Better Times Are Coming

Pink roses from the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon

The news as I write this is about the spreading violence in Iraq, as ISIS troops are nearly at the gates of Baghdad, and there is talk of sending American troops with others to fight a ground war.  This comes on the heels of US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan that has extended over 13 years along with a major recession that the world has had to suffer.  Everyone is hoping for better times.

This song was written, copyrighted and recorded live on the cusp of my pneumonia in 2012.  A polished version has been done by Yves Debodinance and Lisa Gill, however this version is my original.  It is sung with the emotion intended for the message at that time and is appropriate now.  The other version is on iTunes.

The song is based on two lines of a Stephen Foster song about the Civil War.  It has, however, different lyrics, melody and theme. 

I am posting this today on this site as a testament as well for what I believe for everyone, including myself dealing with health issues, as many of us must do on our life's path.  The song is one of hope that for everyone allows the heart and soul to look forward in a positive way. It is dedicated to those who may have lost that hope or worry about what tomorrow might bring.

Many of us who create music, art, or a piece of writing sometimes have the feeling that what we do has some special guiding hand, and it is almost as if it were written from some spiritual or unseen place that we all feel at different times.  I believe it is appropriate for this time in our world, that we all figuratively hold hands and wish, and believe in, that better time as coming.

The words are here:

Better Times Are Coming


There are voices of hope that are borne on the air,
And our land will be freed from its clouds of despair,
For brave men and women with will shall go on
And good times will be coming, bad times will be gone

CHORUS
Hurray, hurray, it's a beautiful day!
Sound the news in the din that's been booming,
Tell the people, keep hoping, keep working indeed,
For those better times are a-coming

We have the future, our hope in our hands,
While war rages round us in far foreign lands;
But our resolve will remain just as hard as a stone
With the good Lord so steadfast, we are never alone

From the land of the eagle, our hearts never yield
To the hopeless and hapless, our hopes offer shield
For we honor the good folks all over the world
Who stand up with their personal flags all unfurled

Here's health to the helpless, the old and the new
Here's strength to the people who serve as the crew
On a ship that is destined for difficult climes
To a shore where we'll prosper in these coming times