Rich Siegel"IN PALESTINE"
Rich Siegel and Dave Lippman, two Jewish writers, co-wrote a telling and haunting song about children dying in Palestine, and Rich Siegel played it beautifully on piano with his vocal accompaniment. In the process Rich tells of his awakening to what was hidden from him about Zionism and the history of the making of Israel.
We reproduce here the lyrics of the song, which has been written in memory of Abir Aramin, daughter of Basam Aramin and of the 437 children of Gaza who were killed by the Israelis in their Dec.08/Jan.09 invasion of Gaza.
The lyrics are copyright.
You can hear Rich’s rendition of the song and the comments by both the writers at: http://vimeo.com/6630724 The entire video lasts just 12 minutes.
Please see the note at the end of the lyrics.
We reproduce here the lyrics of the song, which has been written in memory of Abir Aramin, daughter of Basam Aramin and of the 437 children of Gaza who were killed by the Israelis in their Dec.08/Jan.09 invasion of Gaza.
The lyrics are copyright.
You can hear Rich’s rendition of the song and the comments by both the writers at: http://vimeo.com/6630724 The entire video lasts just 12 minutes.
Please see the note at the end of the lyrics.
"IN PALESTINE"
Music by Rich Siegel
Lyric by Dave Lippman and Rich Siege
Copyright 2009, all rights reserved
You tell me all peoples need land of their own
All the others have theirs, why not leave us alone?
We bought it, we brought it to bloom in the sun
It's ours- always was
We won't let them take back our homes and our trees
We won't have them driving us into the seas
That's why we are forcing them down on their knees(pause)
But the children are dying in Palestine
You tell me all peoples need land of their own
All the others have theirs, why not leave us alone?
We bought it, we brought it to bloom in the sun
It's ours- always was
We won't let them take back our homes and our trees
We won't have them driving us into the seas
That's why we are forcing them down on their knees(pause)
But the children are dying in Palestine
You tell me of centuries caught in despair
Pogroms, persecutions, and final solutions
The need of a homeland, safety for JewsI hear you
You tell me of hatred, of fear and attack
Of enemies everywhere, we must fight back
The border town's under the gun- (pause)
But a hundred to one, the children are dying in Palestine
Pogroms, persecutions, and final solutions
The need of a homeland, safety for JewsI hear you
You tell me of hatred, of fear and attack
Of enemies everywhere, we must fight back
The border town's under the gun- (pause)
But a hundred to one, the children are dying in Palestine
You say
There can never be peace'til their outrages cease
Of course, they say the same
You say it's not true that we forced them to leave
That Jews would do that you just cannot believe
The Arabs are treacherous, born to deceive
The hate us
Well, it's true we've been hated, but when we arrive
And take over their country in the name of our surviv-al
Is it any wonder that peace cannot thrive
While the children are dying in Palestine?
Of course, they say the same
You say it's not true that we forced them to leave
That Jews would do that you just cannot believe
The Arabs are treacherous, born to deceive
The hate us
Well, it's true we've been hated, but when we arrive
And take over their country in the name of our surviv-al
Is it any wonder that peace cannot thrive
While the children are dying in Palestine?
Instrumental break
I'm told
Every state has its Jews
Even Jews have their Jews
They've been there all along
You say we must search for some moderate way
We must find a middle ground to save the day
We shouldn't have settlements,
They shouldn't prey on our nation
But where is the middle and where the extremes?
We've settled their farmlands and stolen their streams
Our generous offers are not what they seem
And the children are dying in Palestine
We’re trapped in this horror, it won’t go away.
We’re trapped in this horror, it won’t go away.
We’ve conquered, but conquering won’t win the day
We inspire their hatred, we watch in dismay
It’s madness
Suppose we did take their land, planned it all along
Can we look at ourselves and admit we’ve done wrong
Can we all live together, can we all belong
Can we stop all this killing in Palestine?
Please God no more children dying in Palestine
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Notes:
The song can be downloaded at: http://richsiegel.bandcamp.com/
(You can pay whatever you like for this download, minimum $1. 20% of earnings will go to charities that help Palestinian children, including the following, in alphabetical order: Global Help Initiative for Palestine http://www.help-initiative.org/ Humanity without Borders humanitywithoutborders.ning.com Middle East Children's Alliance http://www.mecaforpeace.org/ Playgrounds for Palestine http://www.playgroundsforpalestine.org/ The balance will go to funding Rich Siegel's upcoming CD project "Spirit and Justice" which will include the song "In Palestine", and when that is complete, to other recording and video projects. Any parties interested in assisting with or taking a sponsorship role in these projects please contact Rich directly at rich@richsiegel.com.)
The song, Rich’s talk and Dave Lippman’s comments can also be seen on two You-tube videos. The total playing time for both the videos is 12 minutes.
Part 1, Dedication and Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x2axqjhI6g
Part 2, The Songwriters speak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojv1FWFGCgw&feature=channel
Rich Siegel website
http://www.richsiegel.com/
Dave Lippman’s website
http://www.davelippman.com/
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