One Hundred Years from Now [Dennis DeYoung]

 

One Hundred Years from Now
Written by Dennis DeYoung
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoung

Tell me how do we begin this tragic tale
When centuries of fear and hate have left a bloody trail
Will there come a time we'll live to see
When the sins of our fathers and mothers will cease to be

[The original release, in Canada, had a different version, a duet with Eric Lapointe that features French lyrics]

And can we find a way to live and let live
When we know the hardest part is learning to forgive
And who will be the first, and who will be last
To admit that the future can never be lived in the past

So pray tonight, pray we must
But prayers alone cannot build the trust
For all those people whose vengeance is their vow
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth
Who among us will speak the truth
So our children's children will live in peace somehow
One hundred years from now

And how do we repair the damage done
To all of those who've known the loss of daughters and of sons
And can we really feel another's pain
The killing continues from Adam and Abel to Cain

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth
Who among us will speak the truth
So our children's children will live in peace somehow
One hundred years from now

So pray tonight we kill the beast
That lives among us from west to east
And to all those people whose vengeance is their vow
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth
Who among us will speak the truth
So our children's children will live in peace somehow
One hundred years from now

One hundred years from now

[The original album release, in Canada, had a different version, a duet with Eric Lapointe that features French lyrics]

One Hundred Years from Now
Written by Dennis DeYoung and Eric Lapointe
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoung and Eric Lapointe

Tell me how do we begin this tragic tale
When centuries of fear and hate have left a bloody trail
And will there come a time we'll live to see
When the sins of our fathers and mothers will cease to be

Est-ce possible d'oublier? Pourrons-nous nous pardonner?
Nos fils pourront-ils vivre de la mémoire des livres et du sang sous nos pieds?
Après les hécatombes, le coeur comme une bombe
Au millieu des décombres, qui voudra venir au monde?

Priez debout, plus jamais à genoux
Y a sûrement un homme assez fou
Pour tuer les dieux qui nous déchirent depuis la nuit des temps

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth
Who among us will speak the truth
So our children's children will live in peace somehow
One hundred years from now

Comment pourront nos yeux, rongés par la honte, trouver de la lumière
Pendant que la nuit tombe sur la fin d'un monde?

And can we really feel another's pain
While the killing continues from Adam and Abel to Caïn

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth
Who among us will speak the truth
So our children's children will live in peace somehow
One hundred years from now

Priez mes frères, condamnez la guerre
Qui brûle les quatre coins de la Terre
Priez pour tous ceux qui veulent venger leurs enfants

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth
Who among us will speak the truth
So our children's children will live in peace somehow
One hundred years from now

One hundred years from now

Interpretation

Through all of human history, beginning with Adam's sons Cain and Abel, we have had hatred, killing, and vengeance. We must pray for an peace and an end to all that, but we must also, each on of us, work to build trust with each other.