
I've generally refrained from writing political material in recent times. I worry that if I start down that road, it'll be all I write about, seeing as there's no shortage of crisis, warfare, and scandals everywhere you look. That said, once in a while I find that when I pick up my guitar, the only thing my fingers want to do is play foreboding melodies that bring the dark thoughts in my mind to life in song form.
Try as I might to fight this urge, I find myself giving in on occasion. The most recent of these came a few weeks ago, when, overwhelmed with images of bloodied streets, starving children and casualties of war in the Middle East on the news, I found myself imagining the experiences of people in those war-torn lands, and writing about them. The result was a song inspired by the uncertain times and fraught geopolitical landscape we live in. I've played this song live a few times now and the reception has been solid so it's one I intend to keep around. It might even make it onto a record someday, but until then, I give you, No One Knows.
1 There’s a boy, in bed at night One question on his mind Will he live to see the sunrise Piercing through the blinds No one knows No one knows 2 There’s a girl, she waits by the sea Her bare feet, caked in sand Will she find a home, and be free In a faraway land No one knows No one knows And I find From place to place Time and chance Govern these lands Nothing’s a given Everything’s driven By forces out of our hands 3 There’s a place, the soil red with blood Bodies line the streets Mothers’ tears, they flow like floods Crying out for peace No one knows No one knows There’s a man, in bed tonight One question on his mind
P.S.: My debut non-fiction book, Art Is The Way, and my middle-grade novella, A Hollade Christmas, are out everywhere now. You can get them in all good bookstores and from all major online vendors.