Thomas Heck (Ph.D. musicology, 1970), [email protected], writes:
I am seeking contacts with native speakers of languages other than English, in order to obtain beautiful, inspiring singing versions (not literal translations) of my Golden Rule Song in as many languages as possible. Currently it exists in two English versions: one for adults (on YouTube, here), the other for kids (viewable here).
People seem to love this song. They tell me that its message is important to spread around—that it truly would benefit humankind if this song were embraced and sung by “kids of all ages” internationally. This means creating culturally appropriate versions of it in the major world languages: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Hindi for starters; then Russian, Bengali, Portuguese, Malay (Indonesian), and French. Others could follow.
Are there people in the Yale International Alliance’s extended family who might help make this dream a reality? Psychologists and therapists affirm what most of us know from experience: that the songs and lyrics we learn as children make a lifelong imprint in our memories. They stay with us!
The free, web-based availability of this song as a PDF score, with lyrics and video performances in every major world language, could help to bring about the peaceful world we all desire.
Here is the adult version of the lyric:
Refrain:
The message is the same, though the words we speak may differ,
The message is the same, take a walk in others’ shoes.
See yourself in others’ faces, just imagine trading places;
The Golden Rule’s the same— the whole world through.
Confucius put it this way: it’s what you shouldn’t do.
“Do not do to others anything that, if it’s done to you,
Would be hurtful or be harmful, or would break your heart in two!”
The same is said by Jews and Hindus, and by Muslims too. . .Salaam!
Refrain: The message is the same . . .
The humanists among us, with reason as their guide,
Treat the other with compassion, put enmity aside;
Universalists exhort us to meet our neighbor’s need,
Regardless of race or color, gender, age, or creed. . . Indeed!
Refrain: The message is the same . . .
The Bible says it often, the lesson’s hardly new; in
Leviticus and Matthew, the Law and Prophets too;
“Love your neighbor as yourself!” It’s so simple, it’s so true.
“Treat others the very way that others should treat you.”. . And you!
Refrain: The message is the same . . .
The children’s version is the same as the adult version, except that it calls for this as the middle stanza (in place of “The humanists…”):
When kids are misbehaving, or “acting out” in school,
Then we try to figure out what’s wrong; we take our Golden Rule,
And we measure them with kindness, surrounding them with love,
We’re practicing every day the lesson from “above” . . . to love!
