Sailing down my dirty stream Still I love it and I'll keep the dream That some day, though maybe not this year My Hudson River will once again run clear It starts high in the mountains of the north Crystal clear and icy trickles forth With just a few floating wrappers of chewing gum Dropped by some hikers to warn of things to come At Glens Falls, five thousand honest hands Work at the consolidated paper plant Five million gallons of waste a day Why should we do it any other way? Down the valley one million toilet chains Find my Hudson so convenient place to drain And each little city says, "Who, me? Do you think that sewage plants come free?" Out in the ocean they say the water's clear But I live right at Beacon here Half way between the mountains and sea Tacking to and fro, this thought returns to me Well it's Sailing up my dirty stream Still I love it and I'll dream That some day, though maybe not this year My Hudson and my country will run clear