The theme for our St. Victor School Spring Music Concert was folk songs. It was a great way to celebrate our history with some amazing and fun tunes. Our students learned a bit of history (like the “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Oh Susanna” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”). I shared with the students that the entire audience would probably be singing by the end of the night, since many of the songs are the fabric of our history.
One song was the highlight of my night (although all of them were wonderful). Our students sang one of my all-time favorite songs, “If I Had a Hammer,” which was written by Pete Seeger in 1949 and reached hit status when recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary in 1962. Many of you are probably not familiar with the song, but it truly is a great piece of songwriting. The message is as important in today’s society as it was when recorded so many years ago.
The song talks of three things: a hammer, a bell and a song. The final verse goes like this:
“Well, I’ve got a hammer, and I’ve got a bell, and I’ve got a song to sing all over this land.
It’s the hammer of justice,
it’s the bell of freedom,
it’s a song about love between my brother and my sister all over this land.”
As I listened to our students sing this song, I couldn’t help but get both a little choked up, as well as swell with great pride. I get choked up because the message of the song is the message that we should be teaching our children (and grandchildren) every single day of their lives.
Justice is not “JUST US,” it is the ability to lead a balanced and fair life (always reminding ourselves that fair does not mean equal). To identify those in our world who need a little bit more. Justice is a sense of understanding, compassion and care for the greater good. It means opening our doors to those who maybe can’t reach the handle to turn the doorknob. It’s the ability to follow the rules that are set in place (even when we may not always agree with them).
Freedom is what makes our nation so great, the ability to say a prayer every morning no matter what religion we are practicing. It is the ability to say “yes” or “no” but more importantly realizing that not everybody needs to say “yes” to our “yes.” In our country today, we have strayed so far away from “agreeing to disagree” in a sane and respectful manner. Freedom gives me the rights enabled by our Constitution and the ability to work together to make sure those rights are followed and respected by all.
Finally, there is love. I think that is a fitting way to end the song. Life is about “love between my brother and my sister all over this land.” That is what worries me most in this day and age. Where has the love and respect for human life gone? As I seem to write every month, life is pretty amazing and how lucky we are to have our time on Earth to make an impact with all we come into contact with. We need to show that unconditional love to not only those whom we love (and always agree with) but to those who may “get under our skin” or “challenge our thoughts” or “may not live the same life we do.” Only by working together and sharing this unconditional love can our children learn by our example and be provided the future they deserve.
That is why I was filled with pride, because I do believe that our children did hear the message. I know they will wield the hammer of justice, they will ring the bell of freedom, but most importantly they will sing a song of love between their brothers and their sisters all over this great land. And that makes me very happy.
— Joe Peters is the principal at St. Victor School in Monroe. His column appears on the second Saturday of each month.
He can be reached at joepeters@stvictormonroe.org.
