Music Blog, Theme Prompt, Writing Prompts

Guardians Of The Earth

Nancy's Notes 🖊️♬

Written for Song Lyric Sunday –
“Home Planet”
This is my response to the challenge.

This week at Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday, the theme is “Home Planet”. Our challenge is to write about a song that represents Earth Day or Arbor Day.

Image by Me & MirageAI

Several years ago in late spring, I went on an Earth Day-inspired field trip to the historic Hudson Valley in New York. The bus parked near a grove that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. The guide talked about oak varieties, but most of us drifted toward the trees themselves …. touching bark, trying to spot wildlife, only half-listening. It was not the first time I felt a connection between trees and stillness but it was the most meaningful. Not in a profound way, just in a physical one. I stood under the branches and let go of whatever was distracting me back home. Music does something similar when it pulls you into a moment without asking for permission. Songs about trees don’t always set out to be about nature. Sometimes they just use trees as scenery or metaphors, or they treat them like characters that quietly observe everything else. And sometimes, it’s less deliberate than that …. a passing mention that still brings the idea home. Either way, trees end up in music a lot more often than expected, especially when you’re paying attention. With Earth Day and Arbor Day just passed, it’s a reminder to look back on the songs that have trees, flowers, grass, clean water or fresh air somewhere in their DNA. I’ve chosen three songs that fit the bill. Let’s have a look and a listen.

Image by Me & Gemini

My first artist is someone I had the great pleasure of meeting and speaking with back in 1973; he is exactly as he appears …. peaceful, gentle, kind, and as beautiful inside as he is on the outside. Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou in London on July 21, 1948), is professionally known as Cat Stevens. He is a celebrated British singer-songwriter who defined 1970s folk-pop with hits like “I Love My Dog,” “Peace Train,” and “Father & Son.”  Born to a Greek Cypriot father and Swedish mother, he was raised above his parents’ restaurant in London and grew up with a diverse cultural background. He attended the Hammersmith art school but left to pursue music. In 1968, Stevens contracted tuberculosis, leading to a lengthy hospital stay and changed his musical style towards a more introspective, acoustic folk sound. Albums like Tea for the Tillerman (1970) and Teaser and the Firecat (1971) became massive successes, featuring hits like “Wild World,” “Moonshadow,” and “Morning Has Broken”. After a spiritual journey, Cat Stevens converted to Islam in 1977, adopted the name Yusuf Islam, and stepped away from music to focus on education and philanthropy. He was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 2014.

“Where Do the Children Play?” is a 1970 folk-rock song, the opening track for Cat Stevens’ album Tea for the Tillerman. It focuses on ecological sustainability, urban sprawl, and the loss of natural spaces, urging a balance between progress and nature. The song expresses concern for future generations, highlighting issues like pollution, war, and “concrete jungle” urban expansion. The lyrics challenge the relentless, destructive nature of industrial “progress,” mentioning “fresh green grass” replaced by “trucks pumping petrol gas” and smog-filled air. The song gained popularity by soundtracking a scene of industrial devastation in the 1971 film, Harold and Maude.

This is “Where Do the Children Play?” by Cat Stevens

Formed in London in 1978 by Ohio-native Chrissie Hynde, along with Pete Farndon (bass), James Honeyman-Scott (guitar), and Martin Chambers (drums), the Pretenders are an English-American rock band blending punk, new wave, and pop, led by vocalist/songwriter Hynde. Their 1980 debut album topped the UK charts. Known for hits like “Brass in Pocket” and “Back On the Chain Gang”,  the band overcame early setbacks, including the tragic deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and James Farndon in 1983, to become an enduring rock act. Despite numerous personnel changes, Hynde has remained the soul constant member. The band has sold over 100 million records globally and was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 2005.

