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WE WILL NOT GO DOWN

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN (Song for Gaza)
(Composed by Michael Heart)
Copyright 2009



A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight


Indonesia:

Cahaya putih yang membutakan mata
Menyala terang di langit Gaza malam ini
Orang-orang berlarian untuk berlindung
Tanpa tahu apakah mereka masih hidup atau sudah mati

Mereka datang dengan tank dan pesawat
Dengan berkobaran api yang merusak
Dan tak ada yang tersisa
Hanya suara yang terdengar di tengah asap tebal

Kami tidak akan menyerah
Di malam hari, tanpa perlawanan
Kalian bisa membakar masjid kami, rumah kami dan sekolah kami
Tapi semangat kami tidak akan pernah mati
Kami tidak akan menyerah
Di Gaza malam ini

Wanita dan anak-anak
Dibunuh dan dibantai tiap malam
Sementara para pemimpin nun jauh di sana
Berdebat tentang siapa yg salah & benar

Tapi kata-kata mereka sedang dalam kesakitan
Dan bom-bom pun berjatuhan seperti hujam asam
Tapi melalui tetes air mata dan darah serta rasa sakit
Anda masih bisa mendengar suara itu di tengah asap tebal

Kami tidak akan menyerah
Di malam hari, tanpa perlawanan
Kalian bisa membakar masjid kami, rumah kami dan sekolah kami
Tapi semangat kami tidak akan pernah mati
Kami tidak akan menyerah
Di Gaza malam ini

Download MP3 (FREE and LEGAL)

http://www.michaelheart.com/sfg/downloads/a22685d/dl.php?file=we_will_not_go_down.mp3

Another Michael's songs:
http://michaelheart.com/Michael_Heart_Music.html

Facebook Michael Heart
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Heart/42856909145

About Michael Heart



Michael Heart has no propensity for nonsense. Neither in his life nor in his music. His no-frills approach to songwriting and production work is a clear testament to that. Despite his vastly diverse musicianship skills in different genres (clearly a direct result of having been raised all over the world), he has an affinity for authenticity and purity when it comes to his music. When he makes a Pop/Rock record, you just know it’s a Pop/Rock record.

Such is the case with his just released, debut Pop/Rock CD titled “Unsolicited Material”. Although this record may not necessarily entirely sound like the work of his musical influences, you can definitely hear traces of artists such as Don Henley, Bryan Adams and possibly even a hint of Daughtry, in a song or two. His raspy, breathy voice has a very identifiable sound, which commands attention from the listener. The songs are well crafted and the lyrical content is somewhat diverse, yet relevant. He tackles serious topics such as adultery (“Living In Sin”); the challenges of making a living (“Life Goes On”); war (“Damaged World”) and even domestic violence (“Finally Free”). Having said that, once in a while, Michael still lets his sense of humor come out in a song like “Wanna Be Bad”. After all, rock’n roll is about having a good time. And just for good measure, he includes the obligatory, radio-friendly, mid-tempo, Pop/Rock love song, “Lost In You”. Although the moods of the various songs on this CD do vary, there is still a common thread in all of these songs that unify them as a collective work.

Michael’s background is as diverse as can be. Having been raised in Europe (Switzerland and Austria), the Middle East and the United States, he has lived a multi-cultural life and absorbed the music of different parts of the world (although his current CD release is purely categorized as Pop/Rock). He started out on piano and guitar at age 10. Shortly thereafter, he began dabbling in songwriting and eventually made the natural progression towards recording. After earning his audio engineering degree from Full Sail (recording school), he moved to Los Angeles in 1990 and spent the past 18 years working on the local studio circuit both as a session guitarist and a recording engineer. In that time, he has worked with such artists as Brandy, Will Smith, Toto, Natalie Cole, The Temptations, Phil Collins, Patty LaBelle, The Pointer Sisters, Earth Wind & Fire, Ricky Lee Jones, Lou Rawls, Jesse McCartney, Hillary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Paige, Al Jarreau, K-Ci & Jojo, Deborah Cox, Monica, Taylor Dayne, Keiko Matsui, Steve Nieves, Luis Miguel and Tarkan. Michael’s fluency in French was definitely an added bonus when he also worked in the studio with French artists like Calogero (The Charts), Marc Lavoine and Veronique Sanson. Other projects also included work with producers Rodney Jerkins, Philippe Saisse and David Foster. (note: on most of these recording credits, Michael is credited as “Annas Allaf”). Although most of Michael’s work has been in the recording studio, he also done some touring (notably back in the early 90’s, when he toured as a Flamenco guitarist in a guitar trio with Juan Manuel Canizares, opening for Dire Straits). He has also recorded and toured with the smooth jazz band Jango. More recently, he performed in a live radio broadcast on the Mark & Brian Radio Program (Los Angeles Rock radio station, 95.5 KLOS).

