Preserving the Prairie

The deer are staring empty-eyed

from up upon the wall

The elk is frozen mid-stride,

he never saw the fall

My daddy stuffed them all with care

and cotton wool and wire

He said each creature holds a soul,

even when they expire. (mmmmm)

I'm the taxidermist's daughter,

I'll keep the stories safe

The buffalo and antelope,

the wolf and the wild waif

The town forgets its history

but I will make it last

I'll stuff the memories in the glass

and save them from the past.

The old-timers come shuffling in

to see the mountain lion

They tell me stories of the West

that they were raised up dyin'

They point at every animal

and say "I knew that one"

And I write down their memories

before their race is run.

The prairie's turning into malls,

the mountains into roads

The old men speak of buffalo

and all their heavy loads

I'll freeze them in a moment,

their eyes forever wide So my children's children know

what used to walk beside.

I'm the taxidermist's daughter,

I'll keep the stories safe

The buffalo and antelope,

the wolf and the wild waif The town forgets its history

but I will make it last

I'll stuff the memories in the glass

and save them from the past. (ohhh-oh)

Save them from the past.