"The One Who Spoke for the Wild©"
Lyrics by M.S. McKenzie | Performed by American Storyteller Music & is Protected by Copyright
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"The One Who Spoke for the Wild"
[Intro: Solo acoustic guitar]
He came to mourn his dear Alice, and his mother too
Teddy’s young, New York City heart was torn in two
But he found solace where the Little Missouri bends
Under the cottonwood trees and a sky that never ends
[Verse 1]
In the Badlands of Dakota, where the wild things still run free
He rode the high butes and slept beneath the cottonwood trees
He chased the storms and wrangled grief with every mile he’d ride
Where painted canyons carved his name in that wide western sky
The rancher’s life reshaped him into someone born anew
He found that the land can heal…
…it could even heal him too
[Chorus]
He spoke for cleaner rivers, and stood for redwood trees
He carved out a progressive vision of what America could be
With a voice like thunder and a bold new plan to turn the tide
He gave us parks and monuments so Earth’s soul could abide
To Teddy Roosevelt, a statesman who spoke for the wild
A fearless, rough-riding child of the untamed mile
[Verse 2]
Before the Oval Office called, he faced great hardship and loss
But in that prairie solitude, he found purpose through the frost
He saw the bald eagle soar high above the elk-filled plains
And vowed to guard those sacred sites from trapper and train
He learned the West was more than land to tame
It was a legacy to honor, not a trophy to claim
[Chorus]
He spoke for cleaner rivers, and stood for redwood trees
He carved out a progressive vision of what America could be
With a voice like thunder and a bold new plan to turn the tide
He gave us parks and monuments so Earth’s soul could abide
To Teddy Roosevelt, a statesman who spoke for the wild
A fearless, rough-riding child of the untamed mile
[Instrumental: Horns and strings swell with fiddle leads over acoustic rhythm – evokes both grandeur and motion across landscapes]
[Verse 3]
Pelican Island, Devil’s Tower, and Muir Woods in the mist
He made the Antiquities Act a preservationist’s gift
Five national parks, eighteen monuments, and more
One hundred and fifty forests along with the wildlife they store
He once said, “Leave it better than we found it, bold and free”
A creed still echoed in the branches of every old-growth tree
[Bridge]
And now in North Dakota where the buffalo roam
There’s a park that bears his name, his second home
The wind still whispers through the juniper and sage
Of the man who turned his sorrow into a memorable age…
[Final Chorus]
He spoke for cleaner rivers, and stood for redwood trees
He carved out a progressive vision of what America could be
With a voice like thunder and a bold new plan to turn the tide
He gave us parks and monuments so Earth’s soul could abide
To Teddy Roosevelt, a statesman who spoke for the wild
A fearless, rough-riding child of the untamed mile
[Instrumental Outro]
Song Description
