Songs for World Peace

Peace Songs

We need the inspiration of music to help fulfill the dream of world peace. As union organizer Joe Hill said, “A pamphlet, no matter how good, is never read more than once. But a song is learned by heart and repeated over and over.”

My top Peace Songs

1. “Come the Day” by Bruce Woodley, performed by The Seekers. This is my all-time favorite Peace Song.  Its upbeat rhythm and melody blend with the lyrics which do not merely “hope” for peace, but forthrightly anticipate it: “A time when every man will be as one… Come the day/ The trumpets of war will cease to blow … You’ll wake to a brand new day … Lift up your voices and sing this song /  Let the whole world hear it loud and strong.”  
In addition to the terrific original by the The Seekers, contemporary Australian opera and classical music artist Mirusia Louwerse brings new life to this song, included in her 2019 album A Salute To The Seekers.

2.  I’m Declaring Peace (2003) by William Florian. “If war was the answer, then we would be at peace…. I’m declaring peace, deep within myself.”  Florian  says,”My vision is that as we begin to sing and declare peace within ourselves, a shift to greater tolerance and acceptance occurs which can radiate out from each of us. Permission to make copies! I encourage you to make copies of this song and chant, and share it with friends, family, choirs, entertainers, event planners, TV and radio personalities, government and political leaders. Lets get the world singing!”
Print the music and lyrics.
Download “I’m Declaring Peace” On a PC, right click and choose “Save Target As..” On a Mac, click and hold your mouse button down on the song you want and choose “Download to Disk.”
I’m Declaring Peace MP3 5.4MB

3. “A Thousand Years of Peace” by Alchemy VII

4. “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream” by Ed McCurdy, first performed by the Weavers and hundreds of performers like Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Kingston Trio, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Limeliters

5. “Under the Rainbow” by Earth Mama on her Under the Rainbow Album

6. “Let There be Peace on Earth” – written by Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller in 1955. This version on YouTube includes the lyrics and is performed by the Good News Circle.

7. “My Rainbow Race” by Pete Seeger

8. “Peace Must Come” by Priscilla Herdman on her Darkness Into Light Album (see also the terrific “Walls and Windows” on the same album).

9. “Earth” by David Roth on his album Rising in Love and performed by Kim and Reggie Harris, from their Simplicity album.

10. “No Weapons, No Wars” by Elliott Madriss on his Cherish the Earth album.

11. “Simple Song of Freedom” by Bobby Darrin

12. “God Bless the World” by Greg Jones

13. “Be a Light” by Thomas Rhett, Josh Miller, Josh Thompson and Matthew Dragstrem  (2020).  My favorite version of “Be a Light” is performed by the Rise Up Children’s Choir [YouTube] and their friends GENTRI and Easton Shane, sharing an uplifting message of hope and inspiration: “In a world full of hate, be a light.”  Amid the world’s negativity and sadness, we can be a light in the darkness.  Originally the song was recorded and released by American country music singer Thomas Rhett, featuring guest vocals from Reba McEntire, Chris Tomlin, (Clip from 2020 CMA Awards on YouTube) Hillary Scott, and Keith Urban. It was released on March 30, 2020, and later performed at “The 54th Annual CMA Awards” aired live Wednesday, November 11, 2020.

14. “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” – Unfortunately, the third verse which is most condemnatory of war is commonly omitted. The fourth verse, also often ignored, actually provides a roadmap on how to achieve world peace in its expression of hope for rest for the poor and downtrodden!

