"Mister Can't You See" is a song written by Mickey Newbury and Townes Van Zandt that first appeared on Newbury's 1968 debut album Harlequin Melodies. Newbury's original version was slow and dominated by strings and a very simple drumbeat, with his voice telling a tale of nature's power and beauty. The actual title of the song comes from the line "can't you see the river flowing". "Mister Can't You see" is best known, however, as recorded by Buffy Sainte-Marie on her 1972 album Moonshot, where it was the final track and second single.