The Houston Ship Canal
By Dean Borok

I been around the world
From Bombay to Montreal
But I'm proud to hang my hat
On the banks of the Houston Ship Canal
Where the sweet smell of ethylene glycol
And methylene oxide meet
And the effluent streams of methanol
Disintegrate your feet
Where toluene and styrene share a moonlight kiss
And hydrochloric acid has an odor worse than piss
Oh carry me back to the Houston Ship Canal
Where fish sprout legs
And dogs lay eggs
And birds grow toes
And Mother Nature holds her nose
On the banks of the Houston Ship Canal
Where life is such a hoot
To feel my boyfriend's tumors growin'
Through his protective asbestos suit
One night my boyfriend kissed me
As the dead fish went floating by
And he whispered to me I love you
But our respirators got in the way
We took a moonlight cruise
On the styrene monomer barge
By the petroleum tanks
Where the gas leaks stank
And it smelled real rank
As we held our nose
And it weren't no rose
'Cause it curled our toes
Where the radon beamed
And the fishes screamed
On the banks of the Houston Ship Canal