remembrance day songs

marc robert north, one of my painter friends, just suggested this idea for remembrance day (november 11 here in canada):

1. — > what was your favourite or most fondly remembered remembrance day song and/or poem when you grew up ?

2. — > and if possible, why?

he says that his was buffy sainte-marie’s rendition of universal soldier.

having grown up in germany, i have no memory of rememberance day.

now isn’t that strange. no day in germany to commemorate war veterans, or peace, for that matter.

nevertheless, when i grew up, universal soldier was definitely an influential song for me, albeit the (original) donovan version.

where have all the flowers gone was also very important song. i only knew it in the peter, paul and mary version back then (go here for the history of the song, written by pete seeger).

i was also a huge fan of joan baez. joe hill comes to mind – for some reason, as a teenager i saw it as a protest song for peace although i guess it’s more of a union song. her bangladesh might be more appropriate for a peace song but somehow it didn’t make too much of an impression on me.

why do i remember these songs? i grew up a pacifist (and still am – could never understand why that’s a bad word here in north america). my family, some of whom were involved in the nazi resistance, and all of whom were deeply touched by the horrors of both world wars, always encouraged me to strive for peace and to completely abrogate violence and war. so any song that spoke for peace also spoke to me.

now let’s hear it from you – any rememberance day or peace related songs or poems that you remember, and which still touch you today?

isabella mori
counselling in vancouver

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