In 1980 Fred Small embarked on his song writing/performer/recording artist career. His songs are in the folk tradition for peace, healing and empowerment. They address a variety of issues from race, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, anti-Semitism, materialism, poverty to preserving the environment. Fred also designed and led workshops on song writing and use of singing in social change movements. He produced six albums, and published two songbooks, and his songs have been published in the Friends Hymnal and the UUA Race to Justice and Welcoming Congregation curricula.
Jaguar
Fred Small Lyrics
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In the valley of clouds
In the span of the branches
Two eyes keep the watch
Where the hummingbird dances
And the snake hesitates
With the calm of command
The jaguar waits
The chain saw is whining the bulldozer roars
Monkeys are screeching in flight
The spires of the Arawak cut down at one blow
Where will the jaguar go
Where will the jaguar go
Under the hammer of hunger
On the anvil of fear
The poor of Sao Paolo
Stream to the frontier
With the promise of farmland
Honest work honest pay
Till the rains unrelenting
Sweep the topsoil away
The captains of cattle take the land cheap
New York and Osaka crave beef
Hooves crush the dirt into dust below
Where will the jaguar go
Where will the jaguar go
When the circle is broken
When the crystal is cracked
When the thread of creation is torn
We slip through the veil into terrors unknown
Where will the jaguar go
In the canyons of commerce
In convoys of light
The armies of loneliness
Drive into the night
Trading plastic for plastic
Making fashion of trash
We are dreaming of love
As love turns to ash
The fires of Prometheus flare to the sky
The seas of the prophets boil dry
This gutted globe was a garden I'm told
Where will the jaguar go
Where will the jaguar go
Where will the jaguar go
The lyrics to Fred Small's song "Jaguar" present a haunting meditation on the impact of human actions and the destruction of the natural world. The jaguar, a symbol of the wild and powerful, is portrayed as a guardian of nature, waiting patiently in the emerald cathedral and keeping watch with his two eyes. However, the powerful imagery of the jaguar's calm command is juxtaposed with the sounds of destruction: the chain saw, the bulldozer, the screeching monkeys, and the topsoil swept away by unrelenting rains.
The lyrics go on to describe how people are driven to desperation by poverty and fear, streaming to the frontier with the hope of honest work and pay. However, the land is taken cheaply by the captains of cattle, and the destruction of the natural world continues. The song presents a vision of a world where the circle is broken, the crystal is cracked, and the thread of creation torn. People dream of love, but it turns to ash, and the fires of Prometheus flare in a world where the seas of the prophets have boiled dry. Throughout it all, the question is asked: "where will the jaguar go?"
This question is left unanswered, but the overall message is clear: the destruction of the natural world has consequences that we cannot fully understand, and the loss of powerful symbols of nature such as the jaguar represents a loss to our own humanity as well. It is a powerful call for environmental awareness and action, reminding us that the consequences of our actions are more far-reaching than we can know.
Line by Line Meaning
In the emerald cathedral
The lush green forest where the jaguar lives.
In the valley of clouds
A beautiful valley shaded by clouds.
In the span of the branches
The jaguar walks confidently on the branches of trees.
Two eyes keep the watch
The jaguar is always vigilant and on the lookout.
Where the hummingbird dances
A place where beautiful creatures thrive.
And the snake hesitates
Even the snake is afraid of the jaguar's power.
With the calm of command
The jaguar exudes confidence and control.
The jaguar waits
The jaguar is patient, waiting for the right moment to strike.
The chain saw is whining the bulldozer roars
The destructive forces of industrialization are destroying the jaguar's habitat.
Monkeys are screeching in flight
The other animals are fleeing from the chaos.
The spires of the Arawak cut down at one blow
The indigenous people's way of life is destroyed swiftly and mercilessly.
Where will the jaguar go
The jaguar has nowhere to go with its home destroyed.
Under the hammer of hunger
Poor people are forced to leave their homes due to lack of food.
On the anvil of fear
People are driven by fear to move from their homes.
The poor of Sao Paolo
The specific example of a place where this is happening.
Stream to the frontier
They are moving farther away from their homes.
With the promise of farmland
They are hoping to find a place to grow crops and sustain themselves.
Honest work honest pay
They want to work hard and be paid fairly for their labor.
Till the rains unrelenting
A drought makes agriculture impossible.
Sweep the topsoil away
The land is no longer fertile and can't support crops.
The captains of cattle take the land cheap
Powerful people buy up the land for cheap and profit from it.
New York and Osaka crave beef
The demand for meat is driving this destructive behavior.
Hooves crush the dirt into dust below
The land is completely destroyed and barren.
When the circle is broken
When the natural world is disrupted and thrown out of balance.
When the crystal is cracked
When something beautiful and delicate is destroyed.
When the thread of creation is torn
When the fabric of the natural world is torn apart.
We slip through the veil into terrors unknown
We don't know what kind of terrors await us when we destroy the natural world.
In the canyons of commerce
A world dominated by industry and business.
In convoys of light
The transportation systems that allow us to move goods around the world.
The armies of loneliness
The people who feel disconnected and alienated in this world.
Drive into the night
They are moving blindly into an unknown future.
Trading plastic for plastic
A society based on consumer goods and waste.
Making fashion of trash
We even make clothes out of garbage - a sign of how distorted our values have become.
We are dreaming of love
Despite everything, we still long for connection and love.
As love turns to ash
Our dreams are destroyed by the harsh reality we are creating.
The fires of Prometheus flare to the sky
Our use of technology to control the natural world has gone too far.
The seas of the prophets boil dry
The natural world we depend on is being destroyed by our actions.
This gutted globe was a garden I'm told
The earth used to be a beautiful, thriving garden before we destroyed it.
Where will the jaguar go
In the end, we have destroyed everything - even the jaguar's home - and we are left with nothing.
Lyrics © FREDERICK E. SMALL D/B/A PINE BARRENS MUSIC
Written by: FRED SMALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind