Today I’m releasing a very old song, “911,” which I wrote on September 12, 2001 – the day following the 9/11 tragedy. I had witnessed the 9/11 attacks and the heroic response of firefighters, police, and other first responders, many of whom realized that they were running to their own deaths as they attempted to rescue victims of the attack. The selflessness, the courage, the commitment were stunning. So I was moved to write a song about the call and the response.
But in 2003-4, when we were recording the songs that made up “Death and Texas,” it was purposely omitted. The reason for this was that at the time I felt that the Iraq War had made a mockery of 9/11: the worst terrorist event in American history was being used as an excuse for a war of choice against a sovereign state that not only had nothing to do with the attack, but whose leader was mortal enemies of Al Qaeda, the perpetrators of 9/11. Our government had dishonored the sacrifice of those brave responders. Memorializing 9/11 seemed crass when hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis were being killed for reasons the United States government couldn’t even articulate without contradicting itself.
Decades later, another 9/11 anniversary has come and gone, but this year I felt that more than ever we need to recall what real heroism looks like. So I’m uploading two versions of the song, the original demo and the more formal, though hardly polished, CD-ready recording, as a small tribute to the fallen. To let them know that their sacrifice has not been forgotten or their actions dishonored, regardless of the dishonor of those who tried to use them for their own crimes.
CD Version:
Demo Version:
