Keith Williams and I were scheduled to leave for China the day after 9/11/2001 to perform in Shanghai but, as a result of the horrific events that took place in New York and elsewhere on the east coast, we were delayed and arrived in Shanghai on Sept 15th.

To our surprise, there was still a buzz going around regarding that tragedy, even though we were thousands of miles away from the U.S. And what was even more surprising was the reaction of the people we met when discussing that event. Here we were….in a country that for years was considered to be, if not our enemy, at least our adversary….communist China…and they were saying how sympathetic they were to America. particularly the victims in New York, and how much disdain they had for the perpetrators. It seemed as though China and its people were totally on our side.

At that time, we were performing at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Shanghai which, as you can imagine, catered to people from all over the world. The subject of 9/11 was constantly brought up with us (probably because we were Americans) and there was virtually unanimous support for America by folks of every nationality and area of the world including the Middle East. This widespread sentiment of support for America overshadowed the negativity of the event itself.

Although this spirit of world unity did not endure as long as we had hoped, as evidenced by the international conflicts that exist, it is our desire that a renewal of that spirit be rekindled and we have a more lasting unified environment reminiscent of:

“THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TOGETHER”!

music by: Keith Williams
words by: Phil Morrison

It’s morning time in Georgia – time to start the day
It rained last night the ground was wet – the sky a cloudy grey
Glancing at the TV news – to see what’s goin’ on
That’s when I first became aware – something was very wrong

The TV man was talking fast – excitement in his voice
His pitch was high and very loud – as if he had no choice
Describing scenes in disbelief – somewhere in New York City
When planes flew into buildings – by men who showed no pity

THIS IS THE DAY WE’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER
AMERICA … STRUCK … BY TERROR
IT HAPPENED TUESDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER
BUT…. THAT’S WHEN THE WORLD CAME TOGETHER

Grief and horror all around – how could they be so cruel
The planes were filled with passengers – and also filled with fuel
Suddenly the buildings fell; smoke was rising high
To carry those who were inside back to their home in the sky

Now that this tragedy’s over – the question is “what should we do?”
We’ve tried that same old game before – “you hit me, then I’ll hit you”
But what we need now is deeper – our spirit must be touched
To end this vicious cycle – which we all want so much

THIS IS THE DAY WE’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER
AMERICA…. STRUCK…. BY TERROR
IT HAPPENED TUESDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER
BUT THAT’S WHEN THE WORLD CAME TOGETHER

We spend so much for armaments – missiles, tanks and bombs
With all the hunger in the world – you know there’s something wrong
**We fight for our religion -’cause we claim it’s right
**While innocent people suffer and die – is this what God would really like?

We must be more objective- listen to every position
There are so many perspectives – within the human condition
Assemble leaders the world can trust – men and women who…..
Guided by their conscience – will show us what to do

THIS IS THE DAY WE’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER
AMERICA…. STRUCK ….BY TERROR
IT HAPPENED TUESDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER
BUT THAT’S WHEN THE WORLD CAME TOGETHER

(c)2001 keith williams/phil morrison