BRAVER ANGELS

Braver Angels be our guide.        D– G
All my people, taking sides.         B7– C D
Hate so easy, loving so hard,       G D Em C
Braver Angels be our guide!        D– G

Back in the day of the blue and gray,       G  D/F#  Em  C
A nation divided in two.                              G/B   Em  D
Colors changed,  but people are saying    G  D Em G/B
Now I’m at war with you.                            C  D  G

Under the stage are the roots of rage,        G  D/F#  Em  C
The paper and the TV news.                            G  Em  D
And every word on every page                       G  D Em G/B
Shouting out in red or in blue.                       C  D  G
CHORUS

My neighbor’s saying I’ve lost my mind,
But he’s my brother too.
And I ain’t lying, It’s hard to be kind.
Braver Angels won’t you see us  through!

My hand will not open, the fire will not cease
my shoes refuse to walk the road to peace
And I am tied to my place and my pride
Braver Angels won’t you help me, please?

Braver Angels be our guide                         D    G
All my people, taking side                           B7  C D
Hate so easy, loving so hard,                     G D Em C
How good it feels just to walk again           G D Em C
How good it feels just to talk again,           G D Em C
How good it feels to go home again,             G D Em C
Braver Angels be our guide!                           G D G

©Doug Hendren 2020

What’s it about?  We have lost the ability to talk to one another. Starkly polarized into “Red” and “Blue,” American culture and government has become increasingly hostile and dysfunctional. Some refer to our cultural impasse as a “cold civil war.”  Many believe that armed conflicts are a real possibility.

As Americans, there has never been such an urgent need for open dialog on many fronts: racism continues to threaten our nation;  economic inequality has never been so extreme; strong evidence indicates that the US no longer functions as a democracy, and has really become a plutocracy. Issues from health care to gun control have become battlegrounds, with discussions more incendiary by the day. Most US news sources have become either red or blue, either right or left, with precious little middle ground to bridge these extremes. Americans need to learn to talk to each other again! But where can we start?

In late 2016, a group calling itself “Better Angels” formed to start to address this challenge. Four years on, however, we are even more battered and confused by claims of “fake news;” we now live under the added public health and economic stresses of a global pandemic; and our political leaders have become openly antagonistic to one another. Even more than before, it takes courage to listen and talk with our neighbors who may not share our views. Recognizing this, Better Angels has changed the name to “Braver Angels.”  This inspiring 4-minute video will tell you the story of Braver Angels, and show you how ordinary Americans can talk to their neighbors and families again!