Night turns into day
Day turns into night

Sparkles light the sky
Bombs drop down

Buildings collapse
Streets fill with broken glass

Lost your father
Lost your mother

Lost your sister
Lost your brother

Lost your son
Lost your daughter

There’s a price to pay
Night turns into day

Leaves fall
Rain drops

Sun shine
Night frost

Why do we live
Why do we die

Why do we love
Why do we hate

Why do we sing
Why do we create

Ask these questions

What is love

Love is unconditional

The soldier has his gun
He shoots the sun

Blots out the light
The soldier is scared

He aims for their eyes
Troops advance the lies

Hate is everywhere
Love is rare

Love can’t be seen
Love’s the invisible enemy

Love can’t be heard
Love has no place

Love isn’t there
It can’t be traced

Love’s not a word
It can’t be said

The soldier shoots a round
The bullet ricochets

One side loses 23
The other 16

A truce is brokered
No one wins

The fight goes on
The cycle never ends

Who won
Who lost

What’s gained
What was sacrificed

The soldier thrusts his knife
Swings his arms to save his life

Who sinned
Who lived

The war has to end

The war’s inside our heads

Love is unconditional

The leaders say
This is why we have to pay

They set the terms
And the price

They buy the guns
And fund the caskets

They can’t be wrong
In our eyes

That’s how we live
That’s how we die

We never ask why
We never cry

Lost your father
Lost your mother

Lost your sister
Lost your brother

Lost your son
Lost your daughter

That’s how life begins and ends
So simple yet so complex

The soldier isn’t paid
To ask if he’s being played

He’s paid to kill
He’s paid for the blood spill

But he was once a child
Like all of us

He didn’t know what violence was
He looked up for solace

He was held and loved
He was cared for

He was scared and fearful
He ran from the unknown

He was protected and warm
Safe from harm

Needed human touch
Needed reassurance

That was so long ago

He watched the days go by
The ebb and flow

He grew into a man and saw the show
There was no one and nothing left

He lost the trust and warmth

Picked up a gun for solace
Shot it into the sun

This is how love goes

It’s a flower growing from concrete
Like a weed that must be killed

Love is unconditional

Love can’t be controlled
Love can’t be owned

Can’t be paid
Can’t be owed

Can’t be bought
Can’t be sold

That violence in the street
That’s not love

Love is unconditional

Wake up from your spell

Love is unconditional

No god
No signs

No life
No death

No words
No lies

No sea
No tide

No divide

No gun
No sun

No death
No breath

No king
No pawn

No right
No wrong

No house
No home

No together
No alone

No freedom
No limit

No hunger
No food

No war
No peace

Why do we live
Why do we die

Love is unconditional

Wake up from your spell

Love is unconditional

Lyrics by Josh Haden
© 2023