"You Don't Have To Be Strong"

A friend of ours from Iran heard this lyric and her response was: it's not true, we do have to be strong.
She lives in a country which has become dominated by Islamic fundamentalism to a degree which has made life oppressive and sometimes dangerous for those that step out of line. For women even more so. It didn't use to be like this. But years before the British/American alliance was going to war in Iraq, Britain was supporting the USA's interference in Iran. And our governments played a part, possibly a major part, in bringing the current situation about. What are we like with our democratic ways?

So my friend doesn't consider herself free because she is at the mercy of religious dictates from a vastly male dominated leadership who take their views from the Koran, their Word of God, and not from democratically informed reason.

In order to be herself, to live, in that country, of course she needs to be strong. In order to stay alive, to achieve our goals, to cope with pain, to be there for the people we care about...of course we have to be strong.

But I would like to complete the line. The all important context is: You don't have to be strong...here in my arms.

Of course my arms aren't the important feature here, you might be pleased to hear.  The important matter is that we all need somewhere to feel safe. And the more unsafe our environment, the more true that becomes. The more we are surrounded by troubles, the more vital that we have a place to go to, a person to sink into.

I wrote the song out of an awareness that I need arms to hold me when I am weak. We all do.

The line "You don't have to be strong" is from my song of the same name and was chosen by Steve Byrne. It is on my album A Human Being