Thank you. Thank you very much.
This is one of the more recent songs,
a song I wrote about something hap
pening on Long Island,
although I think it probably has
a bearing on the rest of the country
as well, if indeed not the world.
We have a nuclear power plant
on Long Island
which we've so far blocked from opening.
Do they have nuclear power this
far west?
How naive of me.
Anyhow, it's a place called Shoreham,
and it belongs to the Long Island
Lighting Company
known as Lilco,
which has assured us,
residents of Long Island,
that we need not fear any catastrophe
because, after all, we're the presidents.
But if anything,
God forbid, should go wrong,
not to worry
because we'll all be evacuated
from Long Island.
In utter safety and in perfect
order
apparently, according to them,
they've run a test and it worked. worked.
So even though I was immensely reassured,
I still felt called upon
to write a little song.
If you're doing up some cookies
and the whistle starts to blow,
and the kids are at the movies
an d you got three feet of snow,
you can jump into the Volvo
and go find your family,
then you'll head for
the expressway
where the going's always free.
For the honchos a little ill cohabit
till we have a plan
if there's trouble out at Shoreham
every woman child or man
can be sure of reaching safety
can come it out of the cold
not one person will have problems
if they'll do as they are told
evacuation
evacuation
they say we'll all have time
to pack our bags
and head for safer ground
evacuation
evacuation
we might as well prepare to walk across
Long Island sound.
We are living on an island
just in case it slipped their minds.
When a person wants to leave it,
here is what that person finds.
There are just so many bridges,
there are just so many boats.
So unless you own a chopper,
well, I hope your tushy floats.
Evacuation,
evacuation,
they say we'll all have time
to pack our bags
and head for safer ground.
Evacuation!
Evacuation!
We might as well prepare to walk
across Long Island Sound
Every time it starts to sprinkle
and the wind begins to blow
First the lights begin to flicker,
then the power starts to go
As I sit here lighting candles,
I see Shoreham by the sea
If they run that like they run this,
then they've seen the
last of me
Evacuation, evacuation
They say we'll all have time
to pack our bags
and head for safer ground
Evacuation, evacuation
We might as well prepare to walk
across Long Island Sound ?
This is for Wally.
Thank you. ?
Tom Paxton 
