Paul McCartney's "Pipes of Peace": Christmas 1914

PAUL MCCARTNEY

PIPES OF PEACE

"I light a candle to our love In love our problems disappear

• But all in all we soon discover

  That one and one is all we long to hear
• All round the world Little children being born to the world

  Got to give them all we can till the war is won

  Then will the work be done
• Help them to learn (help them to learn)

  Songs of joy instead of burn, baby, burn, (burn, baby burn)

  Let us show them how to play the pipes of peace

  Play the pipes of peace
• Help me to learn
• Songs of joy Instead of burn, baby, burn

  Won't you show me to play, (how to play) the pipes of peace, (pipes of peace)

  Play the pipes of peace
• What do you say? (what do you say)

  Will the human race be run in a day? (in a day)

  Or will someone save this planet we're playing on?

  Is it the only one? (what are we going to do?)
• Help them to see (help them to see)

  That the people here are like you and me, (you and me)

  Let us show them how to play, (how to play)

  The pipes of peace (pipes of peace)

  Play the pipes of peace Ooh...

  I light a candle to our love In love our problems disappear

  But all in all we soon discover That one and one is all we long to hear
• All 'round the world Little children being born to the world

  Got to give them all we can 'til the war is won

  Then will the work be done
• Help them to learn (help them to learn)

  Songs of joy instead of burn, baby, burn(burn, baby burn)

  Let us show them how to play the pipes of peace

  Play the pipes of peace
• Help me to learn
• Songs of joy instead of burn, baby, burn

  Won't you show me to play(how to play) the pipes of peace(pipes of

  Peace) Play the pipes of peace
• What do you say?(what do you say)

  Will the human race be run in a day? (in a day)

  Or will someone save this planet we're playing on?

  Is it the only one? (what are we going to do?)
• Help them to see (help them to see)

  That the people here are like you and me (you and me)

  Let us show them how to play(how to play)the pipes of

  Peace(pipes of peace) Play the pipes of peace

  Ooh  I light a candle to our love In love our problems disappear

  But all in all we soon discover That one and one is all we long to hear......."
• 
  

This is an editorial from today's Dallas Morning News..........

A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER

One hundred years ago today, something of a battlefield miracle occurred amid one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts. Soldiers on both sides of the Great War’s front lines let down their guard and allowed faith in the goodness of their fellow man to prevail over hatred and distrust. Warring soldiers put down their weapons, emerged from their trenches and sang “Silent Night” together.

It began with a simple call by Pope Benedict XV on Dec. 7, 1914, “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.” The pope’s words were deemed by many to have resonated throughout the cold trenches of Flanders, where Germans and Britons were locked in mortal struggle.

It was as if both sides grasped the hypocrisy of Christians killing fellow Christians on a day devoted to the peaceful message of Christ’s birth. No account from the witnesses recalls anyone articulating such thoughts. Yet all seemed to grasp the opportunity presented by this special day.

Those who were present in Flanders described an unusual silence that morning as the smoke cleared from incessant artillery and machine-gun fire. British troops heard the faint sound of a German band playing familiar Christmas tunes. One side broke out in a carol, answered by one from the other side. Back and forth, growing louder and more boisterous with each exchange.

Then came a German’s voice: “We good. We no shoot,” recounted British soldiers Frank and Maurice Wray, of the London Rifle Brigade. Soldiers from both sides cautiously approached one another across a no-man’s land, unsure whether this might be a setup for a surprise attack.

What each encountered was nothing more than a few lonely soldiers, anxious to set aside the fighting and celebrate Christmas with their fellow man. Some chatted. Others exchanged small gifts of food, cigarettes, beer or mementos. They sang more songs. A few tried to improvise a soccer match.

Up and down the front lines, word spread of the unofficial Christmas truce. An estimated 100,000 troops joined in.

Of course, the world knows about the awful fighting and millions of deaths that followed. But, for today at least, let’s focus on the message of hope that emerged from a battlefield far away and long ago.

“So Christmas, the celebration of love, made sure that the hated enemies turned into friends for a short time,” German Lt. Kurt Zehmisch wrote in his diary that day. “This Christmas will remain unforgettable.”

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