As I Was Walking

from A Place To Stay by Kevin McSherry

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about

I have a friend who is a member of the movement, Veterans For Peace. They are men and women who have seen active service in the military and who now campaign for peaceful methods of conflict resolution. He and his fellow activists have experienced extreme and very public abuse, been spat on and derided as cowards and traitors. They are the opposite and have my greatest support and respect. We don’t have to live the same mistakes as our forebears, we can learn from theirs. This song asks us to search out the best in people. It’s underlying message is that we will create joy only by seeking out our common good.

lyrics

As I was walking one day in December
I met with a soldier so cold and so grey
His uniform sat with his figure like strangers
His body week from the toil of the day
In his dark eyes I saw a man broken
A City of rubble, the buildings all gone
And in that moment I saw a vision
Of chaos that chilled my soul right to the bone

We walked without words for a while to an ale house
Where we supped good stew till our plates were wiped clean
Then only then did he break his silence
To speak of a vision of what might have been
We can dwell on the hurt, we can dwell on the insult
We can look for the devil within
Or we can choose to see what can bind us
To find what is beautiful under the skin

He said when I was a boy I played the brave soldier
I marched as a young man in uniform red
With comrades I strode on the cobbles of strange towns
Re-living and not-doubting the stories we’d read
Yet I have seen that what we have in common
Is greater than all that which holds us apart
Our lives and our loves, our struggles, our fortune
Our music, our laughter the joy in our hearts

We can bring this joy right here in our own land
Justice and fortune could be equally shared
We can nurture the earth and our neighbours together
For together our futures are much better prepared
We can dwell on the hurt, we can dwell on the insult
We can look for the devil within
Or we can choose to see what can bind us
To find what is beautiful under the skin

credits

from A Place To Stay, released June 10, 2022

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Kevin McSherry Clapham, UK

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