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Memorial Day

from A Step Ahead by Laura Zucker

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lyrics

In a town in California on a hillside off the highway you can see as you drive through
Stand thousands of crosses made of wood and painted white, some are older, some are new
To put us in mind of the soldiers who’ve died

And of the price that we pay when ideas turn to words and then too quickly turn to war
I’m proud of my country, but my heart sinks a little deeper as each day I count more
And I sigh and say- there’s got to be a better way

In Seattle; down in New Orleans; in Highland Park, New Jersey; in Nashville Tennessee
It’s a whisper; you can’t quite make it out
We’ve got to keep that whisper growing until it becomes a shout
That we will never lose another child to war.
That’s not what a Mother’s tears are for
Our hearts are aching for all those hearts breaking
For the losses that we tally at the end of every May
Every Memorial Day

We have raised every child to be loving, to play fair, and to do whatever’s right
To be kind and upstanding
Then we send them off with weapons and we tell them they must fight
How does a Mother reconcile her pride with the news her child has just died?

There are proms, graduations
Home runs and recitals, there is dancing in the rain
Curtain calls and reunions
A mother’s tears ought to come from her joy, not her pain
Let’s create some other choices
By raising our voices

In Chicago; down in East L.A. In South Bend Indiana, in Allentown PA
It’s a whisper; you can’t quite make it out
We’ve got to keep that whisper growing until it becomes a shout
That we will never lose another child to war.
That’s not what a Mother’s tears are for
Our hearts are aching for all those hearts breaking
For the losses that we tally at the end of every May- Every Memorial Day

We need a visual reminder; a tribute to the strong and the brave
But speaking for myself, I know which is worse
Following the leader, or following a hearse

In Durango; up in Albany; in Phoenix, Arizona, in Washington DC
It’s a whisper; you can’t quite make it out
We’ve go to keep that whisper growing until it becomes a shout
That we will never lose another child to war.
That’s not what a Mother’s tears are for
Our hearts are aching for all those hearts breaking
For the losses that we tally at the end of every May- Every Memorial Day
Every Memorial Day

credits

from A Step Ahead, released February 28, 2013

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Laura Zucker San Francisco, California

Singer-songwriter Laura Zucker wins audiences over with a hard-won perspective and a positive spin. The powerful imagery of her songs and stories ring so true you might think she’s read your diary - and you’ll find yourself humming her infectious melodies for days to come. ... more

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