Please let my dream come true

Written less than three months after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and only two weeks after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, the song 'If I Can Dream' is a passionate cry for and a solemn commitment to a better world. It was composed virtually overnight as a last-minute replacement for the finale of Elvis Presley's 1968 Comeback Special.

When Presley first heard this powerful, important song he was moved to reconsider the trajectory of his career, which then consisted of making frivolous, throwaway musicals. He told the producer of the recording, "I'm never going to sing another song I don't believe in. I'm never going to make another picture I don't believe in." After meeting contractual commitments to musicals already in production (and over the protestations of his notorious manager, Tom Parker) he never made another one.

If I Can Dream
Words and music by W. Earl Brown

There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue
If I can dream of a better land
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand
Tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true

There must be peace and understanding sometime
Strong winds of promise that will blow away
All the doubt and fear
If I can dream of a warmer sun
Where hope keeps shining on everyone
Tell me why, oh why, oh why won't that sun appear

We're lost in a cloud
With too much rain
We're trapped in a world
That's troubled with pain
But as long as a man
Has the strength to dream
He can redeem his soul and fly

Deep in my heart there's a trembling question
Still I am sure that the answer's gonna come somehow
Out there in the dark, there's a beckoning candle
And while I can think, while I can walk
While I can stand, while I can talk
While I can dream, please let my dream
Come true, right now
Let it come true right now

Now, you may be thinking, "How cheesy can you get, Sharp? An ode to an old Elvis tune? Are velvet paintings next?"

But something about this song and the story behind it comforted me, if only for a fraction of a moment. Not just about political things (although that thought occurred to me) but about life. Especially in light of the anniversary of the tornado that altered the course of our lives. I don't talk about it much but sometimes the days are exceptionally dark and the future holds little hope of improvement. The bridge of this song in particular ("We're lost in a cloud..") resonates very deeply with me. I played this video over and over again that day. I bawled my eyes out. And I felt better.