If You Can’t Beat ’em, Eat ’em by Jeff Holland
Guest Song by Jeff Holland, West Rhode Riverkeeper, Inc.
Last week, Maryland Nonprofits convened with the Chesapeake Institute for Grassroots Organizing and with clean water organizations from the 5-state watershed. We would like to share with you a song written by Jeff Holland, Executive Director and Riverkeeper of West Rhode Riverkeeper, Inc, who was in attendance at last week’s meeting. Share Jeff’s song and connect with Maryland Nonprofits on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ Has your nonprofit written a song to advocate your mission? Share it was us!
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
By Jeff Holland, Riverkeeper
West & Rhode Rivers Shady Side, Maryland
Invasive species come along and muscle out the natives;
Eradication’s not the way — we’ve got to get creative!
So when invasive species come to town,
There’s just one way to keep the surplus population down…
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
For environmental thrills, just light up your grill
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
Here’s a purple loose strife salad,
The more you eat, the less on your lawn;
Soon the whole watershed will be shed
Of these unwanted hangers-on
The fish dish is blackened snakehead steaks,
My how that species multi-pli-ties —
We’ll whip ‘em up with mute swan eggs
On a bed of steamed phragmites
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
It’s a real green diet; it’s tasty — try it
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
We can fricassee a nutria —
My, how those rodents blossom!
You’ll really enjoy this delicate dish,
They say it tastes just like ‘possum
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
You can make fine wine from a kudzu vine
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
What’s the biggest threat to the watershed?
The most invasive species of them all?
They’re here, they’re there, they’re everywhere —
They’re so terr-i-tor-i-al
So here’s the way to save to Bay,
So it doesn’t get paved all over
Let’s get to work with a knife and fork —
And eat all the de-vel-opers
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em
They can’t proliferate on a dinner plate
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em