Story Behind the Song
Amnesty International.
This ancient Chinese proverb inspired Peter Benenson's choice of a symbol for Amnesty International. The candle in barbed wire is still used today.
It is better to light a candle
than to curse the darkness
Amnesty International was launched in 1961 by Peter Benenson, a British lawyer, after reading about two Portuguese students who had been sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for raising their glasses in a toast to freedom.
His newspaper appeal, "The Forgotten Prisoners", was published world-wide on 28th May 1961 and brought in more than 1,000 offers of support for the idea of an international campaign to protect human rights. Within 12 months the new organisation had sent delegations to four countries to make representations on behalf of prisoners, had taken up 210 cases, and had organised national branches in seven countries.
From the beginning, the principles of strict impartiality and independence were established. Amnesty members were to act on cases world-wide, but not become involved in cases in their own countries and the emphasis was on the international protection of human rights.
Today we have more than 1 million members and supporters in over 160 countries and territories. There are nationally organised sections in more than 50 countries, 34 of them in areas outside Western Europe and North America, and more than 5,000 local groups (in addition to many thousands of school, university and professional groups).
If you would like to know more about Amnesty International, please visit: www.amnesty.org.uk
Lyrics
How Do You Do?
She is watching me, from a distance of a hundred thousand miles
She is spying me every time I try to break another smile
She is clothed in cinnamon, riding on the chorus of my sigh
I cant even rouse myself, I cant even speak when she arrives
Well the seasons change, and they pack up, and they head for the coast
So we raise our glasses, and we drink to the ones we miss the most
All the skeletons we keep, wed gladly give our skin for a day
We can never trade, we just glory at the curse of our today
Hey how do you do?
Its gotta be a year since I bumped into you
Time has done so much
I cant remember, the reason why I came
But, hey how do you do
From the ones we keep inside us, to the few of us that still remain
Safe within the walls, of our memory, our love, and our shame
This is a life in the day of everything we came to hold close
So we drink to our tomorrow, we pack up, and we head for the coast
Hey how do you do?
Its gotta be a year since I bumped into you
Time has done so much
I cant remember, the reason why I came
But, hey how do you do
Hey how do you do?
Its gotta be a year since I bumped into you
Time has done so much
I cant remember, the reason why I came
But, hey how do ya, what happened to ya
Hey how do you do?
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