While shopping at the grocery store
I saw my sister, Eve
Her boys are down with rotten colds,
My girl’s begun to teethe
As we stood guard on our mixed brood,
We talked about TV
A movie that we both had seen
That showed us World War Three
We want to see our babies having babies
And we want them to watch their children multiply
We don’t care how fast or high
Your planes and missiles fly
We love our babies
And we don’t want to watch them die
Why do we send our money
To leaders with no shame
That lock up those that disagree
And torture in our name
When we can’t feed our children
Or keep out winter’s rain?
Don’t they think we matter?
Can’t they feel the pain?
We want to see our babies having babies
And we want them to watch their children multiply
We don’t care how fast or high
Your planes and missiles fly
We love our babies
And we don’t want to watch them die
I watch the TV every night
And look for signs of hope
Those careless men will hang us
If we give them the rope
I hear my daughter laughing
And know what I would lose
It’s our babies or their bombs
Now which one will we choose?
We want to see our babies having babies
And we want them to watch their children multiply
We don’t care how fast or high
Your planes and missiles fly
We love our babies
And we won’t stand to watch them die
© 1983 Donna Hébert, all rights reserved.
Recorded on “Rude Girls: Rude Awakening,” 1987, and “Ronnie Gilbert: Love Will Find a Way,” 1989. Written after watching the TV movie “The Day After,” this song is even more relevant today. While we have narrowly avoided nuclear war, those weapons still exist, war is far more profitable than peace, and parents around the world still mourn.