Peaceable Kingdom by Patti Smith
Lions and lambs shall abide
Welcome to subscribers, visitors, and students of English. Thank you for joining me for this Sunday Special commentary. Our song for today is Peaceable Kingdom, written in 2004 by Patti Smith and Tony Shanahan.
A thought before we begin…
There are views on both sides of the conflict in Israel/Palestine. There are also voices calling for a more humane resolution.
With all of the songs covered here at Social Issues in Song, I encourage my readers to read a wide variety of sources of history written from many viewpoints, and then to come to your own conclusions.
Below, you’ll find my interpretation of the lyrics (written in italics). As with most everything, there are many ways to interpret things. Comments and questions are welcome. Please be respectful of others’ opinions if they should differ from yours. Synonyms/definitions are given below for the words in bold.
The Song
(485 words)
Patti Smith wrote this song in memory of a 23-year-old activist named Rachel Corrie. Rachel had been in Gaza as part of her university research. At the time, the Israelis were bulldozing Palestinian homes, saying they were trying to prevent weapons from being carried into Israel.
Rachel was a member of a group that was trying to prevent the destruction of the homes by standing in front of the bulldozers as “human shields”. She had also tried to protect workers who were repairing a water well that had been bulldozed.
In March of 2003, Rachel was with others who were trying to stop the bulldozers from destroying the home of a Palestinian doctor. She stood in front of the bulldozer, but it continued to move forward and ran her over.
An investigation was conducted and concluded that the driver did not know she was there or did not see her because it was hard to see from the driver’s view inside the vehicle. Other activists with Rachel said the driver did it on purpose.
There are a few lines in the lyrics of Peaceable Kingdom that might be new to some of my readers.
All your tears were not in vain
If something is done in vain, it means that it was done without success or without result.
Lions and lambs shall abide
In the Bible, there is a passage that says there will be peace on earth:
And the wolf will dwell (live) with the lamb (a young sheep), And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf (young cow) and the young lion and the fatling together (a fatling is an animal that has been fed a lot in order to be eaten)
Over time, this passage has been changed into the idea of the lion living peacefully with the lamb. In other words, those with a great deal of power will live (abide) peacefully with those who have very little.
At the end of the song, Patti Smith switches to another song that she wrote in 1988 with Fred Smith, People Have the Power.
I was dreaming in my dreaming
Of an aspect bright and fair
And my sleeping it was broken
But my dream it lingered near
In the form of shining valleys
Where the pure air rarified
And my senses newly opened
As I awakened to the cry
That the people have the power
To redeem the work of fools
Upon the meek the graces shower
It’s decreed the people rule
The graces… in Greek mythology, the Graces were three sister goddesses who had control over beauty, charm, and pleasure in human life and in nature. Here, perhaps Patti Smith is saying that whatever higher being there is, that being will give (shower = give) power to the meek - those who are quiet and gentle and patient.
We can change. We can do better.
Questions
If a decree means “an official order from a legal authority”, does the order It’s decreed the people rule come from authority or from the people?
Why do you think the songwriter included this part of her song, People Have the Power, with Peaceable Kingdom?
VOCABULARY
destruction - causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired
bulldozer (n.) - a large tractor that has enough power to knock down the walls of a house
human shield - a shield is a person or thing that provides protection: here, people put their lives in danger in order to protect other people
to bulldoze (v.) - to use a bulldozer to pull something down
aspect - a particular appearance or quality; appearance, look, feature, impression, atmosphere, mood, quality, feeling
lingered - stay in a place for a long time
rarified - air, especially at high altitudes, has a lower pressure than usual; rarified can also mean distant from the lives and concerns of ordinary people
redeem - to do something that tries to repair poor past performance or behavior (of someone)
decree - an official order issued by a legal authority
mythology - traditional stories or legends
authority - a person or organization that has the power to give orders or make decisions
All images Wikimedia Commons
Beautiful song commemorating the brave young Rachel Corrie. The struggle continues. It was not finished in her short lifetime and it will not be finished in ours. Nevertheless, as one famous quote from the Torah states: We are not free to abandon it.
Indeed.