8 Jars of Honey

8 Jars of Honey

Words & Music © Mike Ford 2017

Well cars need roads, and roads need cars

And the people need apartment towers

And there's land in the valley a-callin'

To get built on, built up and filled in

And the river's course is still a river of course

If we move the river and the flowers

Cuz there's land in the valley a-callin'

To pass it over would be a sin....

CHARLIE COULDN'T STAND THESE NOTIONS

BUT CHARLIE WAS A PEACEFUL MAN

HE GOT 8 JARS OF HONEY FROM HIS BEES IN THE VALLEY

GONNA DO JUST WHAT HE CAN

Well grease turns the wheel, and the wheel makes grease

And the old boys slap each other's backs

And there's land in the valley for pavin'

Come on down boys and stake your claim

Gotta grow grow grow, growin' up as we go

A bunch’a trees'll never pay us no tax

And there's land in the valley we're cravin'

All the other towns are doin' the same

NO CHARLIE COULDN'T STAND THESE NOTIONS

BUT CHARLIE WAS A PEACEFUL MAN

HE GOT 8 JARS OF HONEY FROM HIS BEES IN THE VALLEY

TO GO TO DO JUST WHAT HE CAN

Bees bees buzzin’, councillors by the dozen

No match for the honey from Charlie’s Bees

They said these plans are dead – make it a park instead

And could we get another jar of that honey please? 

Charlie?  Charlie!

Maybe you got it tough and that's tough enough

And the town's makin plans for you

If they say they won't budge, say you ain't to a grudge

Cuz’ Sweet persistance might get you through

CUZ CHARLIE COULDN'T STAND THESE NOTIONS

BUT CHARLIE WAS A PEACEFUL MAN

HE GOT 8 JARS OF HONEY FROM HIS BEES IN THE VALLEY

TO GO AND DO JUST WHAT HE CAN

YOU GET YOUR 8 JARS OF HONEY FROM THE BEES IN THE VALLEY

GO AND DO JUST WHAT YOU CAN

And if that don’t work, send Charlie over!

It's fair to say that without Charlie Sauriol, there would be no Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, preserved and healthy and enjoyed today and tomorrow.  Indeed, the whole Don Valley through this giant city would look a lot different without Charlie.  A lot more grey.  A lot more like the rest of the city.  Fewer rabbits, birds, frogs, trees.

At one point, in 1959, the city was getting ready to approve a big development right through the Valley, with roads sweeping down, lined with apartment towers and parking lots.  Charlie Sauriol, who lived in a cabin just up around the bend, where the Don forks in two, had been fighting for the valley for decades.  He also kept bees, and made honey, right up around the bend.  He went down to city council, and he brought with him eight stone jars filled with honey made by the bees right here in the valley.  He gave one to each of the council members, and he made one last pitch for the preservation of the valley wilds.  And it worked.  And today it is a park.  That's were this song came from.

Check out these other songs about great nature-savers:

Pete Seeger and the Hudson River: This great songwriter, musician and heroic fighter for social justice used to say that if you want to make a difference and win victories for the environment, pick something winnable.  Pete notoriously picked the entire 500 kilometre Hudson River as his cause!                          

SAILING UP MY DIRTY STREAM 

Wangari Maathai and Africa's Green Belt Movement : This heroic Kenyan woman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her brilliant leadership and tireless efforts to create a huge tree planting movement that is helping turn around deforestation and desertification in Africa and beyond.   

WANGARI - HEALING THE WORLD ONE TREE AT A TIME

Vancouver Island Forest Protectors: In 1993, 932 peaceful protesters, led by the Friends of Clayoquot Sound, were arrested, and mostly charged and jailed, as they stood together to protect old-growth temperate rain forest on Vancouver Island's Pacific coast.  Their activism led to huge advances in preservation and sustainability.  The victories are fragile, but are inspiring tomorrow's forest protectors.