The Box
Words by Kendrew Lascelles
from John Denver - Poems, Prayers and Promises (1971)
"Once upon a time in the land of hush-a-bye,
around about the wondrous days of yore,
They came across a sort of box
Bound up with chains and locked with locks
And labeled, 'Kindly do not touch, it's war.'
A decree was issued 'round about --
All with a flourish and a shout
And a gaily coloured mascot
Tripping lightly on before --
'Don't fiddle with that deadly box
or break the chains or pick the locks
And please don't ever mess about with war.'
Well the children understood,
Children happen to be good
And were just as good around the time of yore.
They didn't try to pick the locks
Or break into that deadly box
And never tried to play about with war.
Mommies didn't either
Sisters, Aunts nor Grannies neither
'Cos they were quiet and sweet and pretty
In those wondrous days of yore,
Well very much the same as now
And not the ones to blame somehow
For opening up that deadly box of war,
But someone did...
Someone battered in the lid
And spilled the insides out across the floor,
A sort of bouncy bumpy ball
made up of flags and guns and all
The tears and the horror and the death
That goes with war.
It bounced right out
And went bashing all about
And bumping into everything in store
And what is sad and most unfair
was that it didn't really seem to care
Much who it bumped, or why,
Or what, or for.
It bumped the children mainly
And I'll tell you this quite plainly,
It bumps them everyday and more and more
And leaves them dead and burned and dying
Thousands of them sick and crying,
'Cos when it bumps it's very, very sore.
There is a way to stop the ball,
It isn't very hard at all,
All it takes is wisdom
And I'm absolutely sure
We could get it back into the box
And bind the chains and lock the locks
But no one seems to want to save the children anymore.
Well that's the way it all appears
'Cos it's been bouncing around for years and years
In spite of all the wisdom wizzed
Since those wondrous days of yore,
And the time they came across that box
Bound up with chains and locked with locks
And labeled, 'Kindly do not touch, it's war.'"
----
Rick
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"THE PEACE POEM"
There's a name for war and killing,
There's a name for giving in
When you know another answer
For me the name is sin
But there's still time to turn around
And make all hatred cease
And give another name to living
And we could call it peace.
And peace would be the road we walk
Each step along the way
And peace would be the way we work
And peace the way we play.
And in all we see that's different
And in all the things we know
Peace would be the way we look
And peace the way we grow.
There's a name for separation
There's a name for first and last
When it's all of us or nothing
For me the name is past
But there still is time to turn around
And make all hatred cease
And give a name to all the future
And we could call it peace.
And if peace is what we pray for
And peace is what we give
Then peace will be the way we are
And peace the way we live.
Yes there still is time to turn around
And make all hatred cease,
Let's give another name to living
And we can call it peace.
Ann
Puma wrote in message <3BA620...@hotmail.moc>...
Rick
aerie wrote:
>
> Just wanted to add, Rick, that this recording is available on John's "Poems,
> Prayers and Promises" album, released in 1971 (this' the album with Country
> Roads on it too).
>
> Ann
>
> Puma wrote in message <3BA620...@hotmail.moc>...
> >Given the current situation in this country and the world, I was
> >reminded of this poem that John Denver recorded.
> >
> >The Box
> >Words by Kendrew Lascelles
> >from John Denver - Poems, Prayers and Promises (1971)
> >
> >"Once upon a time in the land of hush-a-bye,
> >around about the wondrous days of yore,
-snip-
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