i am not a hero he said

i don’t wanna die

truth is not an option

i’ve stopped asking why

i keep coming back

i keep coming back

there are no human rights violations here

tatmadaw said

just a million people hiding in the jungle

amongst the orphaned and the dead

still under attack

still under attack

we are here to shine a light

we will stand between the army and the people

we will give our life

until the army lays down every gun

we will run with the people as they run

to come back out is hard he said

easier on the field

do all you can

no choice but to believe

down on your knees

down on your knees

we are here to shine a light

we will stand between the army and the people

we will give our life

until the army lays down every gun

we will run with the people as they run

we are here to light a fire

hope and love will burn

our spirit will fly

we will pray that justice comes

but until then

we are here to shine a light

we will stand between the army and the people

we will give our life

until the army lays down every gun

we will run with the people as they run

As we plan and prepare for the recordings of the songs for this new album, this song remains a deeply special one to me. I wrote it shortly after meeting an extraordinary man in extraordinary circumstances in Chiang Mai, Thailand. As we shared a meal, in a small upper room above a printing press on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, the leader of the Free Burma Rangers opened my eyes and my heart to the realities of ethnic and religious cleansing inside Burma. After three of the most poignant hours I have been privileged to be a part of, he drove my friend Shelley and I back into the city in his huge four wheel drive, loaded down with dozens of large bags of clothes to take up to the refugees on the Thai Burma border. When we arrived back in town, and as we were getting out of the vehicle, this deeply humble and fiercely courageous man hugged us both and said, ” Thank you for encouraging me and for all you are doing to help us”

ALL we are doing??? At that point Shelley and I had done nothing, except meet him, listen to him and, unbeknown to him then, have our lives changed by him. Afterward, as we ‘debriefed’ in a cafe, I said, “HE thanked us for encouraging HIM!! What did we do?” Shelley simply answered, “We were there – and you know what? We ARE going to do something, we ARE going to tell people about this, and we WILL use our abilities and resources and time to KEEP doing something”.

In the 18 months since that meeting we have both witnessed the opening of doors to people, places and opportunities which have enabled us to keep ‘telling people’ through conversations, paintings and songs.Two weeks ago, I emailed ‘The White Monkey” and shared with him the news about the progress of the new album and said, if need be, I would bring it to him personally at its completion. Several days later I received a very precious email, “…I have your songs out here with me and look forward to the new album…..and if we can work out a trip inside I will. let me know when you might be here. God bless you, D.”

‘We Will Run’ is written for and dedicated to this man who, in his own words, is not a hero and does not want to die, but for whom truth and the stand for justice are not options…..he and his team will continue to run into the war zones, into the land mined jungles and burned down villages, to bring help, hope and love to the people who suffer.