Lyrics: This song was commissioned by the Detroit Zoological Institute for their new amphibian facility - Amphibiville.  We found a lot of fascinating information about amphibians in a book called "Tracking the Vanishing Frogs" by Kathryn Phillips (Penguin Books), and also from Andy Snider, Herpetology Curator at the Detroit Zoological Institute.

(Chorus:)
I lead a double life (I lead a double life)
First in the water and then on the land
I lead a double life (I lead a double life)
I am an amphibian.

I’m a cold-blooded creature so I like to stay warm
I’m born in the water and then I transform
Metamorphosis is the name of this change
from gills to lungs, you know my parts rearrange    

(Chorus)

The very first animals that swam in the sea
adapted to survive, changing gradually.
It took millions of years until they walked on the earth
But this story is re-told with each amphibian birth    

(Chorus)

(Bridge:)
[spoken: Who are these amphibians, anyway?]
There’s the Harlequin frog, with its brilliant yellow spots
Caecilians look like worms, and they can tie themselves in knots
The giant salamander can grow up to 5 feet long
and the Narrowmouth Toad sings a wailing song -    

(Instrumental of Chorus)

I breathe and I drink through my delicate skin
which may help explain the mess that I’m in
The poisons people put in the water and air
They end up in me, so I get more than my share

(Chorus 2:)
I lead a troubled life (I lead a troubled life)
with pollution in the water, and trash on the land ...

We’re watching the forests go up in smoke
We’re losing our homes and it’s making us croak
So leap to the cause, it’s time to hop to it
If you don’t help out, tell me who’s gonna do it?

(Chorus 3:)
I lead a troubled life (I lead a troubled life)
with boats in the water, and malls on the land ...

(Chorus)