We Sing for Peace

Words and music by Bill Harley
© 2017 Round River Music (BMI)

Bill tells us, “I wrote this song for a performance I did in Hiroshima in 2014. The organizers wanted me to perform my songs with a group of school children and asked if I would write a song about peace for them. I wrote this song with a children’s chorus in mind, trying to keep the melody and words simple and true. In fact, I’m almost embarrassed at their simplicity, and sometimes feel vulnerable when I sing it, since I’m saying something I truly believe, which I often avoid. At the performance at the Peace Park in Hiroshima, the children’s voices and enthusiasm reminded me that passing on my doubt or cynicism isn’t worthy of me.

“The third verse, ‘From where we stand…,’ was written knowing I would be singing it in Hiroshima—a worthwhile pilgrimage for all humans.”