Lyrics Coal Mine in Paradise - John Edmond

Many years ago the land was given in trust
By Paul Kruger himself, this mighty wilderness
Skukuza was the man who fought and fought and won
To save from extinction a million animals strong
In the north there is Pafuri, where the gorges are deep
Beneath the ground is coal, above a world unique
Where the last elephants breed, endangered sable run
This is where the last Roan antelope hang on

So what would Kruger think?
What would Skukuza say?
If they knew that what they fought for
Would be given all away
Men have devised a plan and if it's realized
There's gonna be a coal mine in paradise

In 1906 James Stevenson Hamilton started the Kruger National Park
There were very few animals
They had all been decimated by one of the greatest
over- kills of all time
Given the name Skukuza- the man that changes everything
In the beautiful language of the Shangaan people
Skukuza with men like Trollip, Kirkman and Wolhuter
Operating under incredible hardships
Set about restoring the depleted herds
And they brought us what we have today
8000 square miles of wilderness
And over one million animals

Wise men ask us why we need this wilderness
Those wise men are ridden with city- living stress
Proven through the years by wiser men of old
Man must have a place to go to restore his soul
With these things in mind, today we make our stand
What happens to the animals, happens to man
So where we gonna go when we need peace of mind
When the last of our wilderness has disappeared down the mine

So what would Kruger think?
What would Skukuza say?
If they knew that what they fought for
Would be given all away
Men have devised a plan and if it's realized
There's gonna be a coal mine in paradise