Over a decade ago I wrote a song for Earth Day that has made it literally around the world. Since it was recorded, it’s been used in programs and presentations in Taiwan, China, Singapore, Japan, Scotland, South America and across the entire United States, too! It’s just a fact that honoring the Earth is a concept shared by everyone, everywhere, all around the globe!
“We’ve Got the Whole World In Our Hands” had very humble beginnings. I was working with a group of elementary school students on an Earth Day project and they were excited about the many ways they could make a difference for the Earth. To share what they learned, we decided to write a song to a melody that everyone recognized. We chose the beautiful spiritual song “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” and changed the lyrics slightly to reflect the idea of being a good steward of the Earth.
Next, we added the children’s ideas to the song. Naturally, the first suggestion had to do with the three “R”s – reduce, reuse and recycle. Then the kids got really creative. They offered dozens of suggestions that encompassed not only being green and living simpler, but also being kind to everyone and everything around them. It was truly inspiring to see their vision of a planet filled with peace, harmony and more thoughtful life choices!
The original song has over 10 verses filled with great ideas about caring for the Earth. When we recorded the song, we had to limit it to 4, so the song would not be too long. Here’s the words to our final version:
Chorus: We’ve got the whole world, in our hands
We’ve got the whole world, in our hands
We’ve got the whole world in our hands
We’ve got the whole world in our hands
We should recycle now – all that we can
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – all that we can
We should recycle now – all that we can
We’ve got the whole world in our hands
Be kind to the plants and animals – of our land
Be kind to the plants and animals – of our land
Be kind to the plants and animals – of our land
We’ve got the whole world in our hands
Join hands with sisters and brothers – throughout the land
Join hands with sisters and brothers – throughout the land
Join hands with sisters and brothers – throughout the land
We’ve got the whole world in our hands
Dream your bright dream – then do all that you can
Dream your bright dream – then do all that you can
Dream your bright dream – then do all that you can
We’ve got the whole world in our hands
Here’s the video!
Lyrics and songsheet here:
http://www.dariamusic.com/wholeworld.php
An Earth Day Song Challenge!
Stay tuned. Next week we’ll be asking you to write your own version of this song. Cool prizes and more details to follow!
