Waltham Musician Writes Song In Response To Uvalde School Shooting

Waltham MA

09 June, 2022

12:48 PM

Description

WALTHAM, MA — Waltham-based singer-songwriter Linda Marks has released a song in response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX on May 24. The song, called "Our Children's Prayer," is written from the point of view of the children impacted by school shootings. "The impact on our children of growing up in a climate where gun violence is not only a daily occurrence but also a potential threat to what should be a safe environment, their schools is profound and far reaching," Marks said in a statement. "Many of us feel frightened, overwhelmed and frozen, recognizing the magnitude and gravity of the problem without knowing what to do." Here are the lyrics to "Our Children's Prayer," available for listening via YouTube: Please don't bring me flowers at my graveDon't tell me that my death proved that I'm braveRemember Columbine in nineteen ninety nineTwo hundred plus school shootings, since that dayPlease don't tell my mom to stop her tearsYou shot a hole inside her filled with fearWe numb out our pain, the gun sings the refrainBuried anger morphs to shrapnel rainWe are your children, your daughters and your sonsGive us protection, don't shoot us with your gunsOur future's in your guiding handWe want to be here to build a better landLife on earth is frittering awayAction must be taken now, todayAmerica's become the land where shooting gunsIs our trademark as we simply think and prayMany factors brought us to this placeMental health neglected can eraseThe safety that's free when there's communitySocial media induced violence is its faceWe are your children, your daughters and your sonsGive us protection, don't shoot us with your gunsOur future's in your guiding handWe want to be here to build a better landWe need to carve new pathways of respectDivided political rhetoric is a wreckThe list of shootings growsWhat we reap is what we sowThe data's there, please let's use what we know Please don't leave me flowers at my graveHear my message…Let my life be the one you save Marks, who holds a degree in music from Yale University, has released 12 studio albums and performed throughout New England. Among many other endeavors, she hosts a monthly open mic for the Boston Association for Cabaret Artists in Watertown and and has run an intimate concert series, The Music Salon, since 2015 in Waltham. Marks also co-founded an intergenerational artist-alliance group, Women In Music Gathering, in 2018 and has been involved with the Newton Festival of the Arts. To read more about Marks or to listen to her music, click here.