A Song of the Shepherd (1971)

I had a dream the other night
Which lessened all my fright
Of the military's opposition,
Not sustaining God's position,
Telling us that governments
Have more important covenants;
Which makes their members
Each a god who when he murders
Looks upon the enemy
Without compassion; sympathy
Is put aside for such as they.
But each of us is meant to pray
For all his brothers' souls.
We cannot say that they must pay
When all they are is tools.

I had a dream the other night
About a heathen land one bright
And sunny morn when all seemed well.
While kings and princes heard death's knell
And wiser men had packed and fled,
While all the fighting which had led
To so much pain and lonely prayer
Still went on while the new game player
Built up his kingdom on the blood
Of villagers who stood and looked
In disbelief of what the crooked
Foes of light had done to men, and women,
Who were unprepared to watch the common
Die in swill of heathen swine who worshipped
Satan's god of war, and disbelieved in God.

I had a dream in which I found
A little child wandering 'round
The confines of the village where
I watched as grave despair
Took charge of all,
Prepared the fall
From God's dear Grace;
Which must help brace
My soul for all the desperate tasks
Which simple folk would come and ask
Of me, while I can't hope to care
For all their needs and still prepare
Them all for what was still to come
In this sad time when each must llok to prayer
And not to satan's fear succumb.

The baby which I found that day
Was very small and could not say
From whence he came; and yet I knew
He was the prince whom God now drew
Into a path which only he could walk,
Which led away from what we can talk
About when all we know is what is now
While God still plans the future. How
Are we to flout God's will? So I took up
The baby, small and crying, let him sup
Within the village, although we scarce afford
Another mouth, but still the Lord
Was with us as He's always been
While children cried and caused discord
Which many heard but had not seen.

I look upon this incident
As meaning that we've all been sent
To live our lives within God's grace
And never try to change the pace
Which he has set for men to walk.
We cannot ever hope to talk
About the teaching He has wrought
But can't we just this once believe
That we must not destroy, and grieve
As hypocrites have always done;
While good folks must not hide and run
From what their enemies have brought
To God's fair world, while we have caught
Within the path which God has taught
And happily believe this day to be life's eve.