Here’s more favorite “Peace Songs” promoting world peace and understanding:

• “911” performed by Clan Dyken on their album Love Is. Most of this group’s high-energy solar-powered albums include songs advocating world peace.
• “A Better Place” by Playing For Change – This song brings together musicians from around the world to speak out against inequality and for social justice. – Listen on YouTube.
• Sapient – A Cantata for Peace by Steven Chesne. In the finale (“Nyansapo – the Wisdom Knot”), peace prayers from 10 different world music traditions are interwoven together – one on top of another – in a web of blissful counterpoint, accompanied by the orchestra. Composer Steven Chesne spent a year unearthing ancient, precious peace invocations and prayers from all over the world: words of the oneness of mankind, spoken by Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mohammed, the Sikhs, the Hindu, the Jews, the Cheyenne, the Kikuyu, and the Baha’i.
• “A Man’s A Man for a’ that” by Robert Burns – performed by many Celtic groups – e.g. The Corries, Dougie MacLean, etc. –
  It’s comin yet for a’ that,
  That man to man, the world, o’er
  Shall brithers be for a’ that.
• “Anthem for the Earth” by Robert Alder, on his album, Blue Ribbon Ready available on Amazon.com, iTunes, cdbaby.com, etc. A Singer-Songwriter calling us to love our home.
• Celebrate Peace by Beautiful Chorus in honor of World Peace Day 2012. Available from bandcamp.com.
  Lyrics:

  ‘It can happen, the more we imagine.
  Feel the deepest part of your heart
  and what it’s saying.
  We are all connected by the stream.
  A desire, a pull, toward peace.

  The world is as we make it,
  and NOW’s the time to take this leap.
  The world is as we make it,
  it’s time to celebrate our Peace.’

• “Come Fill Up Your Glasses” by Ed Miller on his album Never Frae My Mind – A drinking song with a twist – toasting all our sisters and brothers, to enumerated working people of all kinds, “to peace on this Earth and good will among men,” and finally concluding with a toast to “a world without lies and a world without wars.”
• “The Blue-Green Hills of Earth” Words & Music by Kim Oler, available on Paul Winter’s album Missa Gaia and in the songbook, Sing Your Peace Songbook (Unitarian Universalist Peace Network, 1990)
• “Earth” by David Roth – Whis song wisely notes: “We won’t last here much longer/if we live as strangers/And no time at all if we don’t learn/how to live with the earth.” Available on Roth’s album Rising in Love and by Kim & Reggie Harris on their album Simplicity.
• “Earth Anthem” by Stephen Longfellow Fiske This song is available on the album, Stephen Longfellow Fiske from Amazon.com. You can listen to sound samples and buy the poster by clicking on the image at the right.
• “Earth Town Square, by Peter Mayer, title track on his album Earth Town Square tells the story of man’s history from scattered tribes to a global society with huge inter-cultural and inter-dependent economic systems.
• “Freedom from War” by Laura Sandage is a wonderful song expressing how we can all help to stop the war machine by playing a part in a promoting freedom from poverty and represssion of free speech and religion. The song is available in streaming format or for full mp3 download on her website.
• “From a Distance,” 1985 song written by Julie Gold, made famous by Nanci Griffith and Bette Midler (on her albums Some People’s Lives, Experience the Divine, and  her holiday album Cool Yule).
  

  From a distance, the world looks blue and green
  And the snow-capped mountains white
  From a distance, the ocean meets the stream
  And the eagle takes to flight

  From a distance, there is harmony
  And it echoes through the land
  It’s the voice of hope
  It’s the voice of peace
  It’s the voice of every man

  * * * 
  From a distance, you look like my friend
  Even though we are at war
  From a distance, I just cannot comprehend
  What all this fighting’s for

  Although part of the repeated refrain is “God is watching us,” you don’t have to be a theist to take the allegorical message that from a cosmic perspective mankind’s incessant wars are futile and meaningless.  

  The folk music group The Highwaymen performs a great version using a recorder as instrumentation. It has frequently been covered by performers such as Cliff Richards; a fine instrumental piano version by Phil Coulter can be heard on his album, Forgotten Dreams.  More recently, the song is performed by many choirs, youth groups, and YouTube performers, among them an excellent, yet prosaic version by the Johannasburg, SA  father-daughter duo of Adrian and the teenage Emma-Jean,  released on October 10, 2023,  very appropriate that week as the news was full about the attacks on Ukraine, Israel and many other countries. Julie Gold says she has heard the song in many languages, has felt it in Braille, and heard it on music boxes and in elevators, greeting cards, children’s books, and knows the song has been played for astronauts in space. Read more about the song’s origin and continuing influence of the song as told by the lyricist, Julie Gold in 2025,  on the  Performing Songwriter website. 

