Two Thousand Years

Aha. The Dancer decided to link Billy Joel and his song from River of Dreams, the one titled Two Thousand Years. I like it because it is one of the best millennium anthems I've heard – it combines the longing for peace and love with the knowledge that both are possible but fleeting, and this is what humanity is about. (Oh yes, by the way, check out BlinkBox for some interesting stuff. Thanks, Nadine!)

Two Thousand Years

In the beginning
There was the cold and the night
Prophets and angels gave us the fire and the light
Man was triumphant
Armed with the faith and the will
That even the darkest ages couldn't kill

Too many kingdoms
Too many flags on the field
So many battles, so many wounds to be healed
Time is relentless
Only true love perseveres
It's been a long time and now I'm with you
After two thousand years...

This is our moment
Here at the crossroads of time
We hope our children carry our dreams down the line
They are the vintage
What kind of life will they live?
Is this a curse or a blessing that we give?

Sometimes I wonder
Why are we so blind to fate?
Without compassion, there can be no end to hate
No end to sorrow
Caused by the same endless fears
Why can't we learn from all we've been through
After two thousand years?

There will be miracles
After the last war is won
Science and poetry rule in the new world to come
Prophets and angels
Gave us the power to see
What an amazing future there will be
And in the evening
After the fire and the light
One thing is certain: nothing can hold back the night
Time is relentless
And as the past disappears
We're on the verge of all things new
We are two thousand years

It's good to realise that this last verse is surely intended to be ironic; and if it isn't, it ought to be.