Come on, people, come on, children
Come on down to the glory river.
Gonna wash you up, and wash you down,
Gonna lay the devil down, gonna lay that devil down.
I got fury in my soul, fury’s gonna take me to the glory goal
In my mind I can’t study war no more.
Save the people, save the children, save the country nowLaura Nyro – Save the Country
Thank you to everyone who contacted me to say they liked yesterday’s VE Day post. I wrote it in one intense and very quick session with hardly any editing, but it turned out to be one of my most satisfying and authentic pieces of writing in a long time. So many people said they found it moving, and several said the story of the Polish girl moved them to tears.
I’m very grateful to my dad and his generation for the sacrifices they made to defeat Nazism. But I feel uncomfortable with all the flag-waving and jingoism that seems to creep into so many of our national commemorations. At this time of global pandemic and planet-wide climate crisis, co-operation and fellowship across national boundaries is more important than ever.
Picture of River Barle, Devon ©Bobby Seal
Love to see Laura Nyro’s name!
What a joy it would be to be discovering Laura’s music for the first time!
Hear, hear!
I love your blog.
Hi Emily. This is what I love about the internet – you discover a blog that you like to follow and then I, in turn, check out your website and enjoy seeing some wonderful abstract paintings inspired by your walks in the deserts of the American West. Here: http://www.emilysilver.com/
The triumphalism of some of the VE day commemorations was difficult to contemplate. I second your hopes for cooperation and fellowship across nations as a result of this crisis – though the recent nationalistic surge over leaving the EU doesn’t seem to indicate a move in that direction. Just as we need each other more than ever, we seem intent on turning our backs on our friends and neighbours. Talk of ‘blitz spirit’ and Dunkirk is used to endorse insularity, not fellow feeling…
Thanks Simon.