Tag: music

Songs of Peace: War Isn’t Murder

Jesse Welles gave us this gem in 2024. Listen carefully, and read the lyrics. You will get the point. This is an anti-war song for our time rooted in the traditions of protest songs from ages past.

War isn’t murder, good men don’t die
Children don’t starve and all the women survive
“War isn’t murder, ” that’s what they say
When you’re fighting the Devil, murder’s okay
War isn’t murder, they’re called casualties
There ain’t a veteran with a good night’s sleep

Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got graves

Call your dead mother, ask her when she died
It’s a deathly silence on the other line
The dead don’t talk, but the children don’t forget
So in 20 short years, you could live to regret that

War isn’t murder, there’s money at stake
Girl, even Kushner agrees it’s good real estate
War isn’t murder, ask Netanyahu
He’s got a song for that and a bomb for you
War isn’t murder, it’s an old desert faith
It’s a nation-state sanctioned, righteous hate

Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
War isn’t murder, it’s the vengeance of God
If you can’t see the bodies, they don’t bloat when they rot
And the flies don’t swarm, and the children don’t cry
If war isn’t murder, good men don’t die
So in a short 20 years, when you vacation the Strip
Don’t think about the dead and have a nice trip

War isn’t murder, we should all give thanks
I saw it all in a movie, give it up for Tom Hanks
War isn’t murder, they don’t ship out the poor
And the bullets they fire aren’t part of the cure
War isn’t murder, land is a right
But the banks called dibs, it’s something you can’t fight

Let’s talk about dead people
I mean a-dead people
The dead don’t feel honor
They don’t feel that brave
They don’t feel avenged
They’re lucky if they got graves

War isn’t murder, ain’t a river of blood
Stretching all-through time and raining down in a flood
It’s a dark sacrifice, made on your behalf
So get down on your knees and thank the sweet Lord that
War isn’t murder

Find out more about Jesse Welles, “War Isn’t Murder,” and other protest songs:

Other “Songs of Peace” in this series:

November is Peace Month at your School Library

Bob Marley

Reggae legend Bob Marley was born on this day in 1945 in Nine Miles, Jamaica. Sadly, he died far too young, at only 36 years old, in 1981.  Marley was an international music superstar who helped catapult the Reggae sounds of Jamaica into the global consciousness. Marley was a revered symbol of the African Diaspora and was a strong voice for anti-racism and democratic rights. For more on the life of this amazing artist, take a look at some of the many books we have here in the school library.

Online you can also check out:

Bob Marley

Reggae legend Bob Marley was born on this day in 1945 in Nine Miles, Jamaica. Sadly, he died far too young, at only 36 years old, in 1981.  Marley was an international music superstar who helped catapult the Reggae sounds of Jamaica into the global consciousness. Marley was a revered symbol of the African Diaspora and was a strong voice for anti-racism and democratic rights. For more on the life of this amazing artist, take a look at some of the many books we have here in the school library.

Online you can also check out:

Songs of Peace: One Love

“Let’s get together and feel all right”

–Bob Marley, “One Love”
source: YouTube / John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band

There are many songs by Bob Marley that are considered “Songs of Peace.” Today we take a moment to consider “One Love.”

November 11 is Remembrance Day
November 5-11 is Veterans’ Week
November is Peace Month

Other “Songs of Peace” in this series:

Bono

Bono was born Paul Hewson on this day in 1960 in Dublin, Ireland.  He took the stage name of Bono Vox as the lead singer of U2, which rose to fame as one of the biggest rock bands of all time. Beyond rock’n’roll, Bono is an outspoken activist and supporter of many humanitarian causes.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Learn more:

 

 

 

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain was born on this day in 1967 in Aberdeen, Washington. He would become the lead singer of Nirvana and one of the leading figures of the Seattle music scene of the 90’s.  Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden became global superstars at the centre of what some called the “Grunge” movement. Despite his wealth and fame, Cobain was a troubled young man who succumbed to depression and drug addiction. He took his own life in 1994.

Learn more about Kurt Cobain. Check out some of the books we have and some of these links:

Bob Marley

BobMarleyReggae legend Bob Marley was born on this day in 1945 in Nine Miles, Jamaica. Sadly, he died far too young, at only 36 in 1981.  For more on the life of this amazing artist, take a look at some of the many books we have here in the school library. Online you can also check out:

Stompin’ Tom

On this day in 2013 Canada lost one its greatest cultural icons and one of its fiercest patriots.  Stompin’ Tom Connors passed away at the age of 77.  Best known for “The Hockey Song,” Stompin’ Tom wrote songs about all things Canadian.

source: stompintom.com

Besides “The Hockey Song” which can still be heard in arenas all over Canada, some of his other wonderful country-folk songs include “Bud the Spud,”  “Sudbury Saturday Night,”  and “Moon Man Newfie.”  Tom Connors was born in 1936 in Saint John, New Brunswick.  He travelled the country from sea to sea to sea, singing his songs and celebrating Canada and Canadians.

)