These days, when he is not promoting his new CD or writing new material, Michael is lending his production skills to various local artists, primarily working in his home studio.

In January of 2009, Michael also wrote and composed a song about the horrific situation of the Palestinian people in Gaza. The song is called "We will not go down".

Qatar, Mauritania cut Israel ties

Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of Hamas, also called for Arab nations to cut ties with Israel [AFP] Qatar and Mauritania have suspended economic and political ties with Israel in protest against the war in Gaza, Al Jazeera has learned. The move announced on Friday followed calls by Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, and Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of Hamas, for all Arab nations to cut ties with Israel. Addressing leaders at an emergency Arab summit in Doha, the Qatari capital, al-Assad declared that the Arab initiative for peace with Israel was now "dead". He said Arab countries should cut "all direct and indirect" ties with Israel in protest against its offensive in Gaza. Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel and have Israeli embassies. Summit demands The Qatari-hosted Arab summit concluded on Friday with participants agreeing to present a Kuwaiti-hosted summit - to be held on Sunday - with a list of measures to end the conflict in Gaza. IN DEPTH Analysis and features from Gaza and Israel Al Jazeera Labs: Report on and track the war Send us your views and eyewitness videos Watch our coverage of the war on Gaza Those measures include demanding that Israel stops its offensive in the Strip, is held responsible for "crimes" committed in Gaza and immediately re-opens all crossings. The summit also agreed that all Arab countries should form a "sea-bridge" that would enable aid supplies to reach Gaza. Speaking from Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, said Israel should be barred from the United Nations while it continues to ignore UN demands to end the fighting in Gaza. "How is such a country, which totally ignores and does not implement resolutions of the UN Security Council, allowed to enter through the gates of the UN?" he said. Erdogan's comments came hours ahead of Friday's official visit to Turkey by Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general. The Turkish leader also added his voice to widespread condemnation of Israel's bombing of a UN compound in Gaza on Thursday. "The UN building in Gaza was hit while the UN secretary-general was in Israel ... this is an open challenge to the world, teasing the world," he said. Diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire have intensified over recent days with emergency meetings being held in Qatar, Turkey, Kuwait and Egypt. Arab divisions However, Friday's emergency summit in Doha has highlighted divisions within the Arab world, with Egypt and Saudi Arabia declining to attend, preferring instead to send delegates to a separate meeting of foreign ministers in Kuwait. The Palestinian political factions Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) did attend the Doha summit. Hashem Ahelbarra, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Doha, said the delegates recognised the legitimacy of the Gazan factions, whereas Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Western nations have sidelined them from ceasefire talks. "You have two camps: The so-called moderate Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, some Gulf monarchies like the UAE, and those who are trying to say that we totally disagree with the US attempt to implement a new Middle East." Qatar summit: Key points The following demands will be taken to Sunday's Kuwait summit for pan-Arab approval: - Strong condemnation of Israel - Israel withdraws from Gaza - Legal liability for Gaza "crimes" - Re-opening of crossings - "Sea-bridge" to supply Gaza - Assist Palestinian reconciliation - Establish Gaza rebuilding fund Ahelbarra said the "moderate camp" is uncomfortable with Hamas's ties with Iran and suspects that the Iranian leadership is using some Arab countries to further its influence in the region. He said that the latter group believes it has the duty to convey the anti-war feeling of the Arab street and condemn Israel's actions. Talks are continuing in Cairo over an Egypt-sponsored truce, with Amos Gilad, the Israeli chief negotiator, telling Egyptian officials Israel wants an open-ended ceasefire. Israel is demanding that rocket fire from Gaza ceases and that an international force is established to prevent weapons being smuggled into Gaza. Hamas want Israeli troops to be withdrawn from the Gaza Strip immediately and for all border crossings into the territory to be permanently re-opened. While Israel says it reserves the right to use military action if under threat, its emergency security cabinet is expected to vote on Saturday in favour of a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, according to news agency AFP. By Friday morning, 1,155 Palestinians have been killed and more than 5,200 injured since Israel launched its offensive on December 27. One third of the dead are children.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Gaza diary: Where is the humanity?

