Philadelphia singer-songwriter Amos Lee clearly remembers the day, last February, when he first learned about the horrific school shooting that took place in Parkland, Florida, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in which seventeen students tragically lost their lives. At the time, Lee had already written the song “No More Darkness, No More Light,” but it bore a different name, and slightly different lyrics.
“The day after Parkland happened, I was just like — as I think we all were and continue to be — overcome with what the kids were saying and what our history in the United States is and what I feel like some of our obligations to each other are, and I rewrote the whole song,” Lee told Billboard. The single was released back in June.
This morning, Lee published a video which features the soulful artist perched on a stool in the middle of a forest, with sunlight peeking through the leaves and onto Lee’s baggy jeans, flannel and acoustic guitar. He plays a stripped-down, emotive version of “No More Darkness, No More Light,” with sensitive, crisp vocals and lyrics that hit home for those of us who’ve felt the pain of losing our youth to senseless violence.
Amos Lee’s peaceful rendition of “No More Darkness, No More Light” is intended to express his feelings of gratitude towards survivors of the Parkland shooting and their bravery, and also to move others to reflect back on the impactful events of that day and how they changed America forever. “Thank you to those kids for sharing their stories with us,” said Lee. “Hopefully there’s some constructive feeling about this tragedy.”
