FAWM: "Stop it (Ground Zero)"

Stop it (Ground Zero)

2025 by @cmharwood89

Liner Notes

A bit of backstory -

So, as a general rule, I don't cry at movies. Sometimes I'd like to, but that's just not my mode.

The exception is when I went to see "From Ground Zero" this week. https://www.watermelonpictures.com/films/from-ground-zero

For those who don't know, it's an anthology of 22 short films (many documentary in nature) that were directed and shot in Gaza over the last 18 months.

For all the resilience, resourcefulness, and bravery on display through the films, it remains one of the most heart rending pieces of cinema I've every seen. It's the kind of film that makes you walk away with a profound sense of "I don't think we're the good guys anymore, if we ever were".

My wife is Palesinian. Her family is in Palestine. I've been, and I've seen the hundreds of inequities big and small that Palestinians have thrust upon them every day. I'll tell anybody with a mind open enough to hear: it's apartheid in the best of times and genocide in the worst. But the film showcases a people living through man-made famine, indiscriminate bombings, and generational displacement - and they're dancing. It's incredible, moving, beautiful, and so sad.

I took a few of the images from the films and wrote around them. Some are merged, others reframed a little, and some expanded to include the stories of other people I know from the West Bank and Gaza. Poetic license and all that, but I tried not to change the stories.

Anyway, this started out as a skirmish earlier today, but went way long for me. It took about two hours to write, then I didn't have a chance to record a demo till tonight, so it's cheating - but I'm posting this as my "Stop It!" skirmish entry.

It remains a rough demo - especially the bridge. It's one of the more complicated song's I've written, and I'm still getting comfortable with the timing - lots of varied line lengths.

But it's FAWM, so here you go. Go watch the movie.

#acousticonetake #skirmish #political #protest #folk

Lyrics

She had a garden It was filled with all the colors from her town She tried to paint them So their greens and yellow faces may never fade to brown

But they don't bloom Can't water them with salt and all the paintings burned Like the linens in her room

And the night doesn't bring her restful sleep Just a question that she can't keep to herself Won't you stop it?

He had a family Three brothers and his parents filled with life Till they were buried Air filled with dust ; the smells of dinner cooked that night

The buzzing drones They cover up the sound His neighbors gathering round To dig toward his ringing phone

Now it's just him His head still bandaged tight While he digs for others every night and thinks Won't you stop it?

His tent became concrete Where he'd landed hard when he was just a boy He's a little bent by age And the weight of a single suitcase saved from the camp they'd just destroyed

He's under canvas tonight His case unpacked to show The photos of the groves Where his parent's made their life

He hopes to go back Keeps a key next to his heart He's wondered since he started seeking refuge Won't you stop it? Bridge: If you, if you couldn't eat now, Would you just bite your own tongue? Is your appetite satisfied now- That you see what we've done?

She had a marker Her children asked why she used it on their skin. It's a graveyard out there How else are they to bury us as kin?

They tried to scrub away The tattooed lines That gave them bad dreams With water rations from that day

But she writes them out again And makes them swear They won't bear the risk of dying without names Won't you stop it?

He was to be married To a girl he'd loved since they were only kids There's ring he carries On his left hand to remind him of a life so nearly his

He sits in the rain To speak about the cost And mourn a future lost For some nation's ugly gains

And he weeps To think that he'd be free If people just like we are had the heart To stop it.

Comments

@johnrupe 2025

Kudos for putting this into words. This is an important song for our time.

@eamarant 2025

This really affected my wife and I. Wow, man. Your voice is gorgeous. Modern James Taylor. And the song... hard not to have your stomach drop and eyes to water. What images. The rhythm of the lyrics is great too. This is so good.

@lbrewington 2025

I can't even with this, so sad and tender. The instrumentation is perfect for the theme. Each vignette is just plunging at the heart. I'm not crying, you're crying. You say it's a rough demo, but how would you make it better, perfect as is. Amazing work.

@ayeahmur 2025

Oh man, this hits hard. So many painful, true details. It takes a lot of skill to transliterate the right moments into verse form to give us enough detail to make us feel it but not clutter the song with too much. And you've got that balance amazingly well. Lovely melody too. Love the short/long alternating lines in the verse especially. What a terrific piece of work.

@bradgates 2025

What a powerful song. I still can't get my head around man's inhumanity in Gaza and elsewhere. Credit also to your voice and guitar playing.

@catetaylor 2025

Beautiful Casey. Friends saw this film and invited me but I declined. Seeing so much graphic content and hearing so many tragic stories. I've been attending a Palestinian lecture series which has been another form of activism though. Education. Anyway, thank you for this incredible song and for using this platform to speak out too.

@briggs 2025

This is a gorgeous lyric and performance, and I appreciate you sharing the back story. More people need to hear this song.

@philnorman 2025

Wow. This is remarkable work, powerful writing that fits right in the modern singer-songwriter catalog.

The repetition of "won't you stop it" is really strong to tie these vignettes together. I can't help but suspect there's a catchy chorus using "won't you stop it" waiting for you to uncover and maybe let this grow from somber reflection to a catchy call to action. I don't mean cheesy singalong, but something that helps remind the listener that the you in "won't you stop it" means me, means all of us collectively. None of us are free until we're all free.

Excellent work here. Thank you for sharing it with us, and I have added the film to my list.

@nancycunning 2025

This is so stunning - the rhythm and the somehow understated rhymes wrap so many images, so many people. It feels impossible to turn away. It’s like all the skills you’ve practiced come together to let you build a whole world in a couple of hours. Wow.

@bethdesombre 2025

Oh my goodness -- this is aching and gorgeous. Telling this ("won't they stop it" -- and transition to "won't you stop it") in specific detailed personal stories is effective. So many excellent images and phrases, among them "can't water them with salt," "How else are they to bury us as kin?" " of a life so nearly his" and that whole last stanza.

@erubenst 2025

I really like your voice. It blends well with the guitar line- which I also really like. Nice stripped down sound-- powerful story to tell, about so much horrible destruction, death, and heartbreak. Was glad I was able to listen to this.

Command Center

Stop it (Ground Zero)

Liner Notes

Lyrics

Comments

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