This is the lyric to my newest song, finished a couple of weeks ago and performed on stage three times now. The third time I managed to sing it without getting choked up. I suspect that I will write more verses to this one and switch them out on different occasions, but this is the song as I now intend to record it. It is inspired by real experiences, the first verse in Bosnia and the second in Guatemala City. The end of the first verse refers to the Pontamina Interfaith Choir of Sarajevo. I got to visit their choir practice when I was there, and I was deeply moved by the important and courageous thing they are doing.
The second verse refers to learning of my friend Aimee’s death while I was in Guatemala City. I have been trying to write this song for about six years, haunted by the simple chorus, but not sure how to finish it. Maybe Aimee left that for me as a parting gift. It will be recorded for my next CD, which I hope to start recording later this year.
The words that make up the chorus are often attributed to Francis of Assisi. Good words, and true.
David
July 22, 2013
Just One Candle
The closest I’ve flown to the face of a war
Was into Sarajevo on a wing and a prayer
The shells didn’t fly from the hills any more
But the people were haunted, there was fear in the air
And the city was cratered from the shells and the rounds
Like rain on a puddle, like the face of the moon
They buried the bodies ‘til they filled up the ground
In the grass on the highway, they just ran out of room
But the people have gathered in the middle of town
With the songs they hold sacred, of a time coming soon
From their different traditions they are singing the sound
Of their future together, and they’re singing in tune
And all the darkness in the world can’t extinguish the light of just one candle
All the darkness in the world can’t extinguish the light of just one candle
I got word overseas that an old friend had died
She was bright eyed and laughing, she was gone far too young
My body and spirit felt hollow inside
And I wanted to cry out, but no words would come
So I walked through the night in a dangerous town
Where the gunfire can sound like the Fourth of July
But I looked up by chance and the stars shining down
Tore the wind from my lungs and the rain from my eyes
Because just like my friend, those stars are now gone
And that light has been traveling for thousands of years
So the light that we shine seems to go on and on
Like those rays crossed the cosmos to refract through my tears
And all the darkness in the world can’t extinguish the light of just one candle
All the darkness in the world can’t extinguish the light of just one candle
(Bridge:)
You can shrug and say love is a powerless tool
That the real world is heartless and that hope is for fools
But I’ve watched for the sunrise, and the truth is I’ve found
It’s not Light that is fragile, it’s the other way ‘round
And all the darkness in the world can’t extinguish the light of just one candle
All the darkness in the world can’t extinguish the light of just one candle
“It’s not Light that is fragile, it’s the other way ‘round”
You did it on this one, David — ended the song with the most important concept in the whole thing. What a GREAT line.
I revisited this song because I heard you sing it, and it made me think again of my friend Aimee Wallis Buchanan… but as I keep listening, over and over, it’s going from being about Aimee for me to the real depth and meaning of the song.
I’ve been thinking a lot about light, especially in dark times I’ve experienced in the past year:
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light,”
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not [cannot, WILL NOT] overcome it,”
“Let your light shine before others…”
Light has been a recurring theme in your work, I know, all the way back to “In the Light.” I guess all I can say is thank you, and I appreciate you and your gifts and your music. You and your music are important in my life.
Thank you.
I am moved by your words and look forward to hearing you sing them.
I sure can’t wait to sing it for you, Deb. Nice to have that on the calendar already. 😉
These lyrics are absolutely beautiful. Thank you for writing about your experiences so poignantly, you move us to think on deeper things.
Thank you, Shez. I’m grateful for your words, too. 😉