What about sunrise? What about rain? What about all the things that you said we were to gain? What about killing fields? Is there a time? What about all the things that you said was yours and mine? Did you ever stop to notice all the blood we've shed before? Did you ever stop to notice the crying Earth the weeping shores?

What have we done to the world, look what we've done... What about all the peace that you pledge your only son? What about flowering fields? Is there a time? What about all the dreams that you said was yours and mine? Did you ever stop to notice all the children dead from war? Did you ever stop to notice the crying Earth the weeping shores?

I used to dream, I used to glance beyond the stars. Now I don't know where we are, although I know we've drifted far!

Hey, what about yesterday? What about the seas? The heavens are falling down, I can't even breathe! What about the bleeding Earth? Can't we feel its wounds? What about nature's worth? It's our planet's womb! What about animals? We've turned kingdoms to dust! What about elephants, have we lost their trust? What about crying whales? We're ravaging the seas! What about forest trails? Burnt despite our pleas! What about the holy land? Torn apart by creed... What about the common man? Can't we set him free? What about children dying? Can't you hear them cry!? Where did we go wrong? Someone tell me why! What about babies? what about the days? What about all their joy? What about the man? What about the crying man? What about Abraham? What about death again? Do we give a damn?

No sense pretending it's over, hard times just don't go away. You gotta take that chip off your shoulder, it's time you open up, have some faith. Nothing good ever comes easy, all good things come in due times, yes it does. You gotta have something to believe in. I'm telling you to open your mind.

You see yourself in the mirror and you don't like what you see, and things aren't getting much clearer, don't you think it's time you go for a change? Oh, don't waste your time on the past, no, no. It's time you look to the future, oh, it's all right there if you ask. This time if you try much harder, you'll be the best that you can be, oh.

Gotta put your heart on the line if you wanna make it right, you've got to reach out and try. Gotta put your heart on the line if you wanna get it right, gotta put it all on the line.

If you wanna make it right and you wanna do it now, then you gotta learn to try and make it work somehow. No nothin' in life comes free and that's just the way it is now. You gotta go for what you want, you gotta know what you got to stand for!

I'd slit my wrists rather than hurt a child. I could never do that. No one will ever know how much these wicked rumours have hurt me. If it wasn't for the children I'd throw in the towel and I'd kill myself. I wouldn't care to live without children and without the inspiration they give me. They inspire me in all I do, every song I write, every dance I perform. People try and use that against me and it's just so unfair. I get very upset by it, it breaks my heart.

No matter what, the most powerful thing in the world is the human mind, and prayer and belief in yourself, and confidence, and perseverance. No matter how many times you do it, you do it again, until it's right. And always believe in yourself and no matter who's around you that's being negative or thrusting negative energy at you, totally block it off, because whatever you believe, you become. And after all of that, the most important, the most important – stay humble. Be with the humbleness that a child, like a newborn baby, has. Even though you become powerful or have power with people, with your talent, you know, or like Michelangelo did with sculpting, underneath all of that, be as humble as a child, as a baby, and as kind and giving and loving. Never become puffed up with pride.

I attribute that to my parents who always taught us to persevere and believe in yourself, have confidence, no matter what you do. Even if you're sweeping floors or painting ceilings, do it better than anybody in the world, no matter what it is that you do, be the best at it, and have a respect for others, and be proud of yourself.

Sången "I have this dream" i bakgrunden av talet

Orginal

Sadly. Sadly we live in a state of fear. Everyday we hear of war. On the news, on the radio and telivision. In the newspapers, always of war. We hear of nations hurting each other, of neighbours hurting each other, of families hurting each other and of children killing each other. We must learn to live and love each other before it's too late. We have to stop!

We have to stop the prejudice. We have to stop the hating. We have to stop living in fear of our own neighbours. I would like all of you now to take the hand of the person to the left and to the right of you. Go ahead right now, I mean it, don't be shy. Do it, 'cuz it starts now. To the person next to you to the left and the right, I mean it, right now. Go ahead, don't be shy. Do it! Do it!

