Tuesday, February 20, 2018

It better end soon my friends (2/20/2018)

Can't stand it no more
The people dying
Crying for help for so many years
But nobody hears
Better end soon my friend
It better end soon my friend

This is the first part of a song by Chicago (Transit Authority ... as they called themselves initially) self titled first album.  The song is titled "It better end soon my friends."  This is what came to mind after the latest high school shooting in southern Florida.  No shit, it better end soon, all those mass shootings!  

The song was a protest song against the Vietnam War and the police and national guard  actions against protest demonstrations, but boy does the text of this first verse hit home.  I really liked this tune when I grew up.  Not only because I was a pacifist and anti war, but just the composition.  It was one of those long tunes they did not play on the radio.  Being a Dutchman, I initially did not listen to the words, accept maybe the first verse.  Whatever, it is still appropriate to today's situation (except with the war reference may need to be replaced by the word guns or mass murders or school shootings).

Can't take it no more
The people hating
Hurting their brothers
They don't understand
They can't understand
Better end soon my friend
It better end soon

That verse could easily talk about those nuts hunting down their fellow man in mass shooting and about the unwillingness of people on both sides of the gun control dispute to talk with each other.  Folk, we need to do something about guns, especially about these assault weapons like the AR-15.  They are not used for hunting; they are only to kill your fellow human beings, to rip off pieces of human flesh.  The argument that we need to arm teachers does not hold; can you imagine a shoot-out between a teacher holding a 9 mm handgun and a killer with an assault weapon with panicking students in between?  Especially a teacher who is not trained?  This is SWAT team work, guys.  

We need to stand up, fight the NRA and get some sane gun control passed.  The tune ends like this:


No more dying!
No more killing
No more dying
No more fighting
We don't want to die
No, we don't want to die
Please let's change it all
Please let's make it all
Good for the present
And better for the future
Let's just love one another
Let's show peace for each other
We can make it happen
Let's just make it happen
We can change this world
Please let's change this world
Please let's make it happen for our children
For our women
Change the world
Please make it happen
Come on
Come on
Please
Come on
It's up to me
It's up to you
So let's do it now
Yeah
Do it now

Yes, maybe there are war reference in the tune that do not fit into the gun argument here, but I understand that some of the gun enthusiasts see this as a war against them, which it isn't.  Suffice it to say, this is still a great tune almost 50 years old and still relevant.  There is a lot in there that still applies to today.  Folks let's do something about it and save our children.  It better end soon my friends!

p.s. I'll get back and take you into the woods behind our home soon, I promise, as long as there is no other disaster or issue that I feel the need to write about.



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