The original original recording was made in a school classroom in July 2009. The middle school kids had put together a presentation for the 15th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide, and their teacher had heard me sing the song on a parallel occasion, a synagogue gathering for Holocaust Memorial Day; so she invited me. It became a very emotional event, with the kids asking me to sing the song a second time so that they could record it as the background to their powerpoint, and to give them the opportunity to join in. Foolishly I never pressed them for the copy that they promised me, though I guess it must be out there in cyberspace somewhere. This version was recorded at someone's house, in 2011 according to the digital file; but I don't remember the venue or the precise date. Nor, it appears, did I remember correctly what Martin Niemöller said, though I got the important gist, and anyway the words are interchangeable for any of the many other parallel catastrophes that we humans inflict upon ourselves. What he actually said was "First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me; and there was no one left to speak for me."
They
came for my mother, in the dead of the night
They
beat her so badly, she died of her fright
So
we buried her body in a grave by the sea
And
I swore on her gravestone it won’t happen to me
Then
they came for my brothers and they took them away
To
fight in their army for a year and a day
But
a year became seven by legal decree
And
I swore on their prison it won’t happen to me
Then
they came for my sister, you can guess what they did
Her
body was broken, her shame was unhid
But
there’s light on the river, and there’s light on the sea
And
I swear in her memory it won’t happen to me
Then
they came for my father with their knives and their guns
And
they fired seven bullets when he started to run
But
there’s light in the heavens and it shines on the sea
And
I swear by my life it won’t happen to me
A
German priest named Pastor Martin Niemoller wrote these lines in the 1940s
after the Nazis locked him up for refusing to go along with their ideology. He
wrote:
‘When they came for the communists, I
remained silent, because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the social
democrats, and I remained silent, because I wasn’t a social democrat. Then they
came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out, because I wasn’t a trade
unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out, because I wasn’t
a Jew. Then they came for me, but there was no one left to speak out for me.’
And
you who are silent, you who obey
Who
say orders are orders, I must do what they say
In
the depth of your silence, how can you guarantee
When
it’s your turn tomorrow, it won’t happen to me
Let
this song become your song, let these be your words
Through
the graves and the silence, let your voice be heard
In
the names of your children, and your whole family
Swear
on your honour, it won’t happen to me
While
there’s light on the river, and light on the sea
Speak
out through the silence, it won’t happen to me
You can find David Prashker at:
If
you would like to include "It Won't Happen To Me" in your repertoire,
either for paid public performance or to record for commercial
purposes, or if you would like to re-use the recording attached to this
blog-page for commercial purposes, contact
argaman@theargamanpress.com.
Use of this song, and/or this recording, for
non-commercial purposes, is not simply permitted but invited.
Words and music by David Prashker
Copyright © 2014 David Prashker
All rights reserved
The Argaman Press
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