The music swelled unbroken, I stood and listened, awed 
Had the earth just spoken or was that the breath of God 
Florida’s soulful prayer full of mystique and emotion 
From the air, from the ground, from the gulf to the ocean 

I heard the salty waves beat to the ocean’s lullaby 
Sand squeaked beneath my feet, a seagull laughed its Hi 
A turtles plop, the rain’s drip drop, a manatee’s high squeal 
A songbird makes a whistle stop, its every note surreal 

CHORUS
This unquiet earth makes songs that shouldn’t cease 
Strains of music giving birth to a mighty masterpiece 
We listen to the music but we don’t sing along 
We listen to the music but we never hear the song 

A lonely panther’s cry disturbed a wood-stork conversation 
Startled and perturbed they chatted their frustration 
It didn’t seem to matter to a nearby resting grackle 
Who joined a chipmunk’s chatter with it’s own throaty cackle 

Hollow trees turned into drums, the wood thrush played a flute 
Humming birds joined in with hums, an owl just gave a hoot 
Sounds sometimes hilarious or full of gloom and woe 
Like throb of Stradivarius or ring of old banjo 

CHORUS 

BRIDGE 
They might sound uninspiring – each musician all alone 
But united and untiring with their harmonies full-blown 
All day and all night long from this unpretentious band 
Comes the hopeful, haunting song of a last frontier’s last stand 

CHORUS
Will we find it then lose it, though it echoes on and on 
Will we change it, confuse it, get the melody all wrong 
Will we never quite belong – will we dream of what has been 
Or will we listen for the song we might never hear again 

(music and lyrics by Mary James & Jean James)