Sometimes it helps to look to the past in order to put the present in context. With that in mind, here’s a song I wrote in 2000, just before the US and Australian elections.

War is Over

Words and Music by Dan Walmsley

It’s the year 2000 End of the twentieth century In which humans perfected All kinds of hideous weaponry

The first and second world wars Showed us the ways of evil men But now we’ve learned the lessons of history We’ll never have to learn them again

Peace upon the Earth

Many wars were caused By leaders going off their tree But Democracy will make Our leaders act responsibly

Our voting rights ensure they’ll do Exactly what we say And if we protest something loud enough I’m sure they’ll back the fuck away

Because war is over Peace from now on Technology will help us move away from fossil fuels And the Middle Eastern tension will be gone

War benefits just two groups In modern societies Weapons manufacturers And construction companies

So preventing war is simple All we have to do is say People closely linked to those two groups Cannot run the USA

Peace upon the earth

Now that war is over We can turn our thoughts to peace Use the SAS to find lost kids And go on missions planting trees

By next year our great nation Will have reconciled our violent past And that unpopular John Howard Will be voted out at last

Because war is over, Peace has come at last, Kyoto will be signed, society we be refined, And violence will be looked upon as crass

Yeah war is over, Peace forever more, We’ve hurt so much and learned so much in the 20th century, I can’t wait to see what the 21st one has in store