Also stuck in my head:
"No More" (Eddie Vedder)
from the soundtrack for Into the Wild and the documentary Body of War
I speak for a man who gave for this land
took a bullet in the back for his pay
spilled his blood in the dirt and the dust
and he's come back to say
That what he has seen is hard to believe
and it does no good to just pray
he asks of us to stand, and we must end this war today
With his mind he's saying, NO MORE
With his heart he's saying, NO MORE
With his life he's saying, NO MORE war
With his eyes he's saying, NO MORE
With his body he's saying, NO MORE
With his voice he's saying, NO MORE war
Nothing's too good for a Veteran
yeh, this is what they say
so nothing is what they will get
in this new American way
The lies that were told to get us to go
were criminal, let us be straight
let's get to the point where our voices are heard
behind the White House gate
With our minds we're saying
With our hearts we're saying
With our lives we're saying
With our eyes we're saying
With our bodies we're saying
With our voices we're saying
NO MORE innocents dying
NO MORE terrorizing
NO MORE eulogizing
NO MORE evangelizing
NO MORE Presidents lying
NO MORE War.
1 comment:
Sarah, perhaps your blog isn’t the ideal place to post this, but I felt compelled to write these thoughts. Eddie Vedder, what more can be said that hasn’t already been written by better writers than I. Eddie is a master musician, and a master human being. Eddie Vedder wrote the song “No More” for Tomas Young, an Iraq War veteran, my fellow member of Iraq Veterans Against the War and the subject of the documentary film “Body of War”. Tomas Young survived his 5 days of Army service in Iraq, barely. Riding with 24 other soldiers in an open truck through Sadr City, Iraq in April of 2004, Tomas was shot just above the collar bone and the round exited through his spine at the T-4 level, upper back. Tomas is paralyzed, but Tomas has never given up, and he’s gone on to become an articulate and influential voice against the war in Iraq. In fact, Tomas has been described as one of the hardest working vets against the war, as well as a true hero. Eddie and Tomas became friends as they worked to put together the music for the compilation album: “Body of War – Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran”, see www.bodyofwar.com. Meeting and becoming friends with Eddie Vedder brought joy and happiness to Tomas Young, and who could possibly be more deserving of joy and happiness in a life filled with pain and permanent disability from service in an unjust war. Tomas Young’s story continues. He is currently in St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, MO, recovering from a pulmonary embolism and pneumonia, the result of a blood clot that originated in his right arm and was misdiagnosed at the VA. He is slowly recovering from this setback and I know everyone wishes him and his family well. Sarah, if you possibly can, please try to go see the documentary film “Body of War”, the film about Tomas and how Congress authorized the President to go to war in Iraq. You will undoubtedly be moved to tears by the film as I was, but you will also find that Tomas’ humor, insight and courage are evident throughout. I wish everyone in our country would go see “Body of War” when it’s showing in their area. I believe it is especially important to make the film known to as many people as possible. Thank you for allowing me to post this comment on your blog. If anyone might wish to reprint my comments, please do so. Oh by the way, I love cats too, couldn’t live without mine.
Mary Ann Schallert, Ocean Shores, WA
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