On a tour of Japan, I was asked to write a peace song to perform with school children at the Peace Park in Hiroshima. It had to be simple and singable. I was thinking of a samba when I wrote it, and it’s rendered here. I was almost embarrassed at the simplicity and vulnerability of the lyrics – it’s so rare we say out loud what we really believe. But my trepidation and doubt was overcome when I saw how much the kids loved the song and believed it. Who am I to let my old, weary cynicism define their world for them?
Looking down on Earth from up in space
They say it’s really not that big a place
Chorus
We share the same rain
We share the same sky
We share the same pledge
Our work will never cease
We share the same world
We share the same dream
We share the same song
We sing for peace
All rivers run from mountains to the sea
The breezes blow the same for you and me
Chorus
One by one our numbers they will grow
Voice by voice we speak the truth we know
Chorus, 2 times
© Bill Harley, all rights reserved. Reprints with permission only.