There is a photograph of my grandfather boarding a train to go fight in Europe. He is 20 years old. His mother holds his hand, trying bravely to smile. He made it back eventually, but we can walk among the graves of his thousands of fallen comrades-in-arms. We visit these haunted sites—Shiloh, the Somme, the Normandy beaches—disbelieving the horror. And we say, never again, never forget, remember. Remember. But the lived memory of the catastrophe fades, and once again we creep imperceptibly away from clarity, asking ourselves if we can ever learn the lesson once and for all.

Colm Wilkinson, "Bring Him Home," from the musical Les Miserables. Written by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer & Alain Boublil, 1985.

This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day to early June, 2025.

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