don’t build more homes on the river