Day of Peace
Make today a day of peace
Heal our broken families
May our hearts be open
May our hearts be open wide
Make today a day of peace
In all our communities
May our hearts be open
May our hearts be open wide
Three years ago, after singing at a funeral for a young person I had worked with in our urban Native American community in Detroit, I went to a rehearsal for an upcoming International Day of Peace concert with Mark and Lesley-Anne Stone. Mark had invited Lakota hoop dancer and flute player Kevin Locke, who has since become an ancestor, to perform with us. Wanting to write a collaborative song with Kevin adding his flute, Day of Peace was born.
The young person whose funeral I had just sung for had been killed by a gun at the hands of a relative. I also wanted the song to be a call for an end to cycles of violence in our families and communities, recognizing how many of these cycles have their roots in the historical traumas of colonization.
Kevin Locke performing in the International Day of Peace Concert, Oakland University, September 21st, 2021
As Day of Peace continued to evolve over the next couple of years, and the atrocities of October 7th against Israelis were committed, followed by the ongoing genocide of Palestinians, I was inspired to write the verses calling for a cease fire, the release of hostages, dignity for all, justice for Palestine, and an awakening to decolonization both in Palestine and Turtle Island.
Cease fire now
hostages released
justice for Palestine
and a lasting peace
Collective liberation
dignity for all
end the occupation
listen to our call
Break the cycles
of traumatization
Awaken our hearts and minds
to decolonization
Cease fire now
hostages released
Justice for Turtle Island
and a lasting peace
Recognizing that the seeds of violence are within us all, and that if we do not take care of those seeds, they can manifest in many harmful ways, this song is a call for the reverence of life, regardless of religion, race, nationality, or any other identity that can be used to divide. Looking deeply into legacies of violence continued by our governmental and religious institutions, and seeing how even within families we can be violent and destructive towards one another, the song is a call to recognize our shared humanity and our interbeing, and an aspiration for healing, nonviolence, and peace.
The song is being released on all streaming platforms on The World Day of Peace as declared by The Roman Catholic Church, an important religious institution that has a lot of work to do in repairing historical harms of colonization. May this song be part of that ongoing healing and reconciliation.
Please share it widely with those who are embodying peace in themselves and in the world. Sing peace, dance peace, be peace!
May it water many seeds of peace in our collective consciousness.
May all beings be safe, protected, peaceful, and free!
In gratitude,
Joe
Day of Peace
Words and music by Joe Reilly
Joe Reilly - Vocals, acoustic guitar
Jenny Jones - Vocals
Lesley-Anne Stone - Vocals
Billy King - Acoustic guitar
John Driscoll - Drums
Chris Good - Bass
Mark Stone - Percussion
Glen Michael Blair - Keyboard
Recorded and engineered by Ian Gorman on location at the Frog Holler Farm in Brooklyn, Michigan and at La Luna Recording and Sound in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Mastered by Glenn Brown at GBP Studios in Lansing, Michigan.
