Dawn breaks on the great lake under African skies long, long ago
Fish swim in the great lake
They are all of one kind, one single species
Then a million years pass by in a single blink of eternity's eye
And the sun shines a little warmer for a hundred thousand years or two
And the rains fail and under blue skies the level of the lake gradually falls
And the sun shines a little warmer for a hundred thousand years or two
And the rains fail and under blue skies, the great lake becomes many separate pools
Dawn breaks on those small lakes under African skies long, long ago
Fish swim in those small lakes
They are all of one kind, one single species
Then a million years pass by in a single blink of eternity's eye
Every small lake is its own world - some are shallow, some are deep and cool
One is crystal, another cloudy, fishes survive within them all
As the years pass, evolution changes fish to suit their world
Over thousands of generations they evolve and adapt to their particular pool
Dawn breaks on those small lakes under African skies long, long ago
Fish swim in those small lakes
They are of many kinds, all different species
Then a million years pass by in a single blink of eternity's eye
And the sun shines a little cooler for a hundred thousand years or two
And the rain falls and under grey skies, the level of the lake will gradually rise
And the sun shines a little cooler for a hundred thousand years or two
And the rain falls and under grey skies, the great lake, reborn, in the dawning light lies
Dawn breaks on the great lake under African skies long, long ago
Fish swim in the great lake
They are of many kinds, all different species
Then a million years pass by in a single blink of eternity's eye
Then a million years pass by in a single blink of eternity's eye
Then a million years pass by in a single blink of eternity's eye
Dawn breaks on the great lake under African skies long, long ago |
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This song by Teignmouth Community Choir's Musical Director, David Haines, describes the relatively rapid evolution of hundreds of different species of cichlid fish in the great African lakes. As climate changes, the lake levels fall, creating numerous smaller lakes in which the cichlids, isolated from each other, evolve to adapt to the particular niches offered by these pools and ponds. When a wetter climatic era arrives, the lake level rises again, joining the smaller stretches of water into one large lake, now inhabited by many different species of cichlid. | |
