ADDENDUM As we remember the events of September 11th, 2001, let us also keep in mind and prayers the folks who are today in the path of Hurricane Ike: Galveston and parts of Houston south of the city and near the coast are under a mandatory evacuation order effective at noon (local time) today.
There are times when silence cannot speak
And words are much too weak
That is when only a song will do
Kingdom Come—The Fireman’s Song
Judy Collins
It was seven months since 9/11
And the work was almost done
It was seven months since 9/11
And the work had just begun
Ground Zero lit the evening sky
Like a beacon through the heart
The searchlights drove through Heaven’s doors
And blew them far apart
A few miles north on the Hudson River
We had gathered for a sort of wake
Nobody felt like celebrating
But the Firemen needed some kind of break
They’d been to so many funerals
And seen so many God-awful sights
They’d been to Ground Zero from dawn to dusk
And round the clock some nights
To Kingdom come, to hell and gone
To somewhere far away
Where murder doesn’t break the heart
On a sunny day
I was all dressed up like the rest of the crowd
At the Roxy Club that night
The men and women in Uniform
Tried hard to keep it light
Kevin Bacon played and sang
And folks began to smile
Chris Bodi played his silver horn
With rhythm and with style
I sang my song Amazing Grace
And people laughed and cried
Ronan Tynan sang Danny Boy and
Not an eye was dry
Steve Buscemi spoke of life
At Engine 55,
Of how these heroes
Stayed the course and
Saved so many lives
To Kingdom come, to hell and gone
To somewhere far away
Where murder doesn’t break the heart
On a sunny day
A burly man with a handsome face
Stuck out his hand and smiled
Say, meet my wife, we like your songs
We’ve been with you mile for mile
Though he had a rugged face
I knew I saw the hurt
Then he pointed to a spot above the collar of his shirt.”
“Just look here on the back of my neck,
There’s a tattoo, can you see?
Just right here,” I got up close
And saw the number 343,
The number of the Firemen
Who were lost upon that day
The numbers of those heroes,
Ground Zero was their grave
To Kingdom come, to hell and gone
To somewhere far away
Where murder doesn’t break the heart
On a sunny day
Those firemen loaded up with gear
Climbed to their death’s that day
Along with all the other hundreds
Blasted on their way
Police and EMS and those
On whom death took its toll
And more whose dreams will never dawn,
More than three thousand souls
I left the party after that
I could not stay my tears,
For all our gifts for all our hopes
For all our nameless fears
For all our heroes, men and women
Lost on that black day
Those firemen with courage
In their hearts so strong and brave,
Who made sure in their final hours
There were 30,000 saved.
They’ve gone to where there are no tears
And every heart is gay,
And they won’t be forgotten on a sunny day
To Kingdom come, to hell and gone
To somewhere far away
Where murder doesn’t break the heart
On a sunny day
Where murder doesn’t break the heart
On a sunny day.
by Rie Tanaka
as Lacus Clyne
from Gundam SEED DESTINY
konna ni tsumetai tobari no fukaku de In the cold depths behind the curtain, anata no yume wo miteta I had a dream of you, itsuka midori no asa ni Someday on a green morning, umarete kita hi ni dakishimete kureta I'm searching for those gentle hands, itsuka midori no asa e Someday moving towards a green morning, ima ga tada kono mune de For now, I just want to natsukashiku mada tooi Familiar yet distant,
anata wa hitori de nemutteru
inori no utagoe sabishii nohara wo
chiisana hikari ga terashiteta
You sleep alone.
The melodious voices of prayer,
Shines a tiny light onto the lonely fields.
kodomo no youni waratteta
natsukashiku mada tooku
sore wa mirai no yakusoku
You were laughing like a child.
Familiar yet distant,
That is the future's promise.
itsuka tadoritsukeru to
fuyugareta kono sora wo
shinjiteiru kara
Fields of hope
Someday I will get there,
Because I believe
In this desolate winter sky.
Fields of hope
yasashii ano te wo sagashiteru
inori no utagoe hitotsu kiete mata hajimaru
tayorinaku setsunaku tsudzuku
That embraced me the day I was born.
A single voice of prayer disappears,
And I start again, continuing tryingly by myself.
subete no yoru wo koete
sore wa tada hitorizutsu
mitsukete yuku basho dakara
I will overcome the nights,
Because that is a place
That I have to find alone.
anata wo atatametai
natsukashiku mada tooi
yasuragi no tame ni
Fields of hope
Warm you with my chest.
Familiar yet distant,
The tranquility we strive for.
Fields of hope
yakusoku no nohara
Fields of hope
Fields of hope
The promised fields.
Fields of hope
Fields of hope
That's a great way to remember a shameful day in history, Nick. I've always liked Judy Collins.
ReplyDeleteThe songs said so much more than words alone.
ReplyDeleteI iz sad dat so many hoomin beanz dieded and waz hurtz jist cause other hoomin beanz wantz to hurtz dem. OK?
ReplyDeleteDat aint nice. OK?
I iz sad fir all hoomin beanz. OK?
Reverend,
ReplyDeleteThis is my prayer this evening...for fields of hope,
and an amber flame of peace to sing through the night,
Blessings of light and peace,
M
i can still remember that day like it happened yesterday, i just couldn't believe what my eyes saw...
ReplyDeletehey nick, finally got round to blogging again after a few days ... hope all good with you and alex. will drop in again soon :o)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate those videos and songs.
ReplyDeleteI especially liked the song/poem by Rie Tanaka. Thank you for this post!
ReplyDeletePuss-in-Boots: Thank you. I believe that the story that her song tells is so sympathetic and empathetic as to express universal emotions.
ReplyDeleteFiochra: Yes, I agree. For me, a song can be much more powerful that rhetoric in expressing much.
Alex: Yes, we humans can do terrible things. 9/11 proves that; but it also proves that we humans can do heroic and compassionate things, too.
Maithri: Thank you. That is a potent prayer.
Sweets: Yes, I can remember that day in extreme detail from the moment my mother telephoned me and said “Turn on your TV” onwards. It was a day on one shock after another.
Maxxo: I rather think that I was visiting you while you were visiting me!
Candi: Thank you.
Thomas: You are most welcome! I stumbled onFields of Hope by chance. I am glad that I did.
Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nick.
May we all heal with love thus putting an end to separation and violence.
Carol: Thank you. I am in full agreement with your hope: the old world needs a lot of healing that I think only unconditional love and universal justice—God’s justice, not the human kind—can give us.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these songs Nick, they say so much. x
ReplyDeleteJudy Collins makes me cry....*sighs*
ReplyDeleteIn the future, people will think of these songs as amazing historical works of art... depending on their taste of music.
ReplyDelete` At least I and my five roommates have a happier date ahead of us... September 20. Moving out of this God-awful shoebox!
my heart hurts :(
ReplyDeleteMemories all over blogland. Now my thoughts are with Texas.
ReplyDelete