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about
Another one from the Before the Dawn performance at Loncon 3, the 2014 Worldcon in London. The Sage is not a supporter of war.
lyrics
Playing Soldiers
The sun shines on the furrowed field, the farmer drives the plough,
His wife is sweetly singing as she goes to milk the cow,
The dog dreams on the doorstep, and a bird sings on the bough,
And the little ones are outside playing soldiers.
The moon shines on the city streets, on chimney top and spire,
And touches every angle with a gleam of lunar fire,
And in the shadowed alley there's a whisper of desire,
The streets are full of young men playing soldiers.
The war has racked this land of ours too many nights and days,
The war respects no person, there's no rule the war obeys,
The losers are the ashes in its all-consuming blaze,
And the winners gain the freedom to grow older.
From up here in my attic I have scanned the troubled skies,
My studies have revealed the future clearly to my eyes,
And my soul is sick within me at the carnage and the lies,
For the nations are not done with playing soldiers.
Resistance like a canker breeds within these slighted walls,
The wrong done by the conqueror for bloody vengeance calls,
If two can find each other when that greater darkness falls,
They must put aside the joys of playing soldiers.
The peace that lies upon us now will have its fragile day,
But greater wars are coming that could sweep the world away,
The children must be taught that there are saner games to play,
For hate is cold, but death is so much colder,
And playing dead's the hardest part of playing soldiers.
credits
released August 26, 2021
Lyrics & tune: Zander Nyrond (Zanda Myrande)
Vocals: Rhodri James (The Sage)
Before the Dawn Band: Mal Mortimore, bass / Chris O'Shea, guitars / Anne Whitaker, keyboard / James Whitaker, drums & percussion / Mike Whitaker, guitars
Recorded at the Worldcon in London, Loncon 3, in 2014
Photo: Silke Kovar, at the UK filkcon in Grantham in 2014
Zanda Myrande/Zander Nyrond/Jonathan Waite/Andrew Lyng had many names. Zanda was the newest (only found in 2016) and
probably the most important one.
Zan was an amazing writer, songwriter, and person, and her brain was basically an ant hill where every ant carried a book around.
She died very suddenly in July 2019, aged 63.
This page tries to collect what friends did and do with her songs....more
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