Inspired by John Lennon,
and Yoko Ono
(feminists and peace activists)
and Fela Kuti
(Afrobeat pioneer, and political activist)

I’ve imagined that you’re listening
I’ve imagined that you’ve heard
We all have names to conjur with
Sign up, and spread the word

The Afrofluent Peace-Lovers Procession
Imagined in an Anthem for the Olympics in 2012
(When the spotlight shines on London)
and beyond

WAR IS OVER!

1st VERSE
As Lennon is to Yoko and Ono is to John
As Idris is to Julia, Biel to Rahman
As Jo-ohn is to David, Furnish to Elton
(Brothers love your ladies and your babies and your bodies more
WAR IS OVER! if
if (if if ))
We collaborate, are loving companions

As Lennon is to Julian and Cynthia and Sean
As Lennon is to McCartney, George, Ringo and May Pang,
As Lennon is to Bowie’s Fame, and sa-a-ang with Elton,
(Brothers love your lovers love your brothers and your lovers more)
WAR IS OVER!
if (if if ))
When these names are joined the combination’s enjoyed

CHORUS
Nothing lasts forever
No-one lives that long
Nothing lasts forever, but we can tell some
Real love life stories as we sing the songs

2nd VERSE (2a)
As Kuti is to Zombie, Zane, Bill T Jones and Fela
As Tracey Emin is to Money, Art, Margate and Nigella
As Irven is to Brothers in Jazz, Seymour, Hear More Afro IDJ, (Kola, Ade, Jerry, Gary, Perry, Rocky, Oscar, Sonya, Chris)
(Brothers love your ladies and your babies and your bodies more) 
WAR IS OVER
if
Fit and Afrofluent, dancers show the way

As Lennon is to Liverpool and Madison Square Gardens
As Manchester and Industry are to Goals and David Beckham
As Los Angeles is to Peckham, Training to Super Powers
(Brothers love your lovers n yer brothers n yer lovers more)
WAR IS OVER
if
This Olympic show grows Afro-fluence, trees and flowers

Nothing comes from nowhere
We’re fruit from tangled trees,
Earth. Traveller, Settler, Refugee, we all need
Stamina and strength and flexibility

VERSE 2b
As twenty-seven wives are to death-defying Kuti
27 names to learn – teach us to shake our booty
Proud Queens, where are they now? Happy? Healthy? Bitter? Better? Worse?
27 Queens to research and make one whole new separate verse

At Kalakuta, found a Republic, our own community
Yeni, Femi, Seun, MadeDele, Sandra, carry carry-on the legacy ((Shh-awn, two syllables))
Now there’s a musical called Fela! backed by Jada n’ Jay Zee
That tells the story of the genre’s founder, the King of Afrobeat

Nothing lasts forever
Tho’ we make our songs extra long
The soundtrack to a stream of star-lit  all-night parties
From dusk to dawn, from dawn to dusk, carry, carry, carry, carry on …
with Tamar Osborn on horn…
Tony Allen on the drum
25 or 6 to four
27, 26 to one

3rd VERSE
Check out the football Beckham gals on North Korean TV, Technology
Has its uses, and M-I-K-A, Mika found Goldie
Bending the world to a tasty pulse, like Linda McCartney, Suga Mama,
Beyonce,    bounce, creative be        with Jay Z and your babyz

Anna the multi-skilled creative mother also dances
Another, Maki’s daughters’ playground the UK, Japan and France is
Spreading the word UBUNTU is Levene’s lovely Lizzie
More brothers, more brothers more brothers – David Graham makes us all Gillespie

Nothing comes from nowhere
‘xceptmaybe the big bang (is it one, is it two?)
Even test tube babies come from somewhere
Someone (is it one, is it two, is it?)
(is it one, is it two, is it?)

(Woman, woman, woman, woman, woman, woman, woman, woman,
Woman, woman, woman, woman, woman, woman, woman, woman,
dancing)

4th VERSE
As Daddy is to Diddy, Paul and Puff and Sean,
As Harry is to Ed, Big, Billy Iron Man Pressed On ((with Dorathy))
As Woodward (wood-wood wood) is to Paul, New Man to Joanne
Keep my on my toes, I promised you a Marathon

Be-friend me for a life-time, Love me for everyone I am
As Jones is to Bowie, Abdulmajid to Iman
As Clementina is to Dankworth, Wavendon to Laine
We can all be heroes, like Alice                 and John Coltrane

As Nonagenarian Brubeck is to Iola
Ravi Shankar to Sukanya, Airto Moreira to Flora,
Barney to Bjork, Gyomundodttir to Matthew
Real three-D eep Di vine De voted    LOVE will thrill me through

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER
USE YOUR TIME WELL
TAKE GOOD CARE OF THE WORLD WE SHARE AND YOUR WHOLE SELF
EV’RY NERVE AND EV’RY CELL

5th VERSE
Was Danny Boyle    any good   for India
Indians    (Slumdog Millionaires) We’ve got Indians
They’ve got Satyajit Ray, Tagore (HEY) and Wes
Anderson, we’ve got Pakistanis and Pochahontes

Iraqi Zaha Hadid, Cleveland Watkiss, tabla skatting
Shami Chakraba yoga tea Talvin Jason Singh
Let every body out, let every body in
Pray Mohammed Pray – Crowds can be self-monitoring

Nothing lasts forever
Our Empire has declined
My most precious commodity
Is my peace of mind

6th VERSE
As Pamela is to Billy, Connelly to Stephenson,
As Connie Booth is to John Cleese, counsel a comedian,
As Connie is to writing, Lahr, the cowardly lion’s son, John,
Don’t fall asleep, don’t lie exposed, basking in the Sun

As Factor is to X phenomenon,
As Strictly is to sex, Union and re-union,
Make up Robbie and Take That,  Matt Cuddle, Kara, Artem,
Move us to the Max, surf-crowd-up-lift-up Heffernan

CHORUS
Nothing comes from nowhere
Where’s my chance to shine?
I know every word, and as I sing,
The song’s becoming mine

Verses 7 to 10 (published in May 2012)(with some adaptations after)
7th VERSE
Crouch Master Chang Chen Round then fly  fly-on-kite-or-bike Like Like
E=co-conscious Pilgrims  Round  the Galaxy  Hitch Hike Like Like
Brothers   Making Marks gently, Ying Yang tiddle ay poh, Know
What Freud is to Marie Princess Bonaparte and Anna, OH
And Berth-a and Ma-a -a rtha and Em R I Memory Ekstein
And Sophie, Lou, Sabina, Loe, Helene Deutsch and mm Melanie Klein
Mm app concentric circles, c concentrate the rhyme,

CGGJung      in CGI
I dream of horses and I fly
Gee officer don’t shoot
just
be
like us
alright

just ask just be
just be

Steve   LenSondDanceBerdheim

JeromeLaurentsRomance

Alright

Cheng Julia Lula Ffion
Campbell-Davies Sass Key Horton
Ah Reader Faye * Mebrahtu
Ah Diva J Serena Two
The People of the House of Absolute
Women, more, praise be to you (section added 14.2.2020)

CHORUS
Nothing lasts forever
Let’s cross the borderlines
With travelogues, and pu-Ush the boundaries
Take two _ _the expansion our minds

8th VERSE
Can you say my name? can you? Use my halo
Zhang Zihi, ToeKnee Leung, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Michelle Yeoh
(Zhang Zihi = john-ng zzzeee) (zzz as in headz)
Catherine Deneuve, Bjork; at a party, met and kissed
Who put it up on You-Tube? Did they give their consent for this?
As Louis is to Welsh, and French to Icelandic,
There is no Babelfish, that’s the way God planned it,
But there are things we share, The-Laws-of-Physics, Human Bodies
Mister Ang Lee, Mr Ang Lee, Sir,
Ang Lee, Mister, Ang Lee,
Jer-know, jer-know Jane Lin, his wife?
She’s Marvellous, She’s Marvellous,
She’s a Great Calm Micro Biologist

CHORUS
Nothing comes from nowhere
The population grows (is it one, is it two?)
Keep Calm, Together, Side by Side, number crunching
Know the seeds you sow

9th VERSE
COCK COCK COCK COCK COCK COCK COCK  COCK COCK COCK COCK COCK COCK
COQ COCK COCK COCK COCK ad oodle google pop-up COCK
Mind the gap beside John Lydon, Viv Slit Ari Up  Arise
On Memories and Parodies,
Jig Jog,
It’s Paradise,

On country roads that wind, give Winterbottom   Coogan’s melancholic hard-on
Orb and Arcbeckon beacon become, * Bright Winter Suns
D’you see, Mum?  So far (la ti)

How I write my own Story
Silence        SurLi     StanZa

is a Rhythm Too

CHORUS
Nothing comes from nowhere
We already know
Good food, rest and sex, fresh air and exercise
Give stars their healthy glow

10th VERSE
BEARlogiDISlogi LOGORRHEA logiblogi logilogilog   dislogia
FACE NOSE ARSE can I face face The exposure?
In bare feet, shoes and heels, IcanIcanIcan Can Can compete,
On platforms, with prosthetics, I am an athlete

Yoko is dropping pebbles in a pool
If she sees my friends on face-book, will she think I’m cool?
I am dropping pebbles in a stream
How many friends have I got? Who? What does that mean?

