"Ukraine Shall Overcome" part II

Thought for the day

Because Russian rockets are once again exploding in multiple cities across Ukraine, innocent men, women and children are being forced to take shelter in underground subway stations.  There, they can be heard singing folk songs designed to lift people's spirits and openly defy their aggressors.

Closer to home, if country singer Kacey Musgraves can call out Sen. Ted Cruz by crooning the Texas GOP lawmaker “kills the buzz,” then surely someone like Carrie Underwood can sing "Ukraine Shall Overcome."  Never heard of it you say.  I rewrote the lyrics to the 1960s civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" days after Russia launched its deadly invasion last winter.*  

While I couldn't convince Sir Paul McCartney, who entertained thousands of Ukrainians years ago, or Joan Baez, who sang "We Shall Overcome" during the 1963 March on Washington, to perform my “Ukraine” revision, I am grateful a total of seven individuals and groups did sing the ballad earlier this year.  

I don't know if Ted Cruz is a buzz kill or not, but I do know this:  It is time to sing "Ukraine Shall Overcome" both coast to coast and around the globe.

-DF

*  "We Shall Overcome" was ruled in the public domain in 2018.