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Chico Mendes |
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This is a song in memory of the first true
ecological martyr, Chico Mendes who was killed by the rubber tappers because
of his political activism against the policy of burning down the rain forests
to create pasture land for cattle.
His motives were not strictly ecological, he wanted to preserve his job and the jobs of his fellow rubber tapper union colleagues. He was a natural orator, and not only gained a strong following in Brazil, but his fame spread world wide. Not surprisingly he gained a lot of enemies and after receiving a number of death threats was eventually killed. There is a website dedicated to his memory. |
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Oh, Chico Mendes, You are a friend of the trees Oh, Chico Mendes, You are a friend to me Like your father before you, You tapped rubber from the trees You harvested the forest And in return it met your needs Chico, Chico, Chico, Chico But the ranchers with their subsidies Started chopping down the trees To make room for their cattle And the smoke drifted in the breeze But Chico, he had a Union And with help from other lands He got himself a court order And stayed the ranchers' hands Chico, Chico, Chico, Chico But the ranchers had the money And the money bought them guns Like cowboys on their horses They rode into the sun The killers hid in waiting Guns held ready in their hands Chico Mendes was the victim As he made his final stand Chico, Chico, Chico, Chico He knew that they'd be there waiting As he stepped out into the night He was unarmed and unprotected, He was unprepared to fight Forty shotgun pellets in his body Cut Chico down to his knees They chopped down Chico Mendes Just like they're chopping down trees Chico, Chico, Chico, Chico The sun's still shining Down on the pasture land The air is getting hotter As the soil turns into sand There's still a lot of forest But Chico's no longer there to fight You can see the tall trees burning They are lighting up the night. Chico, Chico, Chico, Chico
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