listen, children, to a story
August 04, 2003 @ 1:17 a.m.
While downloading some kickass punk/ska covers by the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, I stumbled across a song I hadn't thought about in a while.
It was one I sang in elementary school, at one of the music programs that we had to participate in. I didn't know who wrote it, or why we had to sing it. All I knew was that even in fourth grade it was incredibly beautiful and incredibly saddening at the same time. It's called "One Tin Soldier". Some of you are probably familiar with it. For those who aren't, the lyrics are printed below:
Listen, children, to a story that was written long ago
Of a kingdom on a mountain and the valley far below;
On the mountain was a treasure buried deep beneath the stone,
And the valley people swore they�d have it for their very own.
So go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend;
Do it in the name of Heaven, you can justify it in the end.
But there won�t be any trumpets blowing, come the Judgment Day�
On the bloody morning after, one tin soldier rides away.
So the people of the valley sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure, tons of gold for which they�d kill.
Came a message from the King: none with our brothers will we share�
All the secrets of our mountain, all the riches buried there.
So go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend;
Do it in the name of Heaven, you can justify it in the end.
But there won�t be any trumpets blowing, come the Judgment Day�
On the bloody morning after, one tin soldier rides away.
So the valley cried in anger: mount your horses, draw your swords!
And they killed the mountain people; so they won their just reward.
Now they stood beside the treasure on a mountain dark and red,
Turned the stone and looked beneath it: PEACE ON EARTH was all it said.
So go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend;
Do it in the name of Heaven, you can justify it in the end.
But there won�t be any trumpets blowing, come the Judgment Day�
On the bloody morning after, one tin soldier rides away.
It's an especially appropriate song now, I think. Perhaps someone should alert the heartless antichrist bastards in the White House that people with morality are getting sick of their lies.
Maybe someone should tell this story to the people in Ireland, and the people in the Middle East, and to those fighting about Christianity and land and stupid stupid mistakes made hundreds and thousands of years before.
Maybe this should be a peace anthem.
<< | >>
- - March 22, 2010
always the same - July 01, 2008
b-a-n-a-n-a-s! - December 25, 2006
elementary again - October 29, 2006
I don't like you, but I love you - October 03, 2006