Released as the B-side to the Pretenders’ “Back On the Chain Gang”, “My City Was Gone” is a 1982 song written by Chrissie Hynde as a nostalgic yet critical look at her hometown of Akron, Ohio. It laments the destruction of local landscapes, the rise of shopping malls, and urban sprawl, marking a personal reflection on how her childhood home had changed. The track is known for its iconic bass line. Hynde, having moved to England, returned to find her old neighborhood torn down and replaced with, as she says, “parking spaces”. The song explores the disappointment of returning to a place that no longer resembles one’s childhood memories and shows frustration with environmental changes. The song had been famously used as the theme song by conservative talk radio host, Rush Limbaugh. When asked how she felt about that, Chrissie Hynde said she had no idea who Rush Limbaugh was. After finding out a little about Limbaugh and his political affiliations, Hynde arranged for all royalties from the song to be donated to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

This is “My City Was Gone” by the Pretenders

Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1968, renowned for three-part harmonies led by vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. They achieved massive 1970s success with 21 consecutive Top 40 hits. Their name was suggested by actress June Fairchild, girlfriend of Danny Hutton, after reading that Australian Aboriginals used dingoes for warmth on cold nights, a “three dog night” being the coldest. From 1969-1975, they recorded 21 Billboard Top 40 hits (11 of which were in the Top 10), sold 40 million albums, and earned 12 gold albums. Some of their hits include “Mama Told Me (Not To Come)”, “Joy to the World”, Black and White”, “One”, and “Shambala”. Rather than writing original material, the band was known for finding and covering songs from then-unknown songwriters, including Elton John, Randy Newman, and Paul Williams. Following internal conflict and drug addiction issues, the original lineup split by 1976. The band continued to tour in later decades with varying lineups, often featuring original members Danny Hutton and Cory Wells.

“Out in the Country” is a 1970 hit song by Three Dog Night, featured on their album It Ain’t Easy. Written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols, it peaked at #15 on the US Billboard Hot 100, offering a mellow reflection on escaping city life for nature, often viewed as an early environmental anthem. The lyrics center on finding solace in nature, and escaping the fast pace of modern life, featuring the recurring theme: “Whenever I feel them closing in on me… I find relief at last, out in the country.” Released around the time of the first Earth Day during the early environmental movement, this song carries a message about preserving the natural world.

This is “Out In the Country” by Three Dog Night

Home Planet

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow his link and check out his site.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to some great music. I hope you enjoyed the theme for this week as well as the information and songs I featured.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2026

Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.




48 thoughts on “Guardians Of The Earth”

  3. Good selection for the theme. I’d heard Cat Stevens song and Three Dog Night song – so good to hear them again. I’d heard the A side of the Pretenders, but not the one you featured. Good to hear that one, too. 🙂

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  6. Three great selections, Nancy. I love the guitar provided here by Billy Bremner in the song My City Was Gone.  I knew someone had to pick the Cat Stevens song, but it was really nice to hear that mellow Three Dog Night tune again.

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    1. And that someone was me! Jim, I agree with everything you said, especially your words about the Three Dog Night song. It really was a great pleasure hearing that lovely melody once again. Thanks for a great theme this week and for sharing your thoughts with me. 🩵 🎶

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    1. Sharing music is one of the great joys in my life, my friend. I am delighted to know you enjoyed my selections today. It’s an honor for me to have you listen to these three great songs. Thank you for your wonderful comments. 🩵 🎶

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  8. This is perfect Nancy. A trifecta indeed! I’m taking a second listen for today of Where Do the Children Play as I write this with tears streaming down my face. Not sad but tears of release and relief. Music like nature does that for me. Thank you for sharing this with us. 🎁

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    1. Wow, Jill! Your comments have really touched me. I’m so pleased to know the music today has moved you. What would we do without music in our lives? That is something I don’t ever want to experience. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. ❤️

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  9. Kids nowadays are going to grow up not knowing what trees are. Drive past a clear-cut area and you just know houses will be built there. Or some store we don’t need. And it absolutely kills me when the builder insists they are going to plant more trees. You missed the whole point, buddy. They were right there!!

