I’ve always refused to write about tragedies.
9/11, Newtown - both hit close to home for me, but I never felt like these were things to write songs about.
Two weeks ago, Carol and I were talking with Darden Smith about songwriting in general, and writing about dark topics in specific. I expressed to Darden my reluctance to write about bad things. He told us that writing about things - good or bad - is how songwriters ”process the world around them”.
“Go down that hole”, he said. “No matter how dark it is”.
Darden and I did our show that night, and I got home feeling pretty good about a lot of things. Then I turned on the TV and saw the breaking news about the shootings in Dallas.
A couple days later, Carol came to me with the first draft of these lyrics. I initially resisted….then we went down that hole together.
Props to The Other Troublemakers - Bruce Halper, Jaye Parks, Troy James Martin and Lonesome Lee West - they never even heard the finished version of this song until the night before this performance was recorded.
Love Wins
Blood runs again in the streets of Dallas
Cries for peace lost in the fight
Killers filled with so much malice
Claim an eye for eye tonight.
Oh give me Glory Hallelujah
Maybe I can wash away these sins
A gospel choir sings amen
I feel amazing grace again
And maybe this time
Maybe this time
Love wins
Young men die in parking lots and back seats
We choose sides, divide and assign blame
Facts collide
Defended, repeated
I’m right, you're wrong
And on and on and on and on
Oh give me Glory Hallelujah
Maybe we can wash away these sins
A gospel choir sings amen
I feel amazing grace again
And maybe this time
Maybe this time
Love wins
Gonna greet a stranger with a smile
Unplug my TV, for a while
Talk to my neighbor face to face
Hold my kids, keep them safe
That’s where it all begins
Maybe tonight
Pray that tonight
Love wins
Love wins
©2016 E. Schaffer/C. Schaffer