• “Global Carnival” performed by The Limeliters on their Album, Until We Get it Right
• “Come the Day” by Bruce Woodley, performed by The Seekers
• “Heaven on Earth,” a song composed by Mr. Guilherme Schroeter from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (music) and Olatunji Talabi (lyrics) – nominated for the Hollywood music awards 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
• “Heaven’s Here On Earth” by Tracy Chapman from her album New Beginning: “Heaven’s here on earth/ In our faith in humankind/ In our respect for what is earthly/ In our unfaltering belief in peace and love and understanding.”
• “I Believe” – lyrics by Eric Levi duet performed by Andrea Boccelli and Katherine Jenkins, on Boccelli’s 2009 My Christmas album and Jenkins’ 2010 Believe albums: “One day I’ll hear the laugh of children in a world where war has been banned… One day I’ll see men of all colors sharing words of love and devotion…“
• “I Have a Dream” by Mary Donnelly. Not to be confused with the Abba song by the same title, this song was composed by Mary Donnelly in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech. To hear the music, see the photo slide-show chorale version with lyrics on YouTube. The lyrics are here.

  

• International Anthem by Lisa Rogers
• International Hymn of Peace – Lyrics by Lorraine N. Finley (1899-1972); Music: Beethoven “Ode to Joy” from 9th Symphony. “Rise, O Nations, rise together, Work for universal peace…”
• “I Stand for Love” by David Roth. From the album “Rhubarb Trees” with Anne Hills.   “I stand for love, I stand for peace…. for what is beautiful and true…”  Watch and listen on YouTube – Photo slide show with this song performed by David Roth and Anne Hills.
• “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream” by Ed McCurdy, first performed by the Weavers and hundreds of performers like Arlo Guthrie, kingston Trio, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Limeliters
• “La Tierra Misma (The Same Ball of Clay” by Linda Beck – We’re all living on the same ball of clay
• Crystal Blue Persuasion by Tommy James and the Shondells
• “Earth” by David Roth on his 1993 album Rising in Love. A lively rock song,”We’re gonna live in peace, it’s our only chance on Earth; get all that fighting to cease, and remember what life is worth….” A wonderful song about how each of us has the power to work toward peace.
• “Human Alive” by Bonnie Legion, “Sweet peace come deliver me gently/ I am ready to be reborn, I am ready to try,/ hear the innocent child on the floor of the battlefield, precious life every human alive.” Listen on YouTube.
• “Let Peace Reign” by Kathleen Scott, on her album Let Peace Reign, in which all the songs are about some kind of peace: world peace, personal peace, peace in familial relationships, etc.
• “Let There be Peace on Earth” – written by Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller in 1955, has become a major phenomenon, often performed in churches and symphonic orchestras. Recordings have been made by such artists as Vince Gill, B.J. Thomas, Gladys Knight, Crystal Gale, Bill and Gloria Gaither, the Angel Choir, and many others. During the 2015 Christmas holiday season, Microsoft released a video adverisement showing a group of Microsoft employees in New York City singing it front of their competitor, the local Apple Store in New York City. In 2017 Carlos Santana and Ernie/Ronnie Isley released the song on their Power of Peace album.
• “Letter to the World” by Jack Gladstone on his Tappin’ The Earth’s Backbone album. A Native American perspective on the issue of world peace – pointing out that before there was Christianity, Islam, or Judaism, or Buddha, beyond all the “isms” and “anity’s” – we were children of God.
• “Love is Around” by “Earthman” Lenny Smith – We’ll make the world alright; when everyone’s dancin’, love is around, when everybody’s singing, love is around; when everyone’s helpin’, love is around; when everybody’s sharing, love is around!
• “My Rainbow Race” by Pete Seeger. With the refrain, “One blue sky above us, One ocean, lapping all our shores, One earth so green and round, Who could ask for more?” this song confirms the reality that we all share this planet. This wonderful song acknowledges that “Some want to take the easy way: / Poisons, bombs! They think we need ’em.” but then confirms the essential truth that that theocrats of all stripes deny: “Don’t they know you can’t kill all the unbelievers. / There’s no shortcut to freedom.” The remaining lyrics provide inspiration that shows there really is a way to have peace on earth – it is actually simple: “learn to share / What’s been given to me and you.” Unfortunately a performance version by Pete iscurrently out of print, but you can find Donovan’s rendition on the tribute album Where Have All The Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger, and another version by Kim & Reggie Harris on their album Simplicity, where they are joined by Magpie (Terry Leonino & Greg Artzner). You will find the lyrics and the notation for the catchy melody in Rise Up Singing: The Group Singing Songbook, available from Sing Out.
• “National Brotherhood Week” (YouTube) – Introduction and Song by Tom Lehrer. A hilarious parody of mankind’s insistent hatred of each other.  
• “One Day” (2009) by the Jewish Reggae singer Matisyahu on his albums Light (with Akon), Live at Stubb’s II, and Playlist the Very Best of Matisyahu. Great beat and lyrics: “…we don’t wanna fight no more, there’ll be no more wars and our children will play, one day…” The song was on the 2010 Billboard Hot 100, and was used extensively as the theme song for NBC’s Countdown to the 2010 Winter Olympics campaign.
  Other artists performing this song include the Maccabeats on their album Voices from the Heights.
• “Peace on Earth” by Lui Collins, from her album North of Mars. Lyrics:
  

