Waltham Musician Writes Song In Response To Uvalde School Shooting

WALTHAM, MA — Waltham-based singer-songwriter Linda Marks has released a song in response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX on May 24.

The song, called “Our Children’s Prayer,” is written from the point of view of the children impacted by school shootings.

"The impact on our children of growing up in a climate where gun violence is not only a daily occurrence but also a potential threat to what should be a safe environment, their schools is profound and far reaching,” Marks said in a statement. "Many of us feel frightened, overwhelmed and frozen, recognizing the magnitude and gravity of the problem without knowing what to do."

Here are the lyrics to “Our Children’s Prayer,” available for listening via YouTube:

Please don’t bring me flowers at my grave
Don’t tell me that my death proved that I’m brave
Remember Columbine in nineteen ninety nine
Two hundred plus school shootings, since that day

Please don’t tell my mom to stop her tears
You shot a hole inside her filled with fear
We numb out our pain, the gun sings the refrain
Buried anger morphs to shrapnel rain

We are your children, your daughters and your sons
Give us protection, don’t shoot us with your guns
Our future’s in your guiding hand
We want to be here to build a better land

Life on earth is frittering away
Action must be taken now, today
America’s become the land where shooting guns
Is our trademark as we simply think and pray

Many factors brought us to this place
Mental health neglected can erase
The safety that’s free when there’s community
Social media induced violence is its face

We are your children, your daughters and your sons
Give us protection, don’t shoot us with your guns
Our future’s in your guiding hand
We want to be here to build a better land

We need to carve new pathways of respect
Divided political rhetoric is a wreck
The list of shootings grows
What we reap is what we sow
The data’s there, please let’s use what we know

Please don’t leave me flowers at my grave
Hear my message…
Let my life be the one you save

Marks, who holds a degree in music from Yale University, has released 12 studio albums and performed throughout New England. Among many other endeavors, she hosts a monthly open mic for the Boston Association for Cabaret Artists in Watertown and and has run an intimate concert series, The Music Salon, since 2015 in Waltham. Marks also co-founded an intergenerational artist-alliance group, Women In Music Gathering, in 2018 and has been involved with the Newton Festival of the Arts.

To read more about Marks or to listen to her music, click here.