Widening One Won't Work   (a song for our times)

About this song

This song is meant to be sung to the tune of the well-known balled called “The Wreck of the Old 97”, which is also the tune of the more recent “MTA Song”.

Here's a bunch of us singing it at a party in December, 2010. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

at Katherine's party

If you would like to hear the tune (in rudimentary format), try clicking on the “play” button in the bar below:

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A two-page pdf version, with these lyrics and a score, may be found here, in case you'd like a hard copy.

We recently wrote these lyrics. It's in the tradition of Pete Seeger, on whose banjo these words are written: “This machine surrounds hate, and forces it to surrender.” Not long ago, Amy Goodman video-taped an interview with Pete. It's a show worth watching. Here it is.

Any comments? Our blog page is now accepting comments.

– Peter and Celia Scott 

  1. Here in Santa Cruz County, not far from out coastline,
Route One: It's our main highway—
There are too many cars that travel that highway
One hundred thousand per day.

    Yes, too many cars that travel that highway
One hundred thousand per day.

  2. Now up in Sacramento are the offices of Caltrans,
This is their belief:
They say “Cut down the trees, widen the highway,
And you'll get congestion relief.”

    Yes, “Cut down the trees, widen the highway,
And you'll get congestion relief.”

  3. So we cut down the trees, we widened the highway,
Then we heard that traffic roar—
There were two hundred thousand cars on the highway,
And congestion was worse than before.

    Yes, there were two hundred thousand cars on the highway,
And congestion was worse than before.

  4. That's what happens when you widen a highway,
It's described in the San Jose Merc—
Cars fill up the available road space,
So widening One won't work.

    Yes, cars fill up the available road space,
So widening One won't work.

  5. Two hundred thousand cars descend on Santa Cruz,
Lookin' for a place to park—
Two hundred thousand up and down the avenues
Searching from dawn until dark.

    Yes, two hundred thousand up and down the avenues
Searching from dawn until dark.

  6. So they built a garage in the center of Santa Cruz,
Seventeen stories high—
It's a landmark structure, defining our culture,
Reaching up to the sky.

    Yes, a landmark structure, defining our culture,
Reaching up to the sky.

    (Slight interlude here, speaking “no, no, no…”)

  7. We need passenger trains running on our rail line,
And next to the track, a trail—
Oh, the money is there to buy the corridor,
So let's complete that sale.

    Yes, the money is there to buy the corridor,
So let's complete that sale.

  8. Now our Transit District is the best in the country
It's the SCMTD—
So leave your car behind, hop on the bus and you will find
That you'll get where you want to be.

    Yes, leave your car behind, hop on the bus and you will find
That you'll get where you want to be.

  9. We'll be able to travel by train or by bus,
Or bicycle or walk to work
So let's add our voices to provide more choices
Widening One won't work.

    Yes, let's add our voices to provide more choices
Widening One won't work.