© 1983 Christopher R. Owens (ASCAP)

This song is a straightforward condemnation of the indiscriminate violence of war and the horror visited upon war’s primary victims — children.

For those hearing this in 2025 and applying it to the Israel-Hamas battles, know that this song does indeed apply to that reality (as well as many others). It applies as much to those who fire terrorist rockets into Israel as it does to the catastrophic bombardment of Gaza. It applies as much to those who rip apart families by taking hostages as it does to those who rip apart families by taking political prisoners. Yes, a plague on all the houses who either don’t care about “collateral damage” or who choose to embrace that concept.

The original version was a galloping 6/8 rocker that hit the listener like a missile. Chris Oledude decided, however, that the gravitas inherent to the message the message dictated some musical modifications.