  Recorded with Children’s Chorus.

  Oh the sun and the wind and the rain
  Bring everything we need.
  Father Sky above
  Mother Earth beneath.

  Peace on Earth, peace on Earth
  Peace on Earth, peace on Earth.

  We are sisters and brothers all
  All the world around
  We lift our voices high
  In one joyous sound.

  Peace on Earth, peace on Earth
  Peace on Earth, peace on Earth.

  ©1992 Molly Gamblin Music/BMI

  

• “Show Some Love” – by BJ Sam. Listen on SoundCloud. Read the Lyrics. Encourages the world to embrace one another irrespective of our differences, colours, cultures and languages. As the lyrics confirm: “If we begins to show love, We’ll no reason to fight more war.”
• “The Way of Love” by Olivia Newton-John on her album Gaia – “You can walk one road, I can walk another, there is no one right road.”
• “One Love One World” by Craymo & Brandon Jarre tt is a new pop-rock song promoting world peace and tolerance. You can preview the song online.
• “One Tin Soldier” – performed by several groups in the 1970’s and since. This is a “story song” parable about the valley people who seek to invade the mountain people who are said to possess a great buried treasure. The mountain people are perfectly willing to share their treasure, but for the valley people, that wasn’t enough. The satrical refrain may be familiar: “Go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend, do it in the name of Heaven, justify it in the end.” The treasure of course, was…. well, listen to the song and find out!
• “On Our Way Back Home,” Music & Lyrics By Kenneth-Michael Veltz © copyright 2001 / 2008. Ken Veltz says, “I was inspired to start writing this song in 2001 about 2 months before 9/11. I lived in Queens, NYC at the time and was moved by how such a multi-cultural place could live in such peace & harmony. After 9/11 I shelved the song as I re-arranged thinking and healed like so many Americans. I finished this song the night Obama became president elect
  Obama.” Listen to MP3. | Lyrics | Smile if You Love Peace Video (YouTube)
• “The Matriot Anthem” by Chris Highland – an International album for harmony with the Earth and all its people sung to the melody of “America the Beautiful.”
• “A Summer Prayer for Peace” by The Archies, on their album Sunshine.
• “A Thousand Years of Peace” by Alchemy VII. Written and sung by Gina Citoli. Available on their albums The Magick and White Raven. Absolutely inspirational and unique. You might call this “New Age Hard Rock” – lead singer’s Gina’s beautiful voice is evocative of Lisa Thiel’s bell-like tones, but totally unlike typical soft “new age” music, this is accompanied by drums, bongo, voice harmony, and hard-driving electric guitar.
• “Peace is” by Fred Small on his album, The Heart of the Appaloosa. The album has a terrific chorus accompaniment. Also available in musical notation in Sing Your Peace Songbook (Unitarian Universalist Peace Network, 1990).
• “Peace Must Come” performed by Priscilla Herdman on her album, Darkness Into Light
  A wonderful song you can sing along to, with Priscilla’s achingly beautiful melodic voice.
• “Peace on Earth” by Sally Rogers on her album What Can One Little Person Do?.
  A wonderful song about Peace for all living things on Earth.
  
