Lyrical Images
Historical & Literary References:
Holocaust Remembrance
Nazi Germany
First they came for the communists
Then they came for the Jews
But I wasn’t a communist
And I wasn’t a Jew
So I didn’t stand up
And I didn’t ask why
And by the time they came for me
There was no one left to ask why
from Mike’s song: “Stand Up”
Japanese American incarceration – also see:
Executive Order 9066
War Relocation Authority
The order came in ’42
From the president & they told us to
Take only what you can carry
from Mike’s song: “Take Only What You Can Carry”
John Muir – also see:
National Parks System
Sierra Club
Yosemite
I climbed up on a mountain during a wild storm
Not one to waste adventure
Staying comfortable and warm
The fierce wind bent sequoias
Just like little blades of grass
I didn’t want the moment to pass
from Mike’s song: “The Moment”
Any fool can destroy trees
Which stood so proudly for centuries withstanding fire, wind & disease
But not the test of fools like these from Mike’s song: “Any Fool”
Chief Dan George
Each day brings an hour of magic, listen
Things will whisper their secrets to you
You will know this, your life will show it
If you let it happen
from Mike’s song: “Let It Happen”
Navaho prayer
Beauty before me, beauty behind
Above, below, all around
from Mike’s song: “Beauty”
Martin Luther King, Jr. – also see:
Civil Rights Movement
Peace Movement
On the road to freedom, guided by a dream
It’s not the color of the cloth
But strength of fiber & of seam
Where justice flows like water
Like an everlasting stream
On the road to freedom
The dawning light will gleam
from Mike’s song: “On the Road to Freedom”
From Birmingham to Viet Nam
Johannesburg, Baghdad & Salvador
In spite of hate, oh love’s power is great
In such a time, just as this
from Mike’s song: “Such a Time as This”
Chief Joseph – also see:
Nez Perce
Hear me all you people
From where the sun now stands
I will fight no more forever from Mike’s song: “Fight No More Forever”
Saint Francis – also see:
Where there is hatred, let me sow
Love, pardon, life & joy
Wherever I go
Where there is darkness, let me show
Light & hope in the face of despair Wherever I go from Mike’s song: “Wherever I Go”
Habitat for Humanity – also see:
No matter who we are
No matter where we roam
Everyone of us deserves a home
from Mike’s song: “Everyone of Us”
William Blake – also see:
English poets
Can I see another’s woe
And not in sorrow be also?
Can I see another’s grief
And not seek kind relief?
from Mike’s song: “Another’s Woe”
English poets
Not for your eyes, nor for your hair
Lips or your words or your smile so fair
Not for your wit, your neck or your breast
Your tender kisses & all the rest
I love you not for each thing small
I love you darling for them all
from Mike’s song: “The Compliment”
If it be love, give me a storm
Be hot or cold, but not lukewarm
Oh crown my joy or ease my pain
Give me more love, or more distain
from Mike’s song: “Mediocrity Rejected”
Anti-war songs:
See all songs on “The Strangest Dream” Listen on CDBaby.
Biblical References:
Verse: Micah 6:8, in Mike’s song: “What Does the Lord Require of Thee”
Verse:I Corinthians 13 in Mike’s song: “Nothing Without Love”
Verse: Matthew 5:1-12 & Luke 6:20-23, in Mike’s song: “Blessed Peace”
Verse: Esther 4:14, in Mike’s song: “Such a Time”
Verse: Psalm 85:6-11, in Mike’s song: “Revive Us Again”
Verse: Psalm 85:10-11, in Mike’s song: “Peace and Justice Will Kiss”
Verse: Psalm 72, in Mike’s song: “Blessed Be God’s Name”
Verse: Isaiah 61, in Mike’s song: “Jubilee”
Verse: Luke 14:28-30, in Mike’s song: “Count Well the Cost”
Verse: Revelations 7:3, in Mike’s song: “Hurt Not the Earth”
Verse: Amos 5:24, in Mike’s song: “Road to Freedom”
Verse: Psalm 24:1, in Mike’s song: “Glory”
Verse: Luke 4:16-18, in Mike’s song: “Standing in Oppression’s Way”