Neil Young and Mother Earth

                                                         1990 Promotional Poster 

[Verse 1]
Oh, Mother Earth with your fields of green
Once more laid down by the hungry hand
How long can you give and not receive?
And feed this world ruled by greed
And feed this world ruled by greed

[Verse 2]
Oh, ball of fire in the summer sky
Your healing light, your parade of days
Are they betrayed by the men of power
Who hold this world in their changing hands
They hold the world in their changing hands

[Guitar Solo]

[Verse 3]
Oh, freedom land, can you let this go?
Down to the streets where the numbers grow
Respect Mother Earth and Her giving ways
Or trade away our children's days
Or trade away our children's days

[Outro]
Respect Mother Earth and Her healing ways
Or trade away our children's days

I did not know that way back in 1990 Neil Young, rock music legend, environmentalist, and general curmudgeon wrote a song for his "mother", Planet Earth. It is called Mother Earth: Natural Anthem. I came upon a video of a live version with Crazy Horse, his band at the time. It starts out with some gritty distortion but settles into a ballad, a lament for what Christians term Creation. 

The tune had the feel of a hymn and as I listened it sounded a lot like a traditional hymn I couldn't quite conjure up. Finally I realized that the melody was O Waly Waly, or a close facsimile. In the United Church hymn resource Voices United there are several hymns using this tune including the familiar Though I May Speak. 

There is another, O Blessed Spring, that I can't recall singing but I like the earthy and seasonal lyrics. Am I correct about the Neil Young tune or am I imagining things? 

1 O blessed spring, where Word and sign

embrace us into Christ the Vine,

here Christ enjoins each one to be

a branch of this lifegiving tree.

2 Through summer heat of youthful years,

uncertain faith, rebellious tears,

sustained by Christ's infusing rain,

the boughs will shout for joy again.

3 Christ, holy Vine, Christ, living Tree,

be praised for this blessed mystery:

that Word and water thus revive

and join us to your Tree of Life.

4 When autumn cools and youth is cold,

when limbs their heavy harvest hold,

then through us warm the Christ will move

with gifts of beauty, wisdom, love.

5 As winter comes, as winters must,

we breathe our last, return to dust;

still held in Christ, our souls take wing

and trust the promise of the spring.

                                                               Neil Young Love Earth Tour