Sticks + Stones
For SA Choir & Piano
Words & Music by James Madsen
Commissioned by Pymble Ladies' College
100x copy licence
 
A work commissioned to promote kindness, thoughtfulness and friendship.
The lyrics use as an initial inspiration the old saying:
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But your words will never hurt me
 
But in truth, our words we say and the words we hear can have a deep and sometimes devastating effect on us and those around us. Harsh and cruel words can hurt deeply. While kind and encouraging words can lift our soul. The lyrics continue:
 
What if a stone was thrown with the weight of a word
What if the word I heard bruised deep into my soul
Would you throw that stone?
 
Following this the piece turns to the phrase, 'lay down your sticks and stones'. The piece finishes with an energetic coda of running out to nature and meeting in the open air where we can find our common thread with each other.