Arcade Fire's Will Butler Song a Day: By the Waters of Babylon

Will: "The words to today’s song are taken from Psalm 137. It’s a song of sorrow and rage from the mouth of a refugee whose city has been destroyed. The sorrow portion of the psalm is extremely famous and often quoted - ”How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” The rage portion of the psalm is less often brought up - “O daughter of Babylon … happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth they little ones against the stones.”
I can’t imagine the sorrow and rage of the people whose lands have been overrun by Isis, whose family and friends are murdered, whose culture is being destroyed.
This song is not a policy prescription. The last lines should evoke horror. But the emotions behind the words are ancient and real.
Mosul is a part of our heritage, part of the world’s heritage, and the loss of its history is heartbreaking."
LYRICS
(from Psalm 137)
By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept
By the waters of Babylon we hung up our harps
And there we wept
For our kidnappers came to us
They came to us and they said,
"Sing.
Sing us a song to make us laugh."
But how can I sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?
How can we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?
If I forget thee, O my city, let my right hand forget her cunning
If I forget thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth-
if I love anything as much as you
Remember, O Lord, when our enemies came
and they said "Burn it. Burn it to the stones."
O daughter of Babylon-who will be destroyed-
happy will he be
that will do to you as you have done to us.
Happy will he be
that takes and throws thy little ones against the stones.
Happy will he be who takes and throws thy little ones against the stones.

[@danielb7204]

I'm so glad barely anybody has heard this and yet I take so much from it. Blows me away every time

[@IlNyaPasdOrchestre]

* sighs * *Hangs up harp *

[@randyepp5459]

Nice

[@nikkoVq487]

You should actually cover the real song instead of whatever this is