Here's a couple of my "Uncle" Stuart Pacetti's songs about Florida. He is a gifted songwriter in my opinion, and his songs about Florida and the St. Johns River really do touch a chord in my heart, and in all the hearts of those with even a scintilla of Florida Cracker in them. You can read an article about him and listen to a few of his songs here at CoastalLiving Magazine's website.
This Land I Love
Dear Lord,
What has happened
To this land I love?
No finer place
That I think of
Oh Florida has changed
That is for certain
And the ache in my heart
Will never quit hurting
My younger years
I roamed this whole state
The hunting and fishing
Were nothin' but great
The mighty St. Johns
Was loaded with bass
Millions of fishes
Were found in eel grass
Docks and boathouses
Now cover the shore
The natural beauty
Is changed evermore
We could fish all we wanted
Without any trouble
Now the numbers of boats
Have but tripled and doubled
Litter and trash
Cover the banks
The fish and the wildlife
Can offer no thanks
Dear Lord,
What has happened
To this land I love?
Well the woodland is crowded
With homes and golf courses
The scene that it makes is
Completely atrocious
When the woodland is cut down
The wildlife must scatter
To the greedy developers
This doesn't matter
Turkeys and deer
Have to fight for survival
They give up their woodland
To these new arrivals
Yes Florida has changed
That is for certain
And the ache in my heart
Will never quit hurting
Dear Lord,
What has happened
To this land I love?
Well the beaches
Are covered
With condos, you know
No longer can
The poor cracker man go
To cast his net
There in the surf
The newcomers think
That it's only their turf
They complain about this
And complain about that
I hear it so much that
I just have to shout
Don't move to my homeland
Please stay in some city
What's happened to Florida
Is really a pity
Yes Florida has changed
That if for certain
And the ache in my heart
Will never quit hurting
Dear Lord,
What has happened
To this land I love?
Dear Lord,
What has happened
To this land I love?
River Song
I see the water flowing slow
In the memories of my mind
Can hear the mullet when they jump
You can see them any time
I can feel that soft warm summer breeze
Flowing through cypress trees
Sight of gators and manatees
My mind if filled with these
Sights and sounds of that old St. Johns
They're with me all the time
To keep its water pure and good
Should be on all our minds
I can see a flock of egrets soar
Along that river shore
Watch an osprey when he dives
To catch his meal once more
Oh I can see that water flowing slow
In the memories of my mind
Sights and sounds of that old St. Johns
They're with me all the time
Well I have fished that river since I was a lad
With my grandpa and my dad
I've had some wonderful times out there
A few a little bad
I got a fishing buddy named Dwight McGee
He's just like a brother to me
When we're out there casting our nets
We're as happy as we can be
Catching shrimp in the summertime
Is a favorite thing of mine
Hope I can pass this tradition along
To that little grandson of mine
The golden sunsets that are seen
Are a sight to behold
Was put there by the master's hand
A million years ago
Oh I can see that water flowing slow
In the memories of my mind
Sights and sounds of that old St. Johns
Are with me all the time
Yeah sights and sound of that old St. Johns
Are always on my mind
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6 comments:
My great grandmother was a Pacetti born in St. Augustine in the Cochina House and her family is from Minorca. Her daughter (my grandmother) married a Sullivan (an Irish bunch that settled and founded Homestead, FL)
Cool stuff...That would make us extremely distant cousins, because all Pacettis are decended from the same two people (Tomas Paxeti and Maria de Changarote). Thanks for stopping by and keep checking back for updates!
We are looking to purchase one of your uncles castnet's. Is the a website or an address that we can use to contact him? Thanks for your help
He doesn't have a website, and as a matter of fact, I don't think he even has a computer. I know what street he's on, but I'm not sure of his exact address. I can either get an address or phone number for him...whichever works best for you. You'll probably be 5th in line, though, because I think he has 4 other requests to complete right now. But he's fast, and you can probably get it within a couple of months.
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