We’re Still Here
Choosing love over fear
Welcome to new subscribers and regular readers! Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “We’re Still Here” by Holly Near. If you’d like to hear the song before you read about it, I’ve included two YouTube videos below the article.
Below, you’ll find my interpretation of the lyrics which are written in italics.
[✳️ Note that this article is slightly higher than TOEIC (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. ]
(657 words)
Today’s song by singer/songwriter and human rights activist Holly Near was released in 2012. Among many other things that happened that year:
• the Arab Spring uprising and the Syrian Civil War continued
• Malala Yousafzai, 15, was shot in an assassination attempt in Pakistan
• Trayvon Martin, an unarmed, 17-year-old American youth, was shot in Florida
• Japan was (and is) still dealing with the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear disaster
• The largest cruise ship in history capsized off the coast of Italy
• Hurricane Sandy in the U.S. and Typhoon Bopha in the Philippines were both deadly disasters
Near’s song reminds us that no matter what natural or man-made events may occur, people somehow pick up and carry on. People are resilient. Being resilient means that we can go through difficult conditions and somehow recover.
The song begins by talking to the leaders who create wars and send young people to fight in them.
Yes we can cause a lot of trouble if you send our children to fight and to die
Chemicals that companies use in producing the soft drinks and the food we eat can cause diseases such as cancer. Advertising is created to sell products, not to give the public information to help them make wise choices.
Or poison the food or try to delude us with ads that blatantly lie
Our children have minds meant for learning
If there is a God, then God lives in them
In some countries, there are bans on books:
Books are not meant for burning
What is it you feel that you must condemn?
To “push someone around” means to treat someone roughly or rudely.
But no matter how hard you push us around, there is something around the bend
And yet, Near sings that even these things will not stop people from fighting back. When the line is drawn means that, at some point, there is something that you will not tolerate or accept. It shows a firm decision on what someone will not put up with.
We're still here
Choosing love over fear
When the lines are drawn, we’re still here
We’re still here making it perfectly clear
When the lines are drawn, we’re still here
In some cultures and countries, there are people who don’t like others who are in some way different. They may hate you if you are originally from another country, if you speak a different language, if you are physically challenged or follow different religious teachings. Here, Near points out that there are those who hate and are afraid of members of the LGBTQ community:
No matter how much you love to hate us, and fear is driving a stake in your heart
As long as the stars shine bright in the sky then love will keep doing its part
Yes, you may try to stop the music
But music has wings and flies over the walls
It’s there when we dance and when we romance
It’s there when the dictator falls
But no matter how hard you push us around, there’s one thing you need to recall
The fight is long and hard, she says. We may lose friends along the way. Sometimes we get sad and discouraged
As old friends die and dreams slip from our grasp
But much as we treasure our memories, we don’t live in the past
As life goes on, we learn more, experience more, and understand that we (as older people) have a duty to protect younger people from danger - to keep them “out of harm’s way”.
Years can brings us grey hair and wrinkles
And wisdom as well, I hasten to say
With walkers and canes we are standing
Between young people and harm’s way
And your job just got harder today
Because
We're still here…
We may face difficult times, hatred, and unfairness. If we support each other, we can stay resilient and hold hope over despair in the fight for justice and freedom.
Questions to think about…
What role does education play in preparing young people to face the challenges of the future?
How should older people pass down their wisdom to young people?
Vocabulary
uprising 反乱
capsized 転覆した
erupt 噴火
resiliency (n.) 回復力 resilient (adj.)
delude 欺く
blatantly 露骨に
ban 禁止
condemn 非難
tolerate 許す
firm decision 確固たる決意
stake 杭
dictator 独裁者
discouraged 落胆する
slip from our grasp 手から滑り落ちる
treasure 大切にする
wrinkle しわ
wisdom 知恵
walker 歩行器
cane 杖
harm’s way 危険
A live version From Sisterfire 2018 on the National Mall:
Sources
Costas-Ferreira, C., Durán, R., & Faro, L. R. F. (2022, April 21). Toxic effects of glyphosate on the nervous system: A systematic review. International journal of molecular sciences. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9101768/ . Accessed 15 January 2025.
Kobylewski, S. And Jacobson, M. Toxicology of food dyes. (2012 Jul-Sep;18(3):220-46). International journal of occupational and environmental health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23026007/ . Accessed 15 January 2025.
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In response to the fire disaster in Los Angeles, if you are able to do so, please consider making a donation to:
World Central Kitchen (provides food to disaster areas around the world) https://wck.org/donate
Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation (to equip firefighters with water backpacks, tools, and emergency fire shelters) https://supportlafd.org/
The Pasadena Humane Society (taking care of pets and other animals in need due to the fires) https://pasadenahumane.org/give
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英検2級以上 | 名曲で英語を学ぶ
Oh Louise, your question couldn't be more poignant this evening as I console my heartbroken son over the inevitable loss of his first love... my very emotional answer is education doesn't prepare children for the realities that lay before them at all, how can it when there is nothing in any of the obligatory text books that teaches of the trials and tribulations we all have to face at one moment or another.