As he flew o'er Sarajevo
There were scars upon the land
There were scars upon the people
It was hard to understand

And the deepest scars of all
Which to humans are unseen
But the angel could see clearly
Were the scars upon their dreams

Like Belfast and Burundi
Rwanda, Palestine
(Allepo, Crimea
Mosul and Nigeria-EKG)
The only decorations here
Had been awarded for their crimes

And in gardens where the children played
Now soldiers only trod
And stranger still, he heard some say
That they were killing for their God

Now the angel heard God speak many times
And he had always paid attention
But this killing of one's neighbor
Was something the Lord never mentioned

But as he neared the earth
Of a recent battleground
From among the ruins
He once more heard the sound

It was a single cello playing
A forgotten Christmas song
And even on that battlefield
The song somehow belonged

And as he flew away
The angel did take note
That where he found this music played
One always could find hope.

"Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24"
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Christmas Eve and Other Stories. 1996