By Mohammed Ali in Gaza City

Two Gazans listen to the news on a radio during a temporary halt in Israeli fire [GALLO/GETTY] As the death toll from Israel's war on Gaza continues to climb, Mohammed Ali, an advocacy and media researcher for Oxfam who lives in Gaza City, will be keeping a diary of his feelings and experiences. 'Goodnight my love, see you in heaven' Today, I met with people outside the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. I could not believe the stories I was hearing. An old man told me he was going blind. His diabetic condition was deteriorating and he needed to be treated quickly so as not to lose his sight. He was turned away; he was not in a severe enough state compared to the people filling the hospital corridors and there were not enough doctors to see to him. Medical teams cannot cope; doctors are working 24 hour shifts, there are not enough beds, equipment or medicine to deal with this humanitarian crisis. IN DEPTH Latest news and analysis from Gaza and Israel Send us your views and videos Watch our coverage of the war on Gaza I am hearing more and more stories of people trapped under rubble - ambulance teams unable to reach them, so they wait to die. While I was out, one man approached me and asked if I would help him to clear up dead bodies. Another asked if I worked for a humanitarian organisation but before I could answer he looked up at the sky and shouted: "Where is humanity?" The situation has now reached such a critical point that doctors frequently confront dilemmas such as whether to treat the child who is bleeding to death or the baby who has severe head injuries. While doctors ask themselves these tough questions, some politicians continue to debate whether or not we are facing a humanitarian crisis. Since the Israeli military attacks started on Gaza, no salaries have been received and hardly any one has been able to work. Many people here depend on agricultural farming to make a living, and the Gazan population relies on these farmers to be able to eat vegetables; the blockade is allowing hardly anything in. No farmer will go to their farmland these days. Like all of us, they fear being killed if they move out of their homes or even if they stay put. Prices of goods are increasing by the day as they become more and more scarce. Candles are no longer available; a much-needed item these days given the prolonged power cuts we have to endure. We started to use our torches but the batteries soon ran out and there are no batteries to be found here any more. Same planet, different worlds Every hour, fleeting images from around the world are brought to our TV screens. When I have electricity, I watch these scenes of people enjoying themselves and ask myself, what is the difference between them and me? Why are our lives worlds apart in spite of living on the same planet? I wonder, are these people asking themselves the same question when they watch the horror unfold in Gaza? The occupation has put Gaza on a drip feed; we have had just enough to keep us alive but not enough to make us feel as though we are really living - and now this. If I make it to the end of this conflict, I want to leave the minute I am able to. I do not want my children to grow up in this environment, strangled by the occupation, familiar with the sounds of F-16 fighter jets, unable to leave the country if they need life-saving treatment. This is not a natural disaster like the Tsunami; this is a man-made disaster that deepens while the world watches. As the death toll continues to rise, my wife and I spend our waking hours waiting for our turn to come. Now, at night before trying to sleep I say to her: "Goodnight my love, see you in heaven." Click here to read the last installment of Mohammed's diary: Are we not human?

http://english.aljazeera.net