Hear All the Bombs Fade Away

Sons and Daughters
by The Decemberists

When we arrive
Sons and daughters
We'll make our homes on the water
We'll build our walls aluminum
We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon, now.

These currents pull us across the border
Steady you boats
Arms to shoulder
Till tides are pulled
Hold our ground
Making this cold harbor now home

Take up your arms
Sons and daughters
We will arise from the bunkers
By land, by sea, by dirigible
We'll leave our tracks untraceable, now.

When we arrive
Sons and daughters
We'll make our lives on the water
We'll build our wall with aluminum
We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon.

Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away
Hear all the bombs fade away...

I don't feel like rehashing the last twenty-four hours but I will say one thing; officials at Virginia Tech keep referring to yesterday's events as "a tragedy" but tragedy simply isn't a word strong enough to convey the horror of what happened.
I received this email written by someone who was at The Decemberists show last night, I thought that perhaps it is more fitting than anything I could say:

"Near the end of the show, the played "Sons and Daughters." Near the end of the song, Collin (Malloy the lead singer and songwriter) stopped and said he wanted the entire audience to sing the ending line over and over again. Then he said that they would be remiss if they didn't mention the shootings in Virginia. He said that The Decemberists use violent imagery in their songs, but they don't want anyone to think that they are glorifying violence. Then he talked about how violence belongs in fiction only and how we should all hope for and work towards a less violent society. He asked us to think of the students and families in Virginia as we sang, "Hear all the bombs fade away."
This doesn't seen to translate to email well, but I thought it was a really great way of using music to deal with the tragedy."

I think so too.
-Becky