Now tell the person, tell the person next to you that you care for them. Tell them that you care for them! Tell them that you love them! Tell them that you love them! This is what makes the difference. Together we can make a change in the world. Together we can help to stop racism. Together we can help to stop prejudice. We can help the world to live without fear. It is our only hope, and without hope we are lost. Thank you all, I am very proud and happy to be here. I love you.

That's beautiful. That's a sign of hope right there. That's for all the children of the world. I love you and thank you for everything. All my love and God bless.

♥

Ryan White, symbol of justice
Or child of innocence, messenger of love
Where are you now, where have you gone?

Ryan White, I miss your sunny days
We carelessly frolicked in extended plays

I miss you, Ryan White
I miss your smile, innocent and bright
I miss your glory, I miss your light

Ryan White, symbol of contradiction
Child of Irony, or child of fiction?

I think of your shattered life
Of your struggle, of your strife

While ladies dance in the moonlit light
Champagne parties on charted cruises
I see your wasted form, your ghostly sight
I feel your festering wounds, your battered bruises

Ryan White, symbol of agony and pain
Of ignorant fear gone insane
In a hysterical society
With free-floating anxiety
And feigned piety

I miss you, Ryan White
You showed us how to stand and fight
In the rain you were the cloudburst joy
The sparkle of hope in every girl and boy

In the depths of your anguished sorrow
Was the dream of another tomorrow

Once there was a child and he was free. Deep inside, he felt the laughter. The mirth and play of nature's glee. Beauty, love was all he'd see.

He knew his power was the power of God. He was so sure, they considered him odd. This power of innocence, of compassion, of light. Threatened the priests and created a fight. In endless ways they sought to dismantle. This misteroius force which they could not handle.

In endless ways they tried to destroy his simple trust, his boundless joy. His invincible armor was a shield of bliss. Nothing could touch it, no venom, no hiss.

The child remained in a state of grace. He wasn't confined in time or place. In Technicolor dreams, he frolicked and played. While acting his part, in Eternity he stayed.

Soothsayers came and fortunes were told. Some were vehement, others were bold. In denouncing this child, this perplexing creature. With the rest of the world he shared no feature. IS he real? He is so strange. His unpredictable nature knows no range. He puzzles us so, is he straight? What's his destiny? What's his fate?

And while they whispered and conspired through endless rumors to get him tierd, to kill his wonder, trample him near, burn his courage, fuel his fear - the child remained just simple, sincere.

All he wanted was the mountain high, color the clouds, paint the sky. Beyond these boundaries, he wanted to fly. In nature's scheme, never to die.

Don't stop this child, he's the father of man. Don't cross his way, he's part of the plan. I am that child, but so are yoy. You've just forgotten, just lost the clue.

Inside your heart sits a Seer. Between his thoughts, he can hear a melody simple but wondrously clear, the music of life, so precious, so dear.

If you could for one moment know this spark of creation, this exquisite glow. You could come and dance with me. Kindle this fire so we could see all the children of the Earth. Wave their magic and give new birth to a world of freedom with no pain, a world of joy, much more sane.

Deep inside, you know it's true. Just find that child, it's hiding in you.

Once I get to the side of the stage, something happens. The rhythm starts and the lights hit me and the problems disappear. This has happened so many times. The thrill of performing just takes over. It's like God saying, "Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Just wait till you hear this. Wait till you see this." And the backbeat gets in my backbone and it vibrates and it just takes me ..

They say that some of the stars that you see overhead aren’t really there. Their light takes millions of years to reach us. And all we are doing is looking into the past, into a bygone moment when those stars could still shine. "So what does a star do after it quits shining?" I ask myself. "Maybe it dies." "Oh, no," a voice in my head says. "A star can never die. It just turns into a smile..."

About twelve years ago, when I was just about to start my Bad tour, a little boy came with his parents to visit me at home in California. He was dying of cancer and he told me how much he loved my music and me. His parents told me that he wasn't going to live, that any day he could just go, and I said to him: "Look, I am going to be coming to your town in Kansas to open my tour in three months. I want you to come to the show. I am going to give you this jacket that I wore in one of my videos." His eyes lit up and he said: "You are gonna give it to me?" I said "Yeah, but you have to promise that