Watch the video.
Watch the group video.
Play this on the jukebox and listen to a lot of other versions too.
You can also download all the different musical versions, in the order they went up.
From Janis: When I put the call out to colleagues and asked them to pass it on to their own friends, I got to “meet” a lot of people I’d otherwise not know. Ian and Annie live in Edinburgh, Scotland, and they’ve done a bang up version of the song. They’ve also been using it for evening “group sings” as they and their neighbors walk outside and sing their thanks to first responders, and their certainty that there are better times to come. I laughed a lot watching the group video – there’s Annie, trying to maintain social distancing while throwing lyrics toward people. Then someone down the street grabs a fiddle and plays away, though you can’t hear it very well. A little boy enters and begins banging away on a drum (or pot? or something…), while a woman (maybe his mother?) enters the frame, also playing the fiddle. Just as things begin winding down and I’ve had time to catch my breath, another little boy comes racing through, photo-bombing the entire thing. I think watching this video was the most fun I’ve had all week. It’s honest, it’s joyous, it’s heartfelt, it’s all ages, and it’s exactly what music should be!
Remember, these artists are donating their time and effort so you can have a bit of hope and distraction during this crisis. I’ve told them to let me know if there are any charities or projects they particularly want mentioned. Show your support by going here ; all proceeds go to Parkinson’s UK Edimburgh, and St Columba’s Hospice, both registered charities.. You’ll be able to hear the title track from ‘Time and Tide’ by Ian Young & friends; 50 minutes of Scots folk music, including six award-winning songs from Ian, and three brand new instrumentals, plus a 16 page booklet with words & information
BETTER TIMES WILL COME
(Janis Ian)
Better times, better times will come.
Better times, better times will come.
When this world learns to live as one,
oh, better times will come
When we greet each dawn without fear
knowing loved ones soon will be near
When the winds of war
cannot blow any more
Oh, better times will come
CHORUS
Though we live each day as our last
we know someday soon it will pass
We will dance, we will sing
in that never-ending spring
Oh, better times will come
CHORUS
Words & music by Janis Ian; © 2020 Janis Ian. All rights reserved; used by permission.