Oh, Cannonsville

My name is Gary Teed. I am a singer/songwriter/guitarist who lives in the upstate area around Afton, NY and was a one-time resident of Cannonsville, NY before NYC destroyed it and many other nearby communities.

I was at a celebration over the weekend at Trout Creek where they were celebrating 200 years of Tompkins. I met some of the former residents of Cannonsville. I bought a book on the history which helped tie together much of what I have read on the Delaware County genology website. It has inspired a song which is well along towards completion. I hope to finish it soon and record it. I am sending you the words I have so far. I hope you like it. It is a poignant poem.

"Oh, Cannonsville"

Oh, Cannonsville I see you,
Through the teardrops in my eyes.
Though you lie beneath the waves now,
In my heart you'll never die.

They came from NY city,
To the land where beauty lies.
And what they did to people here,
Would make a grown man cry

They wanted our water,
So they pushed us all aside.
They took away our livelyhood,
And the county slowly died.

I was just a boy of seven,
When we were forced from the land.
They came and took our home away.
I couldn't understand.

(chorus)
Oh, Cannonsville I see you,
Through the teardrops in my eyes.
Though you lie beneath the waves now,
In my heart you'll never die.

And all of the farmers there,
Were dealt a heavy blow.
Fifty cents on the dollar was all they would give,
You couldn't tell them "no"!

I hope I never see this again,
Please don't put me through that pain.
They even have a word for it.
They call it emmenent domain.

(chorus)
Oh, Cannonsville I see you,
Through the teardrops in my eyes.
Though you lie beneath the waves now,
In my heart you'll never die.

Editor's Note: Thank you to Gary for submitting these moving lyrics. We look forward to hearing the recording when it's complete. For photographs and more information about Cannonsville, please see Cannonsville: A town that was sacrificed for New York City. While Cannonsville's fate has been sealed, the greater issues behind its fate remain. For a discussion of the contemporary vulnerability of Upstate's water resources, visit The Power of Water at NYCO's blog. And for Gary's music, visit his site on SongPlanet. - Natalie