[critique] new song

["R. S. Silverman" <gingi@xxxxxxxxx>]

About Tuesday, of course.  I want it to be as good as possible; don't
feel you have to be nice in your critique just because of the subject
matter.

copyright 2001 by Rachel S. Silverman

(scans approximately to "Queen of the May" by Dandelion Wine if you repeat
the refrain tune.)

It was nineteen-fourteen when a shot set the scene
That would lead Europe straight into war.
Some angry young kook had shot the archduke
And his Empire rose up with a roar.
It didn't seem right to crush Serbia's fight
Just freedom was all that they'd need...

  That was the end of the old days.
  Of wars of little renown.
  We can't go back to the old days
  From here things can only go down.

Mr. Wilson said no, the U.S. can't go!
Why should Europe need us to butt in?
Then "Lusitania" sank and out came the tanks
And our soldiers were soon quite dug in.
The trenches at night still had plenty of light
To show all the hits that were scored...

  That was the end of the old days.
  They said that soon freedom we'd see.
  We can't go back to the old days.
  Yet vengefulness still seems the key.

We thought we'd end war but yet there was more
In thirty-three the Nazis took power.
The Fascists joined them, and so did Japan
And the Axis was soon in full flower.
It seemed the Aryan race had a plan to displace
All the people it wanted to blame...

  And we can't go back to the old days
  When war was simple and small.
  No, we can't go back to the old days
  It seems that hate has us in thrall.

Despite Hitler's terrible plans Congress sat on its hands
And refused to send troops to help out.
It took a direct attack to make them fight back
And they sent troops to fight "Japs" and "the Krauts."
It was a war without face and all about race
And everyone must shoulder the blame...

  And we can't go back to the old days
  When we knew the people we fought
  No, we can't go back to the old days
  If hate is what everyone's taught.

Once we'd finished with Two what more could we do
We kept hating throughout the Cold War.
With nuclear bombs the world couldn't be calm
There was no closing of that stable door.
So the UN was in charge and police actions at large
The space race and arms sales held sway...

  And we can't go back to the old days
  When children could sleep without fears
  No, we can't go back to the old days
  When the world could be turned to a smear.

At last we had peace, between the Big Ones at least
And people soon danced in the streets.
But the terrorists came all wanting their game
More faceless now were our defeats.
And you never knew where their weapons would bear
You just hoped we wouldn't be next...

  And we can't go back to the old days
  When the world was big, countries small
  No, we can't go back to the old days
  For we'd lose too much over all.

[slower, no instruments]

It was two-thousand-one, the attack had begun
The start of a new longest day.
In shock and surprise I looked in children's eyes
And I tried to find something to say.
In the blink of an eye our lives went awry
And we'd be forever changed...

  How can we learn from the old days?
  We don't even know who, what, or why.
  Why can't it be like the old days?
  When there might have been reasons to die.

-- 
--<@
Rachel S. Silverman
"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way." --Bertrand Russell