Great Lakes Blues

The water levels are at an all-time low
Boats are running aground, calling for a tow
Some say we haven't had enough snow and rain
But I say there's underworld activity to blame
It's a shame but it's true, we've got the great lakes blues

It's got to be diversion, then it's pumped into trucks
And shipped off to places with drought and big bucks
It could be going to the middle east, across the sea and far away
Or maybe closer to home in Vegas, Texas or LA
There's gonna be hell to pay, for these great lakes blues

Some say it's just a cycle, the same in decades past
Climate change brings evaporation, but there's too much too fast
We look to science and history, instead of criminal acts
There's gotta be something else going on behind our backs
I guess no one's sure what to do, so we've got the great lakes blues

The beaches are bigger, which you might think is a good thing
Except for the simple fact that the water's disappearing
Waterfront property's not the same anymore
It's a chore to reach the water from what used to be the shore
It's so much different than before
And it gives you the great lakes blues

At the new water's edge, you can't help but wonder what's the deal?
Who would've thought fresh water was something you could steal?
Went away for a few years, when I got back it was so strange
The lakes weren't so great anymore, things had changed
Makes you wonder how many others have 'em too, the great lakes blues

The lakes it would seem, are somehow getting wrecked
And when the water goes away, there's a trickle-down effect
From boating to shipping to wetlands and fish
With numbers all declining, is it time to make a wish?
Makes you wish there was more you could do
To lose these great lakes blues

The Chinese fill their tankers, and tow their bags behind
They take our water home and bottle it, then sell it back to us online
Corporate brands like Nestle, Ice Mountain and Perrier
Hide pumps in our woods to drain aquifers that feed the lakes
It's not too late to regulate it, but 'till then
We'll have these great lakes blues

They call it blue gold, and we've got pirates from all around
Politicians in bed with corporations, who buy the rights underground
They siphon it in secrecy, faster than nature can replace it
Millions of gallons a year, stockpiled for privatization
It's time we take a stand and make demands
To lose these great lakes blues

Water's everywhere in Michigan, just like cars
But the auto industry's gone now, they took what was ours
Now they're takin' our water, and I say it's time to raise the stakes
Before we have to rename them all the Good Lakes
It's time we take control of our fate
And lose these great lakes blues

We've always thought of it as free, never thought we'd run out
But as the world gets more thirsty, it's time to raise a doubt
It's not deep enough for keelboats, no docks are long enough
I never thought smooth sailing would become so rough
We're getting' stuck in the muck, with the great lakes blues

Now I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but there must be more to it
Some say water's the world's next oil there's shortages to prove it
I say we start charging for it, and when the last drop is drawn
We can afford desalinization, 'till our oceans are all gone
It won't take very long, but 'till then
We'll have the great lakes blues