Singers Of Life
from: I Hear Your Voice
Molly LaRue was a very dear friend of my big sister Julie. Molly and her fiancé Geoff Hood were murdered on the Appalachian Trail in September of 1990. My sister Julie had been on the trail with Molly and Jeff only days before the murder. When Lynn and I moved to Cleveland last year, we became fast friends with Molly's parents, Jim and Connie LaRue. Jim shared with me a story. At a memorial service for Molly and Jeff, a passage was read that spoke of the Raven coming to the hollow where the songbirds sing. As the Raven robbed the nests of the songbirds, they cried out in alarm and in anger. As the cry spread through the whole hollow, the songbirds chased the Raven away. They sang out of their grief and found healing. Then they noticed the power of all those voices working together, and sang out of sheer wonder. The last line of the passage said, "Oh ye birds of death! You have no place here for we are singers of life!"
We are mothers without sons,
Their lives were lost to angry guns
We are fathers in the street,
We raise our voice with marching feet
Sing with anger, Sing with fear,
Sing with laughter through our tears
Sing with power in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
We are children of every faith,
We are people of every race
Still we are branches of one great tree,
Whose roots are freedom and dignity
Sing for beauty and relief,
Sing for healing in our grief
Sing for triumph in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
And in union we are strong,
When we raise our voice in song
We will work for what is Just,
And persevere because we must
Sing with anger, Sing with fear,
Sing with laughter through our tears
Sing with power in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
We are people both far and near,
Who refuse to live in fear
And with compassion as our guide,
We will wage peace we will abide
Sing for beauty and relief,
Sing for healing in our grief
Sing for triumph in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
Sing with anger, Sing with fear,
Sing with laughter through our tears
Sing with power in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
Sing for beauty and relief,
Sing for healing in our grief
Sing for triumph in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
We are singers, Singers of life
We are mothers without sons,
Their lives were lost to angry guns
We are fathers in the street,
We raise our voice with marching feet
Sing with anger, Sing with fear,
Sing with laughter through our tears
Sing with power in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
We are children of every faith,
We are people of every race
Still we are branches of one great tree,
Whose roots are freedom and dignity
Sing for beauty and relief,
Sing for healing in our grief
Sing for triumph in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
And in union we are strong,
When we raise our voice in song
We will work for what is Just,
And persevere because we must
Sing with anger, Sing with fear,
Sing with laughter through our tears
Sing with power in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
We are people both far and near,
Who refuse to live in fear
And with compassion as our guide,
We will wage peace we will abide
Sing for beauty and relief,
Sing for healing in our grief
Sing for triumph in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
Sing with anger, Sing with fear,
Sing with laughter through our tears
Sing with power in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
Sing for beauty and relief,
Sing for healing in our grief
Sing for triumph in our strife,
We are singers, Singers of life
We are singers, Singers of life
© 2001, 2003 Joe Jencks