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An anthem for Klamath farmers Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Alex Schireman, 13, of Central Point, wrote a country anthem about the plight of Klamath Basin farmers who are suffering in this year's drought as government officials withhold irrigation water to protect fish. Schireman said when she heard about the farmers' plight the lyrics hit her "like a bolt of lightning." Within two weeks she had recorded her song in an Ashland studio. For the lyrics, see Page 12A. By DANI DODGE CENTRAL POINT - Alex Schireman's parents may be attorneys, but this Central Point 13-year-old has farming in her blood. It comes from her uncle who grows onions. It comes from her great-grandfather who came here in the 1910s and raised Herefords. It comes from the view out her bedroom window - acres of grass seed and sugar beets in her back yard. So three weeks ago when Alex really thought about the situation in the Klamath Basin where farmers are going without water, song lyrics popped into her head. "I was sitting on my grandma's couch and it hit me like a bolt of lightning," Alex said. Within two weeks, she'd recorded "The Man Who Set the Water Free" in an Ashland studio, gotten a couple of musicians to accompany her, and become a hit on conservative talk radio shows. "People adore some young girl doing something like that," said Roger Fredinburg, host of his self-titled nationally broadcast show. "It's touched people's hearts and raised a tear." KCMX's Morning Express also plays short bursts of the song to introduce the subject of the Klamath crisis. "We use it as sort of a theme," said co-host Garth Harrington. "The spirit is wonderful and ... there's a lot of love." Alex's mother, Sandra Schireman, isn't surprised at her daughter's lyrical success. As a toddler, Alex was singing before she could say "mama" or "dada." "She wouldn't talk, but she would sing the Winnie-the-Pooh song," Schireman said. Alex started singing in talent shows in third grade, but was a shy child so she always had someone on stage with her - her Welsh corgi, Honeydew. Once she got into middle school, though, Alex began singing solo. She was visiting relatives in Myrtle Creek when everyone's conversation turned to Klamath Falls - where farmers are going without water in an effort to save endangered sucker fish and coho salmon. Alex knew there was a song in there. On the drive home, her parents shared some of the larger issues involved in the situation, and Alex developed some of the more complex historical ideas in the song. When she got home, Alex wrote it out first on a notebook and then on the computer. She then developed the melody. "Since it was a song about farmers, I thought it should be a country folk song," she said. Alex's mother called Alex's voice teacher, who suggested she take the song to Lightsound studio in Ashland. There, Richard Williams helped Alex refine the melody for the chorus. She sang it and a week later, it was on a CD. The effort cost Alex's family about $500 for 50 CDs, musicians and studio time, but Sandra Schireman said it was worth it. "Some people spend that to send their children to summer camp," she said. "Alex wrote a song and recorded it. If it never makes a dime, it's a great experience." And for Alex, it does the ultimate good: "It lets those farmers know that we care about them." She's singing "The Man Who Set the Water Free" at Myrtle Creek's Music at the Park 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Millsite Park in Myrtle Creek. Alex said she doesn't care if the song ever becomes a hit, she's just glad it's making a point: "And at least it's not another boring love song." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail ddodge@mailtribune Teen to perform song on Thursday Alex Schireman is singing "The Man Who Set the Water Free" at Myrtle Creek's Music at the Park starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Myrtle Creek's Millsite Park. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.