I reckon this one is worthy of inclusion in an anti-war song collection:

THE RILEY BOYS                                                            
(Carol Denney)

It was lovely in the spring
All the flowers were in bloom
And we met beside the shore
For a moment
There were birds and there were planes
Flying patterns all around
And we shared a single sound
For a moment

If the Riley boys were here
They would tell us all was well
Not to cry and not to worry for tomorrow
If the Riley boys were here
This would be a joyous tear
Instead of one for mercy and for sorrow

If it’s quiet in the street
It is not for want of feet
That would march if they could only
Find the way
If the halo round the light
In this quiet street tonight
Showed the hearts that wander by
It would be crying

If the Riley boys were here
They would probably take our hands
And remind us that on earth our days are fleeting
If the Riley boys were here
And their gentle voices near
They’d remind us all that someday we’ll be meeting

It’s so hard to read the news
And so beautiful outside
And the world that seemed so wide
Now seems so broken
All the things we love and keep
In our dreams and in our sleep
Startled birds that we have suddenly awoken

If the Riley boys were here
They would tell us not to cry
Dry your eyes, they’d say
There’s work to do tomorrow
If the Riley boys were here
We’d hold fast another year
And be thankful for what mercy we could borrow
And be thankful for what mercy we could borrow

Here's a rendition by Finest Kind:

Riley Boys

Carol Denney - singer, writer and grassroots activist - composed a quiet, dignified song, The Riley Boys, which she said was her personal metaphor for the Iraq war dead. It was born in the aftermath of Abu Graib when their voices were all she could hear. Carol lives in California, but her roots are in small town West Virginia where she says ‘the loss of one person is felt deeply and mourned collectively’. In such a rural community, discussion of war is more nuanced. Which is more natural - war or peace? Perhaps it is a matter of asking the right question. During the war in Sarajevo, Vedran Smailovic went out into the town square and played his cello whilst bombs were dropping around him. Someone from the press ran out and asked: ‘Sir, why are you playing your cello while they are dropping bombs?’ Smailovic replied: ‘Why are they dropping bombs while I’m playing my cello?’

--Stewie.