Prayer For My Children

Album: Soul Of Ferguson (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • St. Louis soul singer Brian Owens wrote this heartfelt plea after the 2014 death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager who was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. He spoke of the song in a 2017 Songfacts interview: "How do I explain all this to my children? That's basically what 'Prayer for My Children' is. It's a prayer, but it's also an explanation to them of expectation and letting them know, 'This is your dad's worldview on what's going on. This is how I pray you will come to see the world you interact in.'"

    Owens advice to his children is to stay rooted in their faith. "My favorite line in that song is, 'Color and country don't define or make you who you are. God's love is the only thing that sets each one of us apart and binds us together.' We're all uniquely made. We're all created uniquely but at the same time we share so much in the fact that we were created by God. It's not too heavy but it's like our wrapping paper is our wrapping paper, but we all have a soul and a spirit and a mind and we have more similarities than we do differences."
  • This was originally written as a suite that contained two more songs.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.