Thursday, November 04, 2010

The Rally and the Peace Train

Dan and I went to the Jon Stewart/Steven Colbert "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" last weekend in Washington DC. I was loving being in such a huge (more than 200,000) peaceful, determined crowd! People generously made room for me and my scooter, Dan and Jacky Gallivan too. It was like being in a vast sea of friends of all types and sizes and colors. Being the day before Halloween there were some far-out costumes too.

The high point for me was when Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens came on stage and began his wonderful song 'Peace Train'. The song was rudely interrupted in a planned comedy riff that - for me at least - fell flat. I wanted to go on that train! The song wove in and out of the riff, competing with other train songs, but it touched a wellspring of hope in me that is flowing even now.

The lyrics of the song, the urgency of it, are playing in and out of my days and nights since then. I just googled it and found the lyrics and want to memorize them:


Now I've been happy lately
Thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be
Something good has begun

I've been smiling lately
Dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be
Something good's bound to come

For out on the edge of darkness
There runs the peace train
Peace train take this country
Come take me home again

Peace train sounding louder
Ride on the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
Come on the peace train

Peace train's a holy roller
Everyone jump upon the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
This is the peace train

Get your bags together
Come bring your good friends too
Because it's getting nearer
Soon it will be with you

Come and join the living
It's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer
Soon it will all be true

Peace train sounding louder
Ride on the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
Come on the peace train

I've been crying lately
Thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating?
Why can't we live in bliss?

For out on the edge of darkness
There rides the peace train
Peace train take this country
Come take me home again

Peace train sounding louder
Ride on the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
Come on the peace train
Come on, come on, come on the peace train...

Labels: