I Still Believe
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A song to bolster hope for America.
Description
Listen to the studio version of “I Still Believe” here (or on any streaming service) …
Watch the video of “I Still Believe” here …
Watch Ellen and Billy perform “I Still Believe” here …
In retirement, I’ve tried to devote as much time as possible to learning about and actually writing music. But as the U.S has faced more and more dire conditions created by our government, I’ve wanted to use my music to try and help in the way that artists do: changing the world by joining the voices of those who agitate for change.
“I Still Believe” began as a Rosh Hashanah sermon. I composed the song (with Ellen co-writing the lyrics) to become the main transport for a message about resistance. I wanted my congregation to know that they are not powerless in the face of all that’s going on.
The images are meant to recall our shared American history of enduring abuses of power, struggling for change, and witnessing the fruits of those struggles. We are watching and becoming victim to more abuse than perhaps at any other time in American history, but if our predecessors could do it, so can we.
At the end of the video is a list of organizations that can provide any and all of us with a role to play in a new liberation.
Billy
lyrics
When I was young, I was taught an ancient song,
That I could build a perfect world, and right all wrong.
It wouldn’t be easy but, yes, it could be done.
I received this gift from others
And was inspired to pass it on.
When I was old, well, old enough to understand
The enormity of the wounded world placed in my hands.
That old melody, it still courses through me,
Gives me strength to carry on, and to sing, “I still believe.”
Even if it’s all gone wrong,
I choose to sing this ancient song,
That there’s more we can do than just watch it all burn.
We fall, we rise, and we return, singing,
“I still believe.”
Sure, it’s all been sung before but it must be sung again.
In every generation, there’s temptation to just give in.
We stand upon the shoulders and the stories that we’ve received.
They made it through and we can too — we have something to believe in.
Even if it’s all gone wrong,
I choose to sing this ancient song,
That there’s more we can do than just watch it all burn.
We fall, we rise, and we return, singing,
“I still believe.”
I choose to believe in loving.
I choose to believe we’re one family.
I choose to believe that in the darkest night,
The song will feed my tired spirit and will fill my heart with light.
Even if it’s all gone wrong,
I choose to sing this ancient song,
That there’s more we can do than just watch it all burn.
We fall, we rise, and we return, singing,
“I still believe.”
Now it’s our time. The world depends on what we do.
We mustn’t turn our heads
Or try and hide and wait it out until it’s through.
We’re powerful together. We can bend that moral arc
Toward a world of justice, bringing light into the darkness.
Even if it’s all gone wrong,
I hope you’ll choose to sing this song,
There’s so much more we can do than just watch it all burn.
We may fall but we’ll rise, and we’ll return, singing,
“I still believe.”
There’s so much we can achieve
When we come together
There’s a possibility
That we can make things better.
credits
Additional information
| Download Format | MP3 Audio, Lead Sheet (pdf), 2 Voices (pdf) |
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