Friday, March 25, 2011

Danny's Downs....How Many Families Have Lived These Lyrics?

i was over on kelle cryderman hampton's facebook page this afternoon, and i found a reference about this song that i had never heard before.  it is from peter, paul and mary's 1999 album songs of conscience and concern.  these are the lyrics....i know it's not politically correct, people first language, but the story the song tells brought tears to my eyes.....
DANNY'S DOWNS
Michael Blanchard- Diadem Sky/Gotz Music (ASCAP)

On the day little Danny arrived
His father stared and his mother cried
They knew his name but they didn't know why
He looked the way he did
This thing happens to other kids
How in the world are we gonna live
With a boy like that?

Doctor said,"Dan's the first bad news
Second is his heart won't make it through
It must be fixed unless you choose
To send him back where he came
Starve the boy from his name
Just six short days of pain
Or maybe less"

Chorus:

Danny's Downs but Love is up
It's been known to be more than enough
For more and more of us
Danny's downs but Love is up

"I'm not that strong," his father said
"The dreams are gone, the hopes have fled
Won't be long after he's dead
We'll try again to find
The child we had in mind
Where the hell are those papers to sign?"
And the man broke down

In a private room Danny's mother wept
As an old Jamaican woman swept
And not by chance their eyes met
(And she said)
"God's gifts are only good y'know
And there ain't no Love the Lord can't grow
Aw honey, take that boy with ya when ya go
Back home

(Chorus)

It's been eight years since the surgery
His sister's 5, his brother's 3
He goes to school and he knows how to read
He takes the bus home by himself
Puts his lunch pail back upon the shelf
And he hugs his Momma till she melts
To the floor

They're more than a home, they're a family
'Cause blood and bones are still souls y'see
And someone's baby's just another Danny
And in the guest room in the back
Lives this old Jamaican black
'Cause when you give a gift
God gives it back again.
(Chorus)

i could not find the origins for this song, why he wrote it or anything else, but i did find the songwriter's webpage, Michael Kelly Blanchard, and this links to a post from a 16 year old boy named danny, who has Down syndrome.  he wrote to tell michael that he used this song in a high school report that he gave in his youth leadership class!   

i'm so thankful for the advances that have been gained in america, that we are not given such a choice when we give birth to our precious babies who have Down syndrome....but what about all those babies with Down syndrome who are born in other countries.  whose parents are told to leave them at the hospital, because their life is not worth the effort.....  

or like the Davis family, who were told just last week by a russian judge that their adoption of Kirill, who has Down syndrome, was DENIED:  "The basis given was that Kirill was “not socially adaptable” due to his “medical condition” and he was better off in an institution than in a home with a family."  to see this child hug his mother, it breaks your heart to know that they are being denied the opportunity to take him home. please follow their story on their blog Our Eyes Opened.    


PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS FAMILY AS THEY APPEAL THE JUDGE'S DECISION;  PRAY THAT THE JUDGE'S HEART WILL BE SOFTENED, AND THAT HER EYES WILL BE OPENED TO THE TRUTH.....  tesney asks that we pray for "God to move the mountain that is standing between Kirill and us as we appeal to the Supreme Court in Moscow. There are also three other families who are in various stages of adopting children with Down Syndrome from Kirill’s region; one of the families has a court hearing set for next week."    and pray that above all else, GOD WILL BE GLORIFIED.....







5 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, Penny, I had never heard that song. Just reading it made me cry, and knowing there really was a time in America when this happened. More awful still that now most babies don't even make it outside the womb alive because of the abortion rate. God help us.
    Thank you for all you do to raise awareness and promote life. hugs to you, my friend.

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  2. Wow, I had never heard that song, either. Made me all teary to read the lyrics, and I had to skim through them to keep my composure. My parents loved Peter Paul & Mary when I was growing up - I'll have to ask them if they remember that.

    I, too, wonder about all the unenlightened ones, even ones here in this country still, who don't know of the amazing potential of people with that beautiful extra something. My heart goes out to the Davis family - I hope all of those advocating for the adoption of Kiril can make a difference in the decision of that judge during the appeal.

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  3. Very well put... Ithink I have heard that song years ago, but not given much thought to it then, and hadn't thought of it since. Odd how that happens. This is a beautiful post.

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  4. tears!!!!!!!!! Thank you for posting that Penny!

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