Beauty of Brokenness

from Duets by Barbara Hume

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about

This song came out of a shocking news report of a young ten year old girl shot while drawing water from a well by a pro-Assad Syrian soldier. He kills her to provoke his enemy, a pro-democracy Syrian rebel fighting to defend human rights and a better life for his family. In this story of two Syrians, I explore the impact of recognizing the pain of another on one's anger and the potential for reconciliation.

lyrics

An ancient tribe betrayed a brother
That brother held a bleeding wound
His wound betrayed his better sense
To kill a kin, to start anew.

This wounded brother, age or'taken
Old and gray with bleeding heart
He stamps his seal of righteous anger
A cursed impress, his grace departs

The child he aims and shoots lies fallow
The youthful body wastes away
To cultivate her soul rich marrow
The hand of God rests on her grave.

Where is the beauty of the broken?
The majestic poise of those in pain
The emblem for tired and forgotten
The ministering doctor who knows no blame.

Dispel the angry fear of hate
Expose the deepest wound of sorrow
Hold the bleeding aged brother
So he can see this young girl's heart

This wounded brother age or'taken
Older now far from the start
His pain has settled quiet redemption
With mindfulness his hate departs.

credits

from Duets, released June 15, 2020
Bonnie Murphy, composer/pianist
Barbara Hume, lyricist/vocalist
Neil Conaty, bass

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all rights reserved

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about

Barbara Hume Seattle, Washington

Barbara Hume lives in the Seattle area where she has collaborated with composers for the past 20 years including David Paul Mesler, Bonnie Murphy, Paul Lewis and other northwest artists producing original music, set to a rich and varied canon of poetry. In these albums, the weaving of melody and imagery produce songs that unearth the raw senses that nurture the soul. ... more

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