"Guilty By Degree" lyrics - DAVID WILCOX

I stand accused
Held by this view
That used to be green
Wild and Timeless
Peace for my soul
The forest so old
Where one human life
Is just a moment

My spirit used to flow like the river
Held here inside these canyon walls so high

Guilty by degree
The forest green to brown is turning
Guilty by degree
The standing dead will soon be burning
Guilty by degree
They're dying from the way we're living
Guilty by degree
We're too far gone to be forgiven

The blink of an eye
When these trees were live
Men like John Muir
Could rest in beauty
They stood at the edge
Of this river that's carved
Through millions of years, This message to me:

No man should see the shift in the planet
Change comes along in geologic time, not mine

Guilty by degree
The forest green to brown is turning
Guilty by degree
The standing dead will soon be burning
Guilty by degree
They're dying from the way we're living
Guilty by degree
We're too far gone to be forgiven

Dust storms will roll, Tall trees will die
Ice caps will shrink, Oceans will rise
Glaciers will melt, all in my time
I stand before the view here before me
And I stand accused