… in peace for all mankind?!
it will be 40 years tomorrow,
two men went to the moon
and returned safely back to earth
I was a young boy in Calcutta then
Calcutta had no TVs – no stations no broadcasting
I was forbid from tuning in on the radio late at night
but it could not keep me away from
the excitement
the enthusiasm
the anticipation tinged with fear
I had to wait sleepless nights to read expedition news in the morning papers
my world could no longer be the same
my mind could only look up and beyond,
my mind had embarked on an adventure of my own
to explore the wonders of space, the universe
wonders of the unknown
I was so very young when I heard this song
I loved the tune
Written by John Stewart
I heard the version sung by the American singer Lobo
I could not find either of their versions on youTube – so I give you this
ARMSTRONG
– Words By John Stewart © Bug Music, INC. / Burgle Publishing (BMI)
Black boy in Chicago, Playing in the street
Not near enough to wear, Not near enough to eat
Don’t you know he saw it,
On a July afternoon
He saw a man named Armstrong, Walk upon the moonYoung girl in Calcutta, Barely eight years old
The flies that swarm the market place, Will see she don’t get old
Don’t you know she heard it,
On that July afternoon
She heard a man named Armstrong, Had walked upon the moonThe rivers are getting dirty, The wind is getting bad
War and hate are killing off, The only earth we have
But the world all stopped to watch it
On that July afternoon
To watch a man named Armstrong, Walk upon the moonAnd I wonder if a long time ago, Somewhere in the universe
They watched a man named Adam
Walk upon the earth
tomorrow
the world will look back 40 years to that day
no longer the young boy,
now I will look all around me before I look up and beyond
on earth
we are still divided, prejudiced and intolerent
we are yet to find unity; find peace for all mankind
for 40 years we have failed to live up to the promise we left behind on the moon.
Apollo11
neil+armstrong
moon landing
ms said this on August 9th, 2009 at 04:33
so much angst! what’s with all this poetry! leave lobo alone, please. i can’t stand anu mallick clones. and we will always be divided, violent, racist, inhuman, cowardly bigots. it’s a free world, what we are, we chose to be. appreciate all the efforts you put in scrutinising islam. will be over the moon (HAHA) if you did the same to hinduism. you know, stuff like “Hinduism – the faith that destroys itself from within”. here is an offering for you:
4 days of a life – worth living
the rest are a waste
once youth flees, never returns
(translated by moi, “jeene ke hain chaar din” – bollywood song)
such pathos!
littleindian said this on August 9th, 2009 at 11:51
@ ms
first: I do not know who or what Anu Mallick is – I write what I feel – I do not copy anyone. I do not have to, I am capable of free thinking.
second: you say its a free world. Precisely. I am exercising my freedom to think for myself and express myself in what I write. If you are unable to “stand it” – tough. Just move on elsewhere.
third:
the day Hinduism tries to impose itself on the world and becomes intolerant of all other religions like Islam has done for 1400 years; the day Hinduism resorts to terrorism globally in order to create a worldwide “nation of Hinduism” – you bet I will scrutinise the religion.
For now there is one religion which aims to create a “caliphate” to be ruled ONLY by their religious (Shariya) law – where all non-believers are forcefully converted or forced to pay the ‘jizya’ or else become the legitimate target of Jihad.
fourth:
Lobo did not write this song. Get your facts straight.
fifth:
This is not poetry. This is writing in a way to catch attention of those with short attention span.
Take your pseudo-liberal beliefs and “bollywood philosophy” elsewhere –
opit said this on August 24th, 2009 at 21:27
Noisemaker alert. Rattle your cage. I think this article should be welcomed by you. In any case it should stir up commentary from the sleepy one.
http://blog.dawn.com:91/dblog/2009/08/21/jinnah-is-out-of-the-dock/