If It Were Up To Me
a song about gun violence
Hi all,
Thank you for joining me for this week’s song, “If It Were Up To Me”, by Cheryl Wheeler.
Comments and questions are welcome. Please be respectful of others’ opinions if they should differ from yours.
The lyrics (in italics) and important vocabulary are explained in the article below.
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In memory of Yoshihiro Hattori (November 22, 1975 – October 17, 1992)
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The Song
(476 words)
Blame: to say that someone or something is responsible for some wrong or bad thing that has happened
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With every mass shooting that happens in the U.S., some citizens blame a wide variety of problems in society that lead to the shootings. Those “problems” are listed in this song.
Why does the songwriter list these? Many are easy to understand, but some of them might need a little explanation.
Maybe it's the…
movies or books: because they are too violent
the bullets, maybe it's the real crooks: violent criminals in society
the drugs: because it is assumed that drug use leads to crime (for example, using a gun to steal money from a store)
maybe it's the parents: because parents do not have control over their children
Maybe it's the colors everybody's wearing: because these days, people wear colors to show pride (rainbow colors to support the LGBTQ+ community, for example)
Maybe it's the president, maybe it's the last one | Maybe it's the one before that, what he done: presidents are often blamed for not doing enough to stop mass shootings
high schools, maybe it's the teachers
Maybe it's the tattooed children in the bleachers - the bleachers are the seats that you find on the sides of a high school football field
the Bible, the lack: in other words, the lack of Christian principles
the music | the crack (crack cocaine) | the hairdos (hair styles) | the TV | the cigarettes | the family | the fast food | the news | divorce | abuse | the lawyers | the prisons
the Senators (people who are elected to the U.S. government)
the system | the fathers, sons, sisters, moms | the radio
road rage (some drivers get very angry when other drivers go too slowly or make mistakes when driving)
El Nino, or UV rays - in other words, changes in climate
the army | the liquor | the papers
the militia - armed groups of people who are not part of the military but who will help the military in an emergency
the athletes | the ads (advertisements) | the sports fans | a fad (something that is very popular for a short period of time)
the magazines | the internet | the lottery | the immigrants (people who come to live permanently in a foreign country) | taxes, big business | the KKK and the skinheads | the communists | the Catholics | the hippies | the addicts (someone who depends on a thing or substance such as alcohol or drugs)
the art | the sex | the homeless | the banks
the clearcut (cutting down all the trees from an area)
the ozone | the chemicals | the car phones | the fertilizer (a chemical or natural product added to the soil to increase its ability to produce crops) | the nose rings
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At the end of the song, Wheeler shows us what she blames for the shootings:
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Maybe it's the end, but I know one thing
If it were up to me, I'd take away the guns
Question:
What do YOU think is the reason for gun violence?