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These alternative carols were composed for Just Peace UK after an idea from
Rev. Garth Hewitt of the Amos Trust whose first stanza of 'O Little Town of
Bethlehem' is used below. They were sung in Trafalgar Square on 23rd December
2002
Words by Deborah Maccoby (and Deborah Fink for Carol 7)
1. O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL
O come all ye faithful
Those who care for justice,
O Look ye, O look ye at Bethlehem.
Come and behold it,
Under occupation.
O come let's not ignore it,
O come let's not ignore it,
O come let's not ignore it -
Tell the world.
Sing all ye people,
Sing in indignation,
Be with the citizens of Bethlehem.
Sing out for justice,
Freedom from oppression.
O come let's not ignore it,
O come let's not ignore it,
O come let's not ignore it -
Tell the world.
O come all ye faithful
Those who care for justice,
O Look ye, O look ye at Bethlehem.
2. O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and restless sleep,
A missile glideth by.
And over dark streets soundeth the mortar's deadly roar,
While children weep in shallow sleep
For friends who are no more.
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
A curfew's laid where children played -
Now only tanks roll by.
And in their homes sit starving
Thy people; and they say:
"One man from us blew up a bus;
Why must the whole town pay?"
How ruthlessly, how ruthlessly
The F16s bombard!
What God imparts to human hearts
This arrogance so hard?
They terrorise a people -
A war-crime and a sin;
However tall they build their wall,
Revenge can still get in.
O promised child of Bethlehem,
Tear down the iron cage,
The walls of hate that separate
And harden and enrage;
Bring justice and make equal;
Come down from far above;
And come to birth upon this earth,
As hope and peace and love.
3. ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID'S CITY
One in royal David's city
Stood some big Israeli tanks;
Mothers giving birth to babies
Met with checkpoints and roadbanks.
Holy land was all defiled
As a bullet killed a child.
Jesus, were he born this Christmas,
Would not even have a shed;
For it would have been demolished
For a settler road instead;
Now the poor and meek and lowly
Homeless are in land called holy.
David's people once instructed
All the world in righteousness;
Once they spoke of truth and justice
Now they ravage and oppress.
Nations, look at Bethlehem
And speak out the truth to them.
4. IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER
In the bleak midwinter,
Refugees made moan;
Sharon stood like iron,
Bush was like a stone.
Tanks were rolling, tank on tank,
Tank on tank,
Through the camps of Gaza
And the West Bank.
How can we stop him,
Ariel Sharon?
Silence of the nations
Lets him carry on.
Where is there a wise man
Who could do his part?
Tell the world to stop him
With its heart.
5. THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
On the first day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
An uprooted olive tree.
On the second day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Two trampled doves
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the third day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the fourth day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Four falling bombs,
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Five settlement rings.
Four falling bombs,
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the sixth day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Six tanks a-rolling,
Five settlement rings.
Four falling bombs,
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the seventh day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Seven checkpoints blocking,
Six tanks a-rolling,
Five settlement rings.
Four falling bombs,
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the eighth day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Eight gunships firing,
Seven checkpoints blocking,
Six tanks a-rolling,
Five settlement rings.
Four falling bombs,
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Nine smashed computers,
Eight gunships firing,
Seven checkpoints blocking,
Six tanks a-rolling,
Five settlement rings.
Four falling bombs,
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the tenth day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Ten homes demolished,
Nine smashed computers,
Eight gunships firing,
Seven checkpoints blocking,
Six tanks a-rolling,
Five settlement rings.
Four falling bombs,
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Eleven starving people,
Ten homes demolished,
Nine smashed computers,
Eight gunships firing,
Seven checkpoints blocking,
Six tanks a-rolling,
Five settlement rings.
Four falling bombs,
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, Arik Sharon sent me
Twelve assassinations,
Eleven starving people,
Ten homes demolished,
Nine smashed computers,
Eight gunships firing,
Seven checkpoints blocking,
Six tanks a-rolling,
Five settlement rings.
Four falling bombs,
Three trench guns,
Two trampled doves,
And an uprooted olive tree.
6. WE THREE KINGSs
We three Kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar;
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
O star of freedom, star of light,
Star of peace and justice bright,
Shining ever;
They can never
Target-bomb thy perfect light.
Now we're coming close to the star,
But we haven't got very far,
Blocked by trenches,
Checkpoints, fences,
Wondering where we are.
O we were made to wait all night,
Stared at through a rifle's sight,
Shot and bleeding,
Still proceeding,
Still we track the perfect light.
Now a soldier stops Balthazar,
Searches through his frankincense jar -
Grows suspicious,
Hard and vicious,
Bundles us in a car.
O though we're in a dreadful plight,
In a jail and out of sight,
Those who beat us
Can't defeat us -
Still we know the star shines bright
7. THE OLIVE AND THE IDF
Words by Deborah Fink and Deborah Maccoby
The olive and the IDF
When they are both full-grown,
Every olive tree on the West Bank
The IDF cuts down.
O the rampaging of settlers
And the rolling of the tanks;
The grinding of the bulldozers
As the olives fall in ranks.
The olive bears a berry
As green as any grass;
When the owners go to pick the fruit
They're not allowed to pass.
O the rampaging of settlers
And the rolling of the tanks;
The grinding of the bulldozers
As the olives fall in ranks.
This oppression bears a berry
As red as any blood,
As the owners see their livelihoods
Trampled into mud.
O the rampaging of settlers,
And the rolling of the tanks;
The grinding of the bulldozers
As the olives fall in ranks.
If you want to buy the olives,
You'll find it very hard;
Even those that make it to checkpoints
Find the way outside is barred.
O the rampaging of settlers,
And the rolling of the tanks;
The grinding of the bulldozers
As the olives fall in ranks.
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