• “Peace” by Aadil Farook and Friends.Heavily inspired and moved by the horrific events happening on a global level in recent times, this piece of art is a heartfelt cry for World Peace. The lyrics note that “It’s at home, charity must begin /The change must come from within/…Without unity, there’s no education / Without love, there is no religion    Pakistani poet composed this song, which is performed by vocalists Jabran Samuel, Haider Halim & Maham Suhai, with Guiatars by Annan Noukhez, Keyboards: Amir Timmy. Recorded, Mixed & Mastered in Maann Studios, Pakista. Lyrics . Stream or download “Peace” on Bandcamp.com.
• “Peace Train” by Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), from his album Teaser and the Firecat. After more than 25 years, Yusuf Islam returned to the studio to re-recorded one of his most popular songs, “Peace Train.” Islam remarks, “Peace Train” is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions and there is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again. As a member of humanity and as a Muslim, this is my contribution to the call for a peaceful solution.” (March 6, 2003)
• “Pray Peace” by Alchemy VII. Written and sung by Gina Citoli. Available for on their 2002 album 2002 album White Raven. Gina brings us another very inspirational song for peace, but in a quite different style than the group’s “A Thousand Years of Peace.” This one is a quiet, reflecttive, peaceful and beautiful song. Highly recommended.
• Selam Shalom Shlomo – a “Peace Song” performed by Karibuni. A peace song – sung in Amharic, Lingala and German! English translation printed on this YouTube Video. “Peace is our wish, Love is our goal / Peace is our wish, Joy is our goal / Peace and love for all people / All over the earth, all around the world.”
• “Someday” Music byAlan Menken, Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney). This beautiful song was recently featured on the 2005 hit album Celtic Woman and is being performed on the Broadway version of Disney’s musical. The message of this song is at the core of what is needed to achieve world peace: “Someday, when we are wiser, When the world’s older, When we have learned, I pray someday we may yet, Live to live and let live.” When that day comes, “Need will be rarer, And greed will not pay.”
• “Someday When Christmas Never Ends”– Alchemy VII. Written and performed by Gina Citoli. Absolutely outstanding!!!! Available on White Raven CD or as a mp3 download.
• “Song of Peace (Finlandia)”, Words by Lloyd Stone, © 1934 renewed 1964, Music by Jean Sibelius. Lyrics for Sibelius’ classical composition recognizes that “other hearts, in other lands are beating/With hopes and dreams/as true and high as mine.” An ultimate hymn calling for planetary peace: “A song of peace fo their land and for mine.” Performed by Peter, Paul & Mary , Earth Mama on her album Under the Rainbow, and by many other performers.
• “Swimming to the Other Side” by Pat Humphries.
  • Swimming to the Other Side: Song Review by Harold Wood
  • Swimming to the Other Side’ The Evolution of Pat Humphries’ Modern Folk Anthem by Marika Partridge – essay and audio from NPR’s All things Considered
  • Streaming Real Audio of the song – from NPR
  • MP3 – from www.pathumphries.com
• “Walls and Windows” by Judy Small and Pat Humphries. Performed by Priscilla Herman on her album, Darkness Into Light.
• “Images of Peace” by Mike Nobel – written “as kind of a musical ‘antidote’ to the images of war that are so prevalent in the news, and in the lives and minds of children. (Live recording with a high school chorus) .
• “God Bless the World” by Greg Jones – An Anthem for worldwide peace – visit the website to read the lyrics, and listen to the full song streamed on the web, download, or buy the CD. The chorus reads: “God bless the world, not just America, God bless the whole wide world so our kids can live in harmony (God bless the world).”
• “One Peace at a Time” by Mark Olmstead – The song begins with a child’s voice, but quickly moves to Mark Olmstead’s clear voice about how we are building a new tomorrow beyond war, “one peace at a time.”Listen (Streaming MP3 – off-site link)
• “Under The Rainbow,” by Joyce Rouse (Earth Mama) on her album Under the Rainbow. A beautiful song about how we can begin today to start creating a world of peace. Download lyrics. (off-site link)
• “We All Love” by Lenore Troia on hear Symptoms of Love album – Watch YouTube Video with Lyrics. Also available on Google Play • iTunes • eMusic • AmazonMP3.
• “Whats’ Going on” by Marvin Gaye from his album by the same name. A black man’s plea for peace on Earth.  Marvin Gaye explained his reason for recording the song was: “If I was arguing for peace. I knew I’d have to find peace in my heart.” The story is told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing only hatred, suffering, and injustice. Gaye’s lyrics discuss themes of drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War: We don’t need to escalate / You see, war is not the answer / For only love can conquer hate / You know we’ve got to find a way /  To bring some loving here today…   Watch YouTube Video.

