Hills was born to a family of missionaries in India and grew up in Michigan. She studied at Interlochen, where she played in a band with Chris Brubeck and Peter Erskine. In 1976, she moved to Chicago and was a co-founder of the record label Hogeye Music. After releasing a few records on Hogeye, the label was bought out by Flying Fish Records in the mid-1980s. In 1984, Anne briefly was a member of a trio (along with Tom Paxton and Bob Gibson) known as the Best of Friends. In 1988 she began collaborating with Cindy Mangsen, with whom she released two duo albums. Together with Priscilla Herdman the three singers recorded as a trio in 1990 and again in 1997. In 1998, she contributed renditions to tribute albums for Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs. The 2000s saw her collaborating with Tom Paxton and singing in a fourpiece called Fourtold with Steve Gillette, Mangsen, and Michael Peter Smith.
In addition to her musical endeavors, Hills also acts on the live stage. Additionally, she collaborated with Liz Paxson on a children's book with an accompanying album, featuring Hills and her daughter, Tamlyn. She lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and is married to Mark Moss, editor of Sing Out!.
I Come and Stand at Every Door
Anne Hills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But no one hears my silent prayer
I knock and yet remain unseen
For I am dead, for I am dead
I'm only seven although I died
In Hiroshima long ago
I'm seven now as I was then
When children die they do not grow
My eyes grew dim my eyes grew blind
Death came and turned my bones to dust
And that was scattered by the wind
I need no fruit I need no rice
I need no sweets nor even bread
I ask for nothing for myself
For I am dead, for I am dead
All that I ask for is for peace
You fight today, you fight today
So that the children of this world
May live and grow and laugh and play
"I Come and Stand at Every Door" is a haunting and emotional song written by Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, and popularized by Anne Hills in 1992 as a tribute to the victims of the Hiroshima bombing. The song is sung from the perspective of a young girl who was only seven years old when she died in the bombing, and now stands at the doors of people's homes, searching for peace.
The opening lines "I come and stand at every door, but no one hears my silent prayer" set the tone for the rest of the song, which highlights the tragic and untimely death of the young girl, who is still reaching out for help even in her afterlife. The girl remains unseen and unheard, highlighting the fact that the legacy of the Hiroshima bombing is often overlooked and forgotten.
The song's poignant lyrics go on to describe the devastation of the bombing from the young girl's perspective, her hair scorched by the swirling flame, her eyes growing dim and blind, and finally her bones turning to dust and scattering in the wind. Throughout the song, the girl repeatedly emphasizes that all she asks for is peace, so that the children of the world can live and grow and laugh and play.
Overall, "I Come and Stand at Every Door" is a deeply moving song that highlights the horrors of war and promotes the importance of finding and preserving peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I come and stand at every door
I visit every door, searching for someone who will listen to my prayers.
But no one hears my silent prayer
My prayers are silent, unheard and unanswered.
I knock and yet remain unseen
I knock but nobody opens the door, they don't see me as I am already dead.
For I am dead, for I am dead
I am dead and gone, the only thing left here is my unfulfilled wish for peace.
I'm only seven although I died
I am only a 7-year-old child who died young and missed growing up.
In Hiroshima long ago
I died in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, many years ago.
I'm seven now as I was then
Even after death, I remain a young child, only 7 years old as I was before my death.
When children die they do not grow
Children who die young never get to grow up, learn or have a bright future.
My hair was scorched by swirling flame
The atomic bomb scorched my hair with flames, leaving me badly burnt and scarred.
My eyes grew dim my eyes grew blind
The radiation from the bomb blinded my eyes, rendering me helpless and defenseless.
Death came and turned my bones to dust
The bomb claimed my life, turning my bones to rubble and dust.
And that was scattered by the wind
The remains of my body were scattered by the wind, leaving no trace of me behind.
I need no fruit I need no rice
As a dead child, I have no physical needs or desires for fruit, rice or sweets.
I need no sweets nor even bread
All I ask for is that there be peace, no sweets or bread, just for the world to be peaceful.
I ask for nothing for myself
I am not asking for anything for myself, only happiness and peace for those living in this world.
For I am dead, for I am dead
Even as a lifeless corpse, my one voice asks for peace in this world that I had to leave too soon.
All that I ask for is for peace
My only wish is that our world will be at peace, and that there may be no more war, no more death, no more innocent lives lost.
You fight today, you fight today
Today there may still be conflicts in our world, with people fighting and dying for many reasons.
So that the children of this world
It is the hope that by fighting, the present generation will secure a peaceful world for when today's children grow up.
May live and grow and laugh and play
Children should be allowed the opportunity to live, laugh, play and grow up, and not face untimely deaths and scars that strife brings.
Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: JAMES WATERS, NAZIM HIKMET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind