I've traveled through this country
And I'll tell you what I've seen
A million yellow ribbons
And I wonder what they mean
It's love and hope and sympathy
For those who've gone to fight
But still I know that none of them
Can make the killing right
When we see two children fighting
Don't we try to come between
Get 'em both to talk
Instead of acting rough and mean
We give 'em love and limits
Say now try to get along
Then we tell 'em it's alright to kill
To prove that killing's wrong
Sometimes your yellow ribbon
Tries to make me feel ashamed
Tells me I'm a traitor
That somehow it's me to blame
But I can't hide behind it
Just to prove that I belong
And I won't be an accomplice
To a thing I know is wrong
But I'd wear a yellow ribbon
For the peace that's in my heart
I'd wear it for the loved ones
That should never have to part
I'd wear it for the wasted lives
No matter friend or foe
And I'd wear it for the children
If they never had to go
Yes, I've seen your yellow ribbons
Hanging up all over town
But I don't think they'll ever buy
The peace we've never found
Oh, the guns will all be silent
And the battle flags all furled
When we tie a yellow ribbon
'Round the world
Yes, the guns will all be silent
And the battle flags all furled
When we tie a yellow ribbon
'Round the world
20 comments:
I applaude your desire for peace. Along the way just dont forget that freedom isn't free and those men and women over seas, agree with it or not, are fighting for you and I here at home. We sleep in peace at night because of what they do.
If you do, or dont, agree with the war remember those who sacrifice.
VOA - Thank you for your visit here. Please refer to my post entitled "Happy (observed) Veteran's Day" of this same date.
While I don't share many of the opinions in your comment, I agree that it is our national obligation to take care of our soldiers, the vast majority of whom, are suffering circumstances inflicted upon them as a consequence of thier service.
Peace to you.
OMG, those lyrics are stunning. I have chill bumps.
I hate war. I've always said if men could become pregnant and 9 months later deliver a child, wars would cease.
Yes, VOA, they and their families are sacrificing. A lot.
For nothing. Certainly not to "make us free" or "make us safe." On the contrary.
As always, Utah says it straight. I despise yellow ribbons, especially on SUVs. They are phony symbols, signifying nothing. I want to find the tune, maybe get the music. To sing along.
Dave,
It's on disk four. I regularly sing it out loud.
http://www.utahphillips.org/audiosongbook.html
Peace to you, my friend.
oh, my - i hope that the world doesn't really believe that the 'voice of america' is the voice of america. cause it just ain't. i also wish that i could sleep in peace at night. maybe i should give this whole denial bit a whirl? hmmm.
what is happening to vets and those serving as we speak is a disgrace. veterans benefits being continually gutted, etc. -- and now there are ads on the t.v. asking for the american people to pony up and help defray the burdens felt by the families of the soldiers who have been sent off to fight a war(s) of lies. those who sent them away should be responsible for ensuring that the families they've left behind have enough money for the basic necessities.
but i digress..
COULD I LOVE UTAH PHILLIPS ANY MORE? not if i tried. pleace tell me that you've listened to 'the past didn't go anywhere' and 'fellow workers' - ms.lib! if not, i should send you copies. :)
Thanks for the head's-up: I'll look for this.
Kara, Thank you for the kind offer! You've mentioned two of my favorite Utah albums. EVERYONE should have copies!!
Thank you also for commenting in VOA's "We sleep in peace at night because of what they do."
The truth is, it is precisely what they do, and what doing it does to them, that prohibits me from sleeping peacefully.
Reading your comments just reminds me that I have the best corp of readers in the blogosphere.
Peace to you.
Never heard of Utah Phillips, but I like his poem. :) Must go look up more!
Ari (Baking and Books)
I love that!
Sadly, the only way we'll stop war, Mel, is to change human nature and words will never achieve that, I'm afraid.
Put everyone on large doses of Prozac or issue free whisky might help!
If anyone else says "freedom isn't free" I'm going to barf. Really. WHAT A COP OUT!!!
Beautiful lyrics, melissa. Thanks for posting them.
Whoa, those words literally took my breath away. You always have the most poignant posts - this being my favorite one. I'm not familiar with the artist, Utah Phillips but will check out the site for more info.
Thanks for sharing this one, melissa.
Voice of America and many like him/her are under a false impression thanks to incredible propaganda and PR tactics. Hopefully in time, we can have an affect one person at a time.
Don't let anybody say you are naive or idealistic. You hold the key to what our country has desperately needed. :)
Freedom isn't free. Right. neither is justice. And war is a lot easier than the hard work of peace. Which is why we fight so often.
War is neither friend or foe...
It is we, mankind, the human,
That wage it. War's just a word
until we give it its breath.
Loved the poem by the way...Utah Phillips.
Quakerdave, I think a better statement is that war makes a lot more money than peace and it also gives our leaders more chance to big-time themselves! Remember Mission Accomplished? Cheers!
Hi Melissa
Touching!
"Tie a Yellow ribbon round the old old tree ..." beautiful song
That's about as perfect a message as any one can be. What a great poem.
Melissa, come back, girl. We miss you.
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