• “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding”  by  Nick Lowe, most famously covered by Elvis Costello.  Listen on YouTube. The lyrics begin with a lament which then turns to the three values of peace, love, and understanding.
  “As I walk through
  This wicked world
  Searchin’ for light in the darkness of insanity
  I ask myself
  Is all hope lost?
  Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
  And each time I feel like this inside
  There’s one thing I wanna know:
  What’s so funny ’bout peace love and understanding

• “With My Own Two Hands” by Ben Harper on his album Diamonds on the Inside. “I can make peace on Earth…” Preview on iTunes
•  “Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell, popularly performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. – Mitchell’s song tells us that “we are stardust” and billion-year-old carbon.  These lyrics capture the essence of insights that science can now confirm, although most of our carbon is actually much older than that, while some of it is only a few weeks or months old. While titularly about the famous music festival in 1969, the song can be understood as a celebration of Carl Sagan’s teaching us that we are indeed “made of star-stuff,” and also as a song advocating living in harmony with the Earth (“And we got to get ourselves back to the garden….” while simultaneously advocating for world peace, with the lyrics toward the end: “And I dreamed I saw the bomber death planes / Riding shotgun in the sky, / Turning into butterflies / Above our nation.”
  • Watch this video with Joni Mitchell’s explanation of writing the song, and performing it in her inimitable mesmerizing way for a studio audience  October 9, 1970 (with piano accompaniment!) here.  
  • Interestingly, John Denver also wrote  a song about Woodstock, titled “I Wish I Could Have Been There” which expressed not only a desire to  have been there “When the people came from miles around to see / The children of the flowers come together … [and when ] the music makers first began to play / To hear them play,” but perhaps equally important, at the end of his song, “I wish I could have been there in the starlight  / When the countryside was quiet once again / And the music and the makers, the poets and the singers /  And the children of the flowers had all gone.”
• World Peace Prayer – lyrics “Lead Us From Death to Life/ From Falsehood to Truth.”