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It Only Takes A Silence (Charity Single)

by Kim Edgar ft. J-P Piirainen

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about

Kim’s collaboration with J-P Piirainen (Finland), It Only Takes A Silence, was written on 24th February 2022, the day that Russia invaded Ukraine, and asks what it means to witness injustice without raising your voice or taking action. The pair are releasing the song as a single on 13th January 2023, with all income from the single donated to UNICEF. Alternatively, people can donate directly to support children from Ukraine through UNICEF:

From Finland: www.unicef.fi/tue-lapsia/lahjoita/lahjoita-ukrainan-lapsille/
From the UK: www.unicef.org.uk/donate/donate-now-to-protect-children-in-ukraine/

lyrics

IT ONLY TAKES A SILENCE MUSIC & WORDS BY J-P PIIRAINEN & KIM EDGAR (except the spoken word section, gathered from old traditional Finnish poems about silence and being quiet)

Small, yet heavy
Form unsteady
Not quite ready, lacking voice
Strains and stresses
Silence presses
Heavy burden, weighty choice

It only takes a silence
To sense no one has seen us
To stand by and do nothing
When tragedies begin
It only takes a silence
To build a wall between us
A moment of inaction
And then divisions win

Jo mie kaik’ virret unohi
Kaik mie laulut lakkaelin
Hiljaa, hiljaa nuohinainen
Hiljaa, hiljaa hiitelästi

[The Finnish text could be translated as follows:
I’ve forgotten all the hymns
I’ve stopped singing all the songs
Quiet, quiet young woman
Quiet, quiet quietly]

Fretful, guilty
Cannot un-see
Bystander regrets abound
Be the ones who
Rise, speak out to
Lift each other, make a sound

If we can break the silence
We’ll know that they have seen us
We’ll rise up and do something
When tragedies begin
If we can break the silence
No walls will come between us
United voices gaining traction
Division cannot win

credits

released January 13, 2023
Kim Edgar: piano, synth, vocals
Mikey Owers: brass, vocals
J-P Piirainen: vocals, guitele, programming, production

Produced, recorded and mixed by Mattie Foulds @ Caribou Recording.
Mastered by Mattie Foulds. Cover design by Gillian Eilidh O'Mara.

license

all rights reserved

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Kim Edgar Edinburgh, UK

“Intense and thought provoking” (The List)

“Heart stopping…our very own Tori Amos” (Sunday Herald)

“An inspired empathy” * * * * * (Fringe Review)

Fuelled by a passion for social justice, folklore, and feminism, Kim Edgar crafts keenly observed details of people’s lives into powerful, understated songs that reach out and touch listeners. ... more

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