Thus I Wrote

To those who have accepted their fate
To those who live with grace
To those who do not follow
But take their own path

To those who live now
To those who laugh long
To those who love all
May they incur no wrath

I heard that they clapped, the people in the streets
There were so many, none of them I would meet
I wondered then, how much do they really know?

As we fought on the frontline, this new enemy
We were frightened and lonely because we couldn’t see
There was so much then that we didn’t know.

There was not enough testing, not enough PPE
That’s why her apology seemed insulting to me
We need honest support & not a political show

We live in the moment, we live to fight on
We give all we’ve got, to save someone
We’ve no time to think, Are we going to go?

We serve each other, more connected than we thought
We depend on each other, more equal than we thought
But will you remember that when this is all oe’r

Lockdown saves lives but at what a cost
The damage to the economy and all the jobs lost
Who will reap that which we now sow?

They started too late, they went their own way
They lost time but its not what they’ll say
But questions mount as deaths continue to grow

We live in the moment, we live to fight on
We give all we’ve got, to save someone
We’ve no time to think, Are we going to go?

We serve each other, more connected than we thought
We depend on each other, more equal than we thought
But will you remember that when this is all oe’r

I hear the word hero
I think nobility
Some great achievement
And courage I see

But is hero a tool
Within the culture we grow
To reap from others
More than we sow

Do heroes give to others
More than they receive?
While such a calculation
Is bad most believe.

So is a medal and praise
Reward enough?
While others live it well
And heroes live it rough

In our selfish culture
Surely all will soon see
To be a hero for others
Could be a mug for me

I have some money
It serves some needs
But it won’t set me free
I have dark chains
Born in my past
But they still pull at me

I have dreams of the future
I have some fears
They’re hidden deep inside of me
I fight for control
But often I find
That my fears they control me

I can’t change much
But I can change me
I can’t do much
But I can be free

I built a house
I wanted to feel safe
Now it’s all the world sees of me
And I’ve lately found
That it distorts
The world that I can see

So I’ll open my doors
I’ll remove my chains
Then I’ll see more clearly
I’ll connect more
I’ll give more
Then I’ll live more freely

I can’t change much
But I can change me
I can’t do much
But I can be free

“Nobody gives it to ya,
Ya gotta take it”
That’s the ‘law’
That’s how you make it

And they took too much
With cruelty and the gun
Then with inheritance
And with organisation

I had no monopoly
Or old money to fire
I’d only innovation
And a work ethic for hire

I don’t like it much
The destruction, the division and the deceit
But does that make me
One of the Liberal Elite?

I don’t like it much
All the insults & the lack of respect
But does that make me
Too Politically Correct?

I don’t like it much
The noise all around
All the ignorance and the lies
But empty vessels make most sound

There’s never enough time under the sun
We all leave this place with much undone
With visceral feelings of roads not taken
But we’re not alone and we’re not forsaken

Lo, There do I see my Father
Lo, There do I see my Mother
And My Sisters and my Brothers
Lo, There do I see the line
Of my people back in time
Lo, They do they call to me
To take my place in the halls of Eternity
Where our enemies have been vanquished
Where the brave shall live forever
Where the truth shall reign
Where there’s beauty and no pain
Where we shall not mourn but rejoice
For we have lived a good life.

I’ve squandered my days with plans of many things
And I did not plan for this, but now I vow to live it well
For all that I ought to have thought, and have not thought;
For all that I ought to have said, and have not said;
For all that I ought to have done, and have not done;
I ask for forgiveness.

You chose him
You’re responsible
He’s a symptom of your disease
You’re not anymore
Some shining city on a hill
You fill the world with unease
You’re now losing
All the wonder
You had found
Empty vessels make most sound

He ain’t patriotic
He don’t pay taxes
He insults war hero McCain
He sows division
Making many incisions
With insulting tweets again
He makes fake news
Cos he don’t want
Your feet on the ground
Empty vessels make most sound

He destroys
& He divides
Cos he can’t create
He lies
& He insults
Cos he’s threatened by what’s great
He pollutes
& He poisons
All that he’s around
Empty vessels make most sound

You’re on the phone
But you’re all alone
In your echo chamber zone
And that’s not good living
You can’t find what’s real
Or process what you feel
Your divisions never heal
Whose reality are you living?

Oh…Oh…

I’ve faith in the future coming
Gotta stand up & fight
I ain’t running

It’s a fractured scene
With divisions between
And a dark screen
From the lies they’re saying
I hate this nasty stuff
It don’t mean they’re tough
It’s just a lying bluff
The patriot games they’re playing

Oh…Oh…

I’ve faith in the future coming
Gotta stand up & fight
I ain’t running

Oh…Oh…

I’ve faith in the future coming
Gotta stand up & fight
I ain’t running

I close my eyes
Have we lost the prize?
Under dark skies
Are we spinning out of control?
Can we still aim?
To play the grand game?
With dignity in our name?
And honour in our soul?

Oh…Oh…

I’ve faith in the future coming
Gotta stand up & fight
I ain’t running

You’re in a black mantilla by my grave
In the black dress bought from money you’ve saved
You’re in black sunglasses dropping tears
You’re oblivious to quizzical glances here

Now throw in your red rose
To finish your design
And I’ll love you forever
…In the memories I’ve left behind
And I’ll love you forever
…In the memories I’ve left behind

You’re in a straw hat, as the waves they pass
You’re drinking Rosado, from a beaded glass
You’re in black sunglasses, hiding your fears
You’re oblivious to admiring, glances here

And the breeze it carries the sun
As the boats, begin to dance
As the stars align, one more time
…You have one more chance
As the stars align one more time
…You have one more chance

We acquire knowledge,
And we pass it on down the line
And we do what we can
As we pass through time

And even with our backs against the wall
There’s still hope for us today
We have no answers
But we still have stuff that we can say
And I know we have no answers
But we still have stuff that we can say

We love each other
With our beautiful fractured hearts
We need something to hold onto
We need someone’s hand to grasp

It’s the sound you hear
That of crashing glass
From your broken bubble
Will this too now pass?

The cold winds of change
The harsh winds of hate
Now threaten your world view
And threaten your fate

With ugly, ignorant intensity
Empty vessels make much sound
Many float on hot, false hopes
I stay lonely on the ground