Pennies for Africa: The story behind the song . . .

Here’s the cover for my new song available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and other places.

When I first heard of Delta Kappa Gamma’s program, Pennies for Africa, (I believe it’s a part of their Schools for Africa efforts)  I was fascinated. Through the years I’ve done a good bit of reading on that troubled continent, watched every movie I could that used it as a setting, and have known many white and black Africans from various countries, several of whom I’ve interviewed in detail. I’ve read everything Ernest Hemingway wrote, and of course, Africa is a significant part of his oeuvre.  I was so fascinated by the Pennies for Africa campaign that I felt compelled to write a song about it. Delta Kappa Gamma members loved the song, so much that they are going to create a choral arrangement of the song at their International Conference next year.  I’ve recorded my acoustic version of the song. You can hear it  and see the cover at this link:  Go here to this blog to see how the idea came about.  Here

Here are the lyrics. Feel free to share the lyrics as you feel the need, but please give me proper credit and list my website.

“Pennies for Africa”

Verse 1:
There’s a child in Africa,
Whose name you don’t know,
Living somewhere in Africa,
In a place you’ll never go.

Verse 2:
They need food and clean water,
Doctors and teachers too,
But that will never happen,
Without some help from you.

Verse 3:
Little girls and orphans,
Their poverty’s severe,
They need health, food, and safety,
And dreams like we have here.

CHORUS: (sung between each verse)

Pennies for Africa,
Give your pennies for a child.
It may not be easy,
And it might take a while.

I’d like to know what you think, so drop me a note if you can. I hope you’ll go to iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, Spotify, etc. to listen to my song.