Featuring Joniece Jamison and Portia Manyike with the Highlites Choir and the Peace Oratorio Orchestra
As the crowd was already on their feet and dancing to Brother, Brother, I was happy that I had prepared an encore on the positive theme of building and living in a "Big City of Peace". It's a Gospel 2-Step, and it really excited the curiosity of the kids as they attempted to accommodate this new rhythm on the fly at their show.
I love Portia's moment near the end when she sings "Never forget to dream and always keep believing..." She inspired this lyric because of her experience growing up in the Alexandra township in Johannesburg South Africa under apartheid in the 1980's before Nelson Mandela was freed. She has a soft spotlight on her as she sings so truthfully "And we shall always be... Forever Free". And then she and Joniece rock down the house on some incredibly soulful singing that is half Gospel and have South African and 100% Peace Oratorio! If you've gotten this far in listening to the project, thank you for your kind attention, and please go to the guest page and leave a comment. I sincerely hope to see you at a show very very soon. THANK YOU!
Lyrics
BIG CITY OF PEACE
BIG CITY OF DREAMS, BIG CITY OF LOVE
BIG CITY OF LIGHTS THAT WE’RE DREAMING OF,
NOW WE’RE FINDIN’ HOPE THAT’LL NEVER CEASE
WE’RE GONNA BUILD IT UP A BIG CITY OF PEACE
BIG CITY OF PEACE, BIG CITY OF PEACE
BIG CITY OF PEACE, BIG CITY OF PEACE
DON’T YOU KNOW THAT THERE’S A PLACE TO GO
BIG CITY OF LOVE, BIG CITY OF LIGHT
THAT WE’RE DREAMING OF RIGHT HERE TONGHT
A LIGHT IS SHINING FROM WEST TO EAST
BIG CITY OF LOVE BIG CITY OF PEACE
CHORUS
(BREAK) I said “Yeah” YEAH I said “All right!” ALL RIGHT
I said “Oh” OH I said “YEAH” YEAH!!!
BIG CITY OF DREAMS, BIG CITY OF LOVE
BIG CITY OF LIGHTS THAT WE’RE DREAMING OF,
NOW WE’RE FINDIN’ HOPE AND WE’RE FOREVER FREE
WE’RE GONNA BUILD IT UP A BIG CITY OF PEACE
BIG CITY OF PEACE, BIG CITY OF PEACE
BIG CITY OF PEACE, BIG CITY OF PEACE
DON’T YOU KNOW THAT THERE’S A PLACE TO GO…
OOH OOH, OOH OH
SOLO : NEVER FORGET TO DREAM AND ALWAYS KEEP BELIEVING
NEVER FORGET TO GIVE AND YOU WILL KEEP RECEIVING
JUST LOOK INTO YOUR EYES AND THE COURAGE NEVER DIES
AND YE SHALL ALWAYS BE…
FOREVER FREE, FOREVER FREE … FOREVER FREE!
FOREVER FREE, FOREVER FREE
FOREVER FREE, FOREVER FREE
WE WILL ALWAYS BE, FOREVER FREE
WE WILL ALWAYS BE, FOREVER FREE
WE WILL ALWAYS BE, FOREVER FREE
WE WILL ALWAYS BE, FOREVER FREE
DON’T YOU KNOW THAT WE WILL ALWAYS BE…
FOREVER FREE!