There was a well known water master man
He was the king , he could do anything
The Saint Francis Dam disaster man
Thought she was all right until around midnight

Because that water seeks her own
She had a desire to flow
She was looking for somewhere to go

She was a slave to the great metropolis
She was feeling choked, she pushed the wall till it broke
When they heard the great apocalypse
At power house number two
Well, there was nothing they could do

Because that water seeks her own
Five and one half hours she would flow
She had fifty-three miles to go

A cascade down to Santa Clara way
Near sixty feet high now she's a mile wide
It was clear she was going far away
And whole towns were too a few got lucky in Peru

Because that water seeks her own
But four more hours she would flow
She had twenty-nine miles to go

She carried in her every kind of thing
House, trees, and telegraph pole some say a thousand souls
At three A.M. she gave Santa Paula a ring
She was still twenty-five feet high
Under a peaceful sky

Because that water seeks her own
But two more hours she would flow
She had nineteen miles more to go

It was a real bad night in little Saticoy
El Rio then Montalvo how many no one really knows
Ventura Beach was very scary boy humanity a pile
She went her final mile

Because that water seeks her own
Into the sea the water flowed
And now for forever she would go



Lyrics submitted by dragonflower44

St. Francis Dam Disaster Lyrics as written by Charles Thompson

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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St. Francis Dam Disaster song meanings
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2 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    What a great, powerful song.

    This song is about a literal event: the failure of the St. Francis Dam on March 12th, 1928. The St. Francis Dam disaster man is William Mulholland, who helped build the Panama Canal and Hoover Dam.

    While this song recounts an actual story from history, I'm sure that it can serve as a metaphor for many different things. Perhaps a relationship with someone who refuses to be contained.

    drosson October 11, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    see also Ole Mulholland

    geebeeon June 09, 2006   Link

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