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    1. Sadly, Lois, I agree with you. Even the smallest opening has been turned into a construction site for another McMansion, CVS, or bank. When we moved into our little village 50 years ago, the only houses were the original ones, there were hardly any cars, and there were trees everywhere. What was a five minute drive into town now takes 20 minutes because of all the construction, traffic and people. I think when we finally do inhabit the moon, the same thing is going to happen there. 😢 Thanks for your comment and sharing your thoughts, Lois. I appreciate you.

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  10. Ok. I am back. My city was gone… I was living in Akron Oh when this song came out- 18 freewheeling it- and yeah, the city was a dump. But I met and married my first husband there and a couple of years later the love of my life- so- are you sure you weren’t reading my old journals when you picked your songs this week Nancy?

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  11. Tea for the Tillerman- Cat Stevens at his finest. I think I know every word to every song on that album. In my young days I would have done anything to meet him. I am in awe! Such a beautiful, deep caring human. I am still listening to Where do the children play-……. and crying…

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    1. When I suddenly found myself in the presence of Cat Stevens, it was a dream come true, and the entire time I was talking to him, my subconscious voice was saying “Don’t drool!” I think I need to follow up with a story about meeting him. I know at least you will read it! 😂 Thanks so much for your beautiful comments, Jodi; I’m touched knowing Cat’s music got to you. ❤️

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  12. Wow, Cat Stevens (no, he’s not a relation) what an incredible met up for you, and I’ve always been an avid fan of his from back in the day of ‘Vinyl’s’ … back here in Aussieland our ‘Earth-day” singer/song writer would be Axvier Rudd

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          1. Yes, great-great-grandpa was an inmate of the infamous Port Arthur penal settlement in Tasmania, 1840’s, 15 years hard labour, for being poor and a pickpocket … 🤗🥰🌏

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  13. I have also met Yusuf, as he was by then, and can confirm your impression of him – a lovely man. I’ve played that song previously for Earth Day but gave it a year off this time round.

    The others were both new to me. Let’s just say that I preferred the first one, but their credentials are all good for the theme.

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    1. Clive, I remember your comments about meeting Yusuf and I’m pleased to know you felt that same vibe I did. Meeting him is something I doubt I’ll ever forget. Thanks for all your comments and for appreciating my musical choices. Happy Sunday, my friend 😊

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  14. I’m so happy you enjoy connecting with the trees it’s one of my favourite things to do 💚I can’t believe you met Cat Stevens – what a brilliant man and I had such a crush on him as a young teenager, this song is one of my favourites I must have played Tea for the Tillerman until I wore out the groves 😄- loved your other choices too but Yusuf takes it for me every time ♥️

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    1. Ange, I will never forget meeting him; it was all I could do to keep from drooling 😂 My sister-in-law was at the same party and she still hasn’t forgiven me for not introducing her 😀 I can’t listen to Cat Stevens without smiling. Thanks for your lovely comments and for sharing your thoughts; Tea for the Tillerman is an epic album and I see you love it as much as I do. ❤️

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  16. Nancy, great write-up and excellent song choices. Can’t believe you met Cat Stevens. Such a beautiful and talented individual. The song you chose is one of my favorites by him. Longer Boats is another great one.

    I remember when I learned that Hynde was from Ohio not England, and rubbed elbows with Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo at college, I was in shock. She’s such a talented individual. I remember being in awe of her back in those Pretenders days when this song came out.

    Totally forgot that TDN song. Such a mellow tune!

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    1. Thanks for your great comment, Lisa. I think this is going to be a really good. SLS.

      Meeting Cat Stevens was one of those “right place right time” situations and certainly nothing I will ever forget. No cell phones back then otherwise I would have definitely posted a photo!

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      1. You are welcome, and I agree with you.

        I can’t imagine the energy pouring out of Cat. Sometimes I think phones can be a real drag, a barrier between the person and the experience. I’m glad there was no interference between you two. Have a great Sunday, Nancy.

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