published on
This is written for Taliesin and his family, for all the love they embody, for the Muslim ladies on the train and all Muslims everywhere deserving of respect and freedom to rock their lives, as all should have. We Choose Love is the name of the movement started in response to Taliesin's death by fatal stabbing on a Portland train in May 2017. As he lay dying, still on the train, the train still moving with his killer somewhere on it, he said, "Tell everyone on the train today that I love them."
lyrics:
We Choose Love
by Diane Patterson
with inspiration from the work of Martin Prechtel
Do you remember, the great great man with that great wide smile, Taliesin?
One day that great man, on a big city train heard the cruel refrains of the bigot.
That young wise man stood, with some other good men, defending the young Muslim woman
That young wise man fell, to the bigot’s knife, oh his blood spilled and there he died
With his dying breath, as the train rushed on,
Taliesin said, Tell everyone here that I love them
On the train today that I love them
Tell EVERYONE here that I love them
I’ve got nothing but a heart to love, I’ve got nothing but the sky above
Cause when I die, that’s what they’ll remember me by
A heart of love in the sky
We choose love
We choose love
Do you remember, that wise old man who invited his neighbors to the table?
They said, Well OK, We’ve got the Only One God here. May we bring Him to the table?
That old wise man said, Bring ‘em on in, we’ve got lots of those at the table
That old wise man said, There’s room for all the Only One Gods at the table
I’ve got nothing but a heart to love, I’ve got nothing but the sky above
Cause when I die, that’s what they’ll remember me by
A heart of love in the sky
We choose love
We choose love
To give a hungry ghost a home, we, speak true salaam
We build a pillow with our prayers, we bring a gift woven with care
We tuck ‘em in the sounds and songs of remembrance
I’ve got nothing but a heart to love, I’ve got nothing but the sky above
Cause when I die, that’s what they’ll remember me by
A heart of love in the sky
We choose love
We choose love
- Genre
- Folk & Singer-Songwriter