“Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is the Peace Song of the Day for May 4th. Today is the 42nd anniversary of the shootings of nonviolent anti-war protesters at Kent State. During the late ’60s, the music of CSNY (Chicago/We Can Change the World, Long Time Gone, Cost of Freedom) reported on the events of the day better than the TV news. We could use someone like them to write “Fallujah” and “Oakland” today.
Today’s post carries many messages and many layers.
“Scarborough Fair” is the Peace Song of the Day for April 26th. It is a beautiful song of hope and longing. You can find lyrics for the old, traditional version at www.gardenerspath.com: here.
The version many of us hum to ourselves is the Simon and Garfunkel version. “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” takes the old song, and mixes it with an antiwar counterpoint (“Canticle”, based on Simon’s song, “The Side of a Hill”).
(On 4/17/2013, we dedicated “Little Drops of Water” as a song of healing and peace to the Boston Marathon community.)
“Little Drops of Water” is the Peace Song of the Day for April 23, 2012. It is a traditional song from England. I first discovered this song in the collection, Singing Bee!, compiled by Jane Hart.
I could not resist making my own verse for this song which clearly states the need for “peace”. Below my video are other versions and resources for the “Little Drops of Water” song.
“White Coral Bells” is the Peace Song of the Day for April 21st. It is a short, sweet song about Lily of the Valley flowers, often sung as a round.
A riddle: Is it more important for people who want peace, to realize that peace starts with loving the earth? Or, is it more important for people who love the earth, to realize the only way to save the earth is to end the wars and embrace peace?
Probably a riddle that doesn’t need to be solved. Though, it does go to the heart of this website. In caring for peace and justice, Kimberly and Ian were drawn into green activism. Then, while submersed in green activism, we realized that we really wanted a special place set aside for pacifism and peace. Those feelings were part of the vision that became this Peace Couple project.
Because of the interconnectedness of peace work and environmentalism, many of the Peace Songs of the Day are about earth, nature, and the environment. Each song we list also reflects the value of nonviolence.
