Holly Near

I admit it. I never had heard of Holly Near until 5 years ago. People who sang in the same women's choir with me talked about her as if she were a rock star. Who?

Why do we kill people who are killing people
To show that killing people is wrong?
What a foolish notion, that war is called devotion
When the greatest warriors
Are the ones who stand for peace

Then I sang her songs. They are the songs that sink into the very marrow of your bones. The words she writes are so real, so true, so powerful, that you cannot help but remember them as you go on with your life. The melodies of the songs she writes are easy, folksy, uplifting or melancholy. Still don't know her? Let me give you a little background.

I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
I ain't afraid of your Allah
I ain't afraid of your Jesus
I'm afraid of what you do in the name of your God
I ain't afraid of your churches
I ain't afraid of your temples
I ain't afraid of your praying
I'm afraid of what you do in the name of your God

Holly Near was a singer and performer from a young age. She grew up with parents who were passionate about their world and their country. Holly had many musical experiences, including a time in "Hair" on Broadway. When she was in her early 20s, she met some of the most well-known political activists and expressed her own anti-war sentiments through her music.

Send in a thousand grandmothers
They will surely volunteer
With their ancient wisdom flowing
They will lend a loving ear

Not only was she singing for peace, but she also sang for equality. Civil rights, women's rights, and gay and lesbian rights were the themes of so many of her pieces. Holly didn't stop at just standing on hilltops, singing the folk songs she created. She became involved, participating in forums, in conferences, marches and protests for so many of those who needed the brave and strong to stand up for them. She has been doing that for over 35 years.

Imagine my surprise!
I love that I have found you
But I ache all over wanting to know your every dream
Imagine my surprise!
To find that I love you
Feeling warm all over knowing that you've been alive

Yet Holly's voice rings out, in a unique way that lets the listener know she loves to entertain and to sing for you. Her face, her hair, her eyes are mesmerizing. You open your heart a little when Holly walks into a room and begins to sing. You know these songs have meaning.

I am open and I am willing
To be hopeless would seem so strange
It dishonors those who go before us
So lift me up to the light of change

Enough? No? Go, look up her up online. Listen to her music. Buy a CD if you can. But know, above all else, that here is a woman of integrity in a time where lesser women are making strides in changing the world. Fall in love a little bit with a woman you may not know. And then go on with the rest of your day, singing about foolish notions, about 1000 grandmothers, and about how you ain't afraid.