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Hou Yi Shot the Suns

from The Return of the Magic by Dada Nabhaniilananda

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Many years ago a friend of mine returned from a period studying in China, and showed us some photographs he’d taken. Amongst them was a painting entitled “Hou Yi Shooting the Suns” by a highly talented young man, who’d been forced to work in secret in a stone cell, as he was considered a subversive by the government.
This painting depicts “Hou Yi” a figure from Chinese mythlogy. He appeared at a time when the world was oppressed by the heat of nine suns. The hero Hou Yi climbed a mountain and shot down eight of the nine suns with his great bow, leaving us just one, and saving the people.
Later, after the Tiananmen square protests and massacre of the students by troops, I modified the lyrics to commemorate their struggle.

lyrics

Stone stares at my face, two paces to the left, two right
Though stone meets my outstretched hand,
this is where my heart must flame again.

Here I sit before my cell wall,
seeing far off faces, in far off places,
painting secret dreams of times to come

On the mountain peak he dared,
straining in the burning air,
Firing arrows, flaming hair,
suns a'falling everywhere
Hou Yi shot the suns, shot the suns.

Freedom, how they loved their freedom
Crying for Salvation
But now it’s lost again

For Freedom cries the heart
For Freedom cries the heart
For Freedom, all across the world

I still see a sea of faces
Shining with a new hope
Of freedom
Filling all Tiananmen that day.

A thousand hands in protest raised
A thousand stars that briefly blazed
Do you remember anyone
Who marched there in that scarlet sun?
Hou Yi shot the suns, shot the suns

Hou Yi, Hou Yi, Hou Yi, Hou Yi
Hou Yi shot the suns, shot the suns

Freedom, how they loved their freedom
How they cherished freedom
All across the world

For Freedom cries the heart
For Freedom cries the heart
For Freedom, all across the world

credits

from The Return of the Magic, released January 1, 2005

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Dada Nabhaniilananda California

Dada Nabhaniilananda, originally from New Zealand, is a yoga monk of Ananda Marga, The Path of Bliss. Through his music and songs he seeks to connect us with the source of love within and remind us of our connection to to all life. He had his 15 minutes of fame in 1992 when he appeared on stage with the Dalai Lama before 10,000 at the 1992 Earth Summit, in Brazil. ... more

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