CHORUS
No one one one’s gonna change the world alone )))
Not one one one pebble in a stream )))
We all  La love alittle help from our friends
To Face the ocean of all our dreams

Verse 11 (published July 27th 2012/modified 2013/2023)
Aeroplanes light up the sky, the sound of them is roaring
Did Shamen Leonardo think flight ever might be boring?
Glyn glide across the Rivoli floor,  to New York then September
Vini said “Let’s improvise” and made a first dance to remember

Down to earth, in London, the whole wide world is just outside my door
On the Aylesbury, near the Heygate, with an urban forest to explore
The chrome horse hoof head thundered, but could would would not take sides
Shake the walruses from their slumber, Judy’s Watchman says ARISE!

CHORUS
We don’t need gates and fences
When we’re one winning team
With tiger, honey-bee, walrus, and arctic tern
Nest, nuzzle, jig-jog, go and come,
Come and go and jump and run
Swim and strut and sing a song of Love Supreme

(a Love Supreme a Love Supreme a Love Supreme a Love Supreme)

and then it’s the
12th AND FINAL VERSE (published in June 2011)
As kettling is to crowd control, and bail to Assange,
It’s hard to FOCUS (o-o) in this soupstickquickyweb melange
Train your mind divine, mob redefine, bounce beacon to a bubbling breakthrough,
Our brains work better
Get the critical flash together   with something  physical to do

Thank Willie Brandt and Joseph Beuys Germans are planting trees Meanwhile
Racism and fear and fear haunt Israelis
Imagine WAR IS OVER proclaimed on every wall
At peace, in love, five continents, linked (o-o) and standing tall

FINAL CHORUS
Nothing lasts forever
No one lives that long
Nothing lasts forever, but like the sun,
and the water, air and trees,
Renew themselves sustainably
When the infrastructure’s there maybe
All kinds of things like these could be

Like sun and water, air and trees
Self-renewing constantly
The infrastructures there to see and
All kinds of things like these could be

Green, pleasant land, homes, habitation,
Good, good, good food cultivation
Healthcare, childcare, education
Life-long education
Energy, transportation
Bicycles, rest, relaxation,
The internet, communication,

A Basic Income, TV,
Mobile-free zones, clean air, clean seas
All kinds of things like these could be

Self-renewing constantly
FREE – or extremely cheap
(Cancel “Third World” Debt and
renationalise BT)

Nothing lasts forever
Use your time well
Nothing lasts forever but we can tell wecantell wecantell wecantell
Real lovelife stories like when
Yoko was Lennon’s Companion

(CODA/13th VERSE  (published 5.7.2013) (updated 2.6.2016)
Ranjana, Matana, Seb Rochford, Hello Louise, Skinny Tom
Oren Marshall Allen Ferraretto, Joseph, all the Julians, Say Hey S
Arah Dhillon, Marque Marque Gilmore, Courtney Pine, Steve Williamson, Om,
Idris, Zoe, Lola, Roland, Errolyn and Byron Wallen

Kin Ch Soweto, Wardell, Wilsons Alex and Abram (Sergeant)
Winston, Winstone, Churchill, Nikki Iles, Jhelisa Anderson
Nikki Yeoh, Carleen, The Traceys, Tina May, Rebecca
Hollwegg, Andy Hammill, Gill Manly and Shabaka

Kwabs, Eska, Alice, Tom and Matthew Herbert and Kit Downes,
Ruth, Ruth Goller, Moyler, Maddren, Orphy Robinson
Robin Hop LAND, Jacqui Beckford, the family of Fidel Lea T
Each, my brethren (Robert Mitchell) a micro-world of harmony
(Davide Mantovani, Tamayo Yamano, Bug Prentice Ali, Leigh, Kelly-ly Watkiss)(Tori-ly Handsley (updated 1.12.18))  Jonzi D (updated 24.6.16)

Mickey Jazzheadchronic Smith, Seckou Keita, Tony Kofi,
Omar Sosa, Jason Yarde, Chris Batchelor, McCormack, Sophie
Alloway, Dave Okumu, Rowdy Superstar (Zena Django (updated 24.6.16) Brian Eno)
Demonstrate what a team can be and all the things we are

Broadcast to the whole world
Start with some radio
and modest slots on Jules Holland’s Later
It’s the Making of the Greatest
Global Super Music Show
(And also credit Gilles for his Afrofluent Flow [14.2.2020])

OUTRO. (REPEATED AND LAYERED)      (And there’s an intro.)

Love more.          Fear less.
Fear less.             Love more…….

Brothers love your lovers love your lovers
WAR IS OVER
Brothers love your ladies and your babies and your bodies
more
WAR IS OVER

Sisters love your lovers love your lovers love your lovers
WAR IS OVER
Sisters love your sisters and the babies and our bodies more
WAR IS OVER

Brothers love your brothers and your mothers and your fathers
WAR IS OVER
Brothers love your sisters and their babies and their bodies
more
WAR IS OVER

Imagine …
War is over
IMAGINE ..
PEACE

Imagine …
War is over
IMAGINE ..

PEACE