Don’t Go Near the Water.

Lyrics & Vocals: Late, great American country singer-songwriter Johnny Cash (1932 – 2003)

“Don’t Go Near the Water” was a song which featured on the 47th album recorded by Johnny Cash entitled “Ragged Old Flag”, which was released on his Columbia Records label back in 1974.
The song addresses what was a red hot political issue back then and sadly remains even more of an environment issue, almost 50 years later, in 2023.

Don’t Go Near the Water.

From the fountains in the mountains,
Comes the water running cool and clear and blue,
And it comes down from the hills,
And it goes down to the towns and passes through,
When it gets down to the cities,
Then the water turns into a dirty gray.
It’s poisoned and polluted,
By the people as it goes along its way.

Don’t go near the water children,
See the fish all dead upon the shore.
Don’t go near the water,
The water isn’t water anymore.

“I took my boy fishin’ to my old favorite fishin’ hole.
I had caught many a fish out of that deep clear water
From the time I was a boy like him.
After we’d fished a few minutes, he said, “Did you get a bite yet daddy?”
I said, “I think I got a nibble son”
“Me too”, he said
Then he said, “Daddy if we catch a fish can we eat him”
I said, “Well there was a time son, this water’s bad now and it might not be safe to eat the fish.
But there was a time.”

There was a time the air was clean,
And you could see forever ‘cross the plains.
The wind was sweet as honey,
And no one had ever heard of acid rain.
We’re torturin’ the earth,
And pourin’ every kind of evil in the sea.
We violated nature,
And our children have to pay the penalty.

Don’t go near the water children.
See the fish all dead upon the shore.
Don’t go near the water,
‘Cause the water isn’t water anymore.

Don’t go near the water children.
See the fish all dead upon the shore.
Don’t go near the water,
‘Cause the water isn’t water anymore.

END