Mark Erelli, whose songs I really like, wrote this one.

Seeds of Peace
© 2006 Mark Erelli

from the album A Nod To Bob
(I have it on Hope and Other Casualties)

The American flag is tied to a fence on an overpass
With a homemade sign written in red, white and blue
It reads "Welcome Home Jason Miller, Private First Class"
And I don't even know him but I'm grateful for any good news

What's become of my country torn by contradiction
The spirit of freedom propped up by a culture of fear
Where it's unpatriotic to protest or even to question
Have we learned nothing from history or the last couple years

(Chorus)
And the rain pours down
On the fallow ground
And the fruited plain as barren as the sand
Is it not within our will
How long must we wait until
The seeds of peace find purchase in this land

He stood on the deck and he said we'd accomplished our mission
He twisted the facts 'til he knew it would pass for the truth
Vengeance can fill any fool with conviction
But he can't wash the blood of the fallen from his cowboy boots

(Chorus)

I will not be shamed into silence by partisan thunder
I won't fall in line and march to the drums on the wind
How many more daughters and sons will we see plowed under
How much longer must we wait 'til the harvest comes in

When the sun shines down
On this hallowed ground
And the fruited plain so bountiful and grand
Is it not within our will
How long must we wait until
The seeds of peace find purchase in this land

Will the seeds of peace find purchase in this land?

I don't find his songs to be completely without awkwardness, but he's one of the best writers of protest songs going today. I find he can be quite inspirational, which is more than I can say for the majority.