Have you heard, or heard about, Willie Nelson’s new antiwar song? It’s called “Whatever
Happened to Peace On Earth,” and he sang it last week in Austin, Texas, at a fund-raising concert
for Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. “That’s only the second protest song I’ve
ever written,” Nelson told the Austin
American-Stateman, “but it just came pouring out.”
There aren’t many performers around with Nelson’s courage, and that includes the Dixie
Chicks. It’s not just the outspoken lyrics of his new song that resonate with deep conviction; it’s
his unwillingness to back away from them that evinces rare belief and even rarer bravery. Here’s
the song:
What Ever Happened To Peace On Earth
There’s so many things going on in the world
Babies dying
Mothers
crying
How much oil is one human life worth
And what ever happened to peace on
earth
We believe everything that they tell us
They’re gonna’ kill us
So we gotta’ kill them
first
But I remember a commandment
Thou shall not kill
How much is that
soldier’s life worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth
(Bridge)
And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we’ve been told from
our birth
Hell they won’t lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how much is a
liar’s word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth
So I guess it’s just
Do unto others before they do it to you
Let’s just kill em’ all and
let God sort em’ out
Is this what God wants us to do
(Repeat Bridge)
And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we’ve been
told from our birth
Hell they won’t lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how
much is a liar’s word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth
Now you probably won’t hear this on your radio
Probably not on your local
TV
But if there’s a time, and if you’re ever so inclined
You can always hear it from
me
How much is one picker’s word worth
And whatever happened to peace on
earth
But don’t confuse caring for weakness
You can’t put that label on me
The truth is
my weapon of mass protection
And I believe truth sets you free
(Bridge)
And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we’ve been told from
our birth
Hell they won’t lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how much is a
liar’s word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth
American-Statesman reporter Michael Corcoran asked Nelson whether he was concerned that
“such biting questions as ‘How much oil is one human life worth?’ and ‘How much is a liar’s word
worth?’ might cause a backlash with conservative country music fans.” Nelson replied, “I sure
hope so. I don’t care if people say, ‘Who the hell does he think he is?’ I know who I am.”
The song does not have to identify the liar. We know who he is. Nor does it have to identify
the guitar picker. We know him, too. And when it asks, “How much is one picker’s word worth?,”
we know the answer to that: Plenty. Although I’ve heard from one correspondent that Nelson did
not plan to record the song, Corcoran reports otherwise.
Nelson’s first antiwar song, in case you’re interested, was the powerful, elegaic “Jimmy’s
Road,” which he sang at peace rallies during the 1991 Gulf War. It was released in 1992 on the
not easily available, two-disc set “The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My
Memories?” You can hear Nelson singing “Jimmy’s Road” here. Have patience — it takes time to load — and
turn up the sound.
