Another Child In Africa

I wrote "Another Child In Africa" in November 2005 after listening to Radio Four's "thought for the day" programme on 26th October in which Rhidian Brook made the point that we are all concerned about a relatively small number of casualties from bird flu when at the same time it rarely makes the news that a child in Africa dies every minute.

Lyrics

Today I went to work again as usual
And moaned about the weather and the trains
I've had my multivitamins and muesli
And I'm groaning with the usual aches and pains
But as I pass a newsstand something holds me
On the front page an emaciated child
An African disaster is unfolding
And my troubles now seem trivial and mild

And another child in Africa will die this very minute
In the time it takes to sing this line a life will slip away
Though we say we care and spare our change there's no salvation in it
Tomorrow will be much the same, another dying day

Time passes and my routine gets me through it
I'm busy and the hours just slip away
You cannot think of sad things every minute
Or you'd go completely crazy in a day
And anyway my own world is a rat race
It's dog eat dog in business and in life
But as I leave the office there's that child's face
And a guilty feeling cuts me like a knife

Chorus

But what can one man do against the system
We elect our politicians for this task
We pay our tax and know that some is given
But where does it all go I have to ask
It's nice to think that we can help by giving
Donating make you feel good for a while
But after years of giving nothing's changing
So is that feeling all our money buys?

Chorus

I don't have any answers to their problem
In fact I feel as helpless as the rest
To stand up and be counted and to help them
Would take a courage that I don't posses
And so I turn a blind eye to this madness
And concentrate on things much nearer home
But sometimes there's an overwhelming sadness
That burns my eyes and cuts me to the bone

Chorus

Chris Flegg 2005 all rights reserved