Antiwar songs are always a difficult job to do, without becoming pedantic. I did an attempt writing one, now 2 years ago, after seeing refugees from Syria trying to reach the Greek island Lesbos, and the following aftermath in f.i. Hungary. See: Lesbos refugees .

Clickety Click: Across the Sea
I still want to overhaul it BTW: but i need more time as i have now ... PS feel free to help me out on this one ... And yes, i never found a better dirty reggae organ as the RT involved here .... But a it's a real Acadian melodeon, and real mandolin etc.

PS: We (un-) humans always blame others, but it's our bank's mafia that get their profits with our money from investments also due the help of politicians.
Dirty money as it comes from the oil mob, weapon industry (Trump and Saudi Arabia ). Even the current ever increasing drugscene: My bank i hate, they just were fined 700 million euros for laundering (drugs?) money in their Caribbean dept they say.

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Lyrics:

Across the Sea © Artspurg 2016 SABAM

The steel bird’s gone and thus
Fear’s in my heart of a coming day
The lord is not with us
When a gun man tells you how to pray

They may keep the show; I’ll bail out and go
Across the sea, don’t you bother me, will you let me be

Paid me a load of jazz
For a plane, a train, and a ferry out
Tough road that it was
A nightmare one should do without

You may keep the show; I’ll bail out and go
Across the sea, don’t you bother me, will you let me be

Curse the cold and rain
Stuck in the land of the free they say
Fences block the way
A man with a gun says you cannot stay

You may keep the show; I’ll bail out and go
Across the sea, don’t you bother me, will you let me be
(don't bother me, just let me be, will you let me be ... )

Awesome job on this Reggae isn't a prominent genre on the forums here, and this is definitely a standout. Really nice lyrics as well, and I enjoyed your vocal performance too.

Thanks for sharing!

Hey fiddler2007, Great work on this! very thought-provoking lyrics. Personally I think the organ could use a tad more distortion to help it cut through the mix more. Otherwise everything sounds tight! Well done.

I really love the lyrics of this song, and I think you handled the subject matter tactfully. It is always interesting to hear songs based on current events.

Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

The bed is really cool as are the lyrics but the vocals due to their treatment left me cold.
Reggae is often marked out by it's use of clavinet and "froggy" key tones but I quite like you choice.
I THINK the harmonica following/underlining the vocal melody clouds things a bit.
The message is spot on by the way.

I agree, a good backing band, but not loving the vocals. I didn't know this was a political site (not the lyrics, but your explanation).

Loved this backtrack. Melody was very cool as well. Super vocal

Nice!
Backing track is wonderful! That Acadian Melodeon!! Vocals have good drive, but I am wondering if Soundcloud has distorted them a bit.

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

Dear "fiddler2007"...

I think that maybe, and in general, a songwriter couldn't help but be 'pedantic" in composing a song with anti-war sentiments because there's not much room for being 'artsy' about the massively violent destruction that modern warfare vents upon its victims. War turns everything upside-down. It scorches the earth, it decimates the lives of millions of innocent unborn foetuses, infants, children, women and men, and even worse, it seems to be perpetuated by organizations, institutions and over-zealous individuals in positions of too much power who actually and literally make money out of it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't worry about being 'pedantic'. Speak your mind. Show us your heart. At the worst, you will have to listen to people who may disagree with you, and vehemently, at that. So what? If anything, their caustic reaction to your "message" means that your protest songs hit home, that they stirred-up dissent and made the dissenters think hard enough to respond to you. Well, isn't that what your intention would be in writing protest songs? To get people to listen to you by beating your drums so loudly that they feel the need to beat their drums loudly, too?

Last I heard, that's what happens in a democracy where everyone (kinda-sorta) is free to speak their mind.

Hmmm...I guess what I wrote could be considered a "rant". Sorry about that! Oh, and, by-the-way, I believe that "Across the Sea" is the first reggae-style song that I've heard in the User's Forum. That off-beat Afro-Indian rhythm carries the memory of Bob Marley, who was quite a hell-raiser for justice, equality and peace, himself, so, you're in great company!

Sincerely,

LOREN

I wish I could express myself as well as Loren did - he translated my feelings into words. Fiddler2007, great intention, great song!

Stefan

thanks all ... also all the posts ones below ....

Well done!! I really enjoyed the vibe of the tune. To me, the vocal sounded like a great fit. Nice job! Take care. Greg

The musical bed sounds fine - love that melodeon (and didn`t mind it following the vocal at all).
Lyrics are good - almost making light of the trials.
I enjoyed your take on a tough subject!

Robert