House concert video: Ron Lindeman War child, soldier child – February 2023
February 16, 2023
House concert video: Ron Lindeman War child, soldier child
February 2023
Music and lyrics by Ron Lindeman
This song is dedicated to all the children who were forced to fight, kill and murder in wars that were not their wars and which were just created for the glory and honor and benefits of War Lords and the like. And to all those children who are still fighting in the present and who will be fighting in the future. May your hate disappear and may peace come into your hearts.
On Monday February 6, 2023 the UN Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict wrote in a published article: ” Tens of thousands of boys and girls are recruited and used as child soldiers by armed forces and armed groups in conflict in countries around the world…..There are many ways for children to become associated with armed forces and groups. Some children are abducted and beaten into submission, others join military groups to escape poverty, to defend their communities, out of a feeling of revenge or for other reasons.
Their tasks can vary, from combatants to cooks, spies, messengers and even sex slaves. Each year, the UN receives reports of children in some cases as young as 8 or 9 years old associated with armed groups.
No matter their role, child soldiers are exposed to acute levels of violence – as witnesses, direct victims and as forced participants. Some are injured and have to live with disabilities for the rest of their lives.
Girls are also recruited and used by armed forces and groups. They have vulnerabilities unique to their gender and place in society and suffer specific consequences including, but not limited to, rape and sexual violence, pregnancy and pregnancy-related complications, stigma and rejection by families and communities.
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/2023/02/questions-and-answers-on-the-recruitment-and-use-of-child-soldiers2
War child, soldier child
I am a war child, a soldier child
A torn up mind
Till peace I’ll find
They made me watch
how my parents died
They tore me up
And raped my mind
The first man I shot
I looked into his eyes
And I watched him die
And in my heart there was a cry
I shed no tears
I just lived my lie
I am a war child, a soldier child
A torn up mind
till peace I’ll find
A girl was raped
She lost her mind
She knew till the day she’d die
Real love she’ll never find
She is a war child, a soldier child
A torn up mind
Till peace she’ll find
We are the children of war
We kill your heart
We kill your soul
We kill your mind
Like you killed ours
There is no war
That was ever won
All wars are lost
Till the last battle is won
The ghosts of the past
They follow close behind
They won’t leave me alone
Be ready to fight
For the future will be
A struggle for life
Don’t long for softness
Don’t long for tenderness
If your heart is still raging
The soul is a lonely wanderer
When all is quiet
Quiet inside of you
Reach out for the beauty
The mind is like a flower
Fragile but ready to bloom
I am a war child, a soldier child
A torn up mind
till peace I’ll find
Words and music by Ron Lindeman
Copyright Ron Lindeman