For the Data Center Pioneer
For the Data Center Pioneer:
The Seal of Minnesota. A Rewrite for current times by Aubree Derksen.
Give way, give way you city,
Thy waters, thy lands give way—
Rest not, though lingers on the hills,
The red sun's parting ray.
The rocky bluff and prairie land
Big Tech claims them now,
The symbols of their course are here,
The substation, power lines and land.
Not thine, the waters bright whose laugh
Is ringing in thy ear;
Not thine the otter and the lynx,
The wolf and timid deer.
The forest tree, the fairy ring,
The sacred isle and mound
Have passed into another's hands—
Another claimant found.
Give way, give way you city
Our title would you seek?
’Tis "the rich against the poor,
And the strong against the weak."
We need thy noble rivers,
Thy prairies green and wide,
And thy dark and frowning forests
That skirt the valley's side.
The small town’s course is onward—
Nor stayed his footsteps be,
The sounds of economic progress
Beat with relentless feet!
We claim this noble heritage,
And Minnesota's land
Must pass with all its untold wealth
To Xcel and Google’s grasping hand.
Give way, give way you city
Here where you fly the old flag
We took a page from your book, then tell you
not to look
While we replay the history you display
But this time the role play is switching
Here, where you thought you had won—
For there can only be one true victor
And as you did to the Dakota, we’ll near you to
none.
Your politicians have all been bamboozeled
Both parties their dues have been paid
Local governments are really no better
You were wrong to think they’d help save the
day
Instead of the problem we said “we’re the
solution!”
Utility companies got in the game too
We convinced them there’d be no pollution
And they wrote rules that skipped out on the
proof.
Give way—we know a thousand lies
And most cling to the easiest choice,
Your residents will know sorrow deep
With the loss of their collective voice
Thou and thy noble race from earth
Must soon be passed away,
As echoes die upon the hills,
Or darkness follows day.
Yet hear me still, you city,
Thy waters, thy lands give way—
Rest not, though lingers on the hills
The red sun's parting ray.
The rocky bluff and prairie land
For Big Tech claims them now,
The symbols of its course are here—
The substation, power lines and land.
Pine Island, MN July 6, 2026
