song for theme #47B: Pacifism

“We Gotta Bring An End to War” by Stephen P. Cook

Sung to the tune of “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” by Cooper, Ezrin, Hood / The Animals

In this sorry sad part of the world

Where people can’t reconcile¹

How ‘bout you stop killing for awhile?

Hey my son you’re so strong and gritty

So why not to peace be true?

With lasting peace life can start anew

Could be

Old man that’s easier to say than do

We can’t sit down with those we hate

We’re planning vengeance, talking peace can wait

Revenge, we want it²

We’ve been fighting so long

There’s one thing on our mind

There all the time:

War War War War

We gotta secure lasting peace

With the best effort we can mount

We gotta secure lasting peace

Let’s not waste lives but make them count

Hey my son you’re so smart and caring

Don’t you feel deep in your heart

Choosing love not hate is where to start?

Think now

Old man I know what you say is true

I’ve read it in the good book³

Searching our hearts, opening to look

For peace, we want it

We’ve been fighting so long

There’s one thing on our mind

There all the time:

Peace Peace Peace Peace

We gotta secure lasting peace

With the best effort we can mount

We gotta secure lasting peace

Let’s not waste lives but make them count

Somehow old fella

Like Gandhi, King, Mandela⁴

We gotta bring an end to war

Hey there UN—that’s what you’re for!

No more games:  bring an end to war

War: We all lose! Know the score!

SONG—NOTES / COMMENTS

1—Reconciliation often requires conflict resolution: settling a conflict characterized by tension/antagonism and sides whose

     motives, purposes, and intentions seem totally at odds and perhaps irreconcilable. The process can involve informal discussion

     or a formal procedure with rules and mediator(s). 

2—As this song was being finalized in February 2014, a Pakistani Taliban spokesmen, after taking credit for killing twenty three

     government soldiers, said, “We want to make it clear…that we know how to take revenge.”

3—Refers to the Christian Bible, not the 2011 humanist book with this title. Most religious texts preach peace and condemn

     violence: the Bible’s Old Testament and the Qu’ran are possible exceptions. 

4—Great 20^th century men of peace, reconciliation and non-violence: Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) of India, Martin Luther King,

      Jr. (1929-1968) of the USA, and Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) of South Africa.

Comment: Nonviolent resistance is a strategy for coping with stresses continually inflicted on subject people by a stronger, more powerful authority who dominates them. It may be the only option if armed resistance would simply lead to futile slaughter. True pacifists also adopt it when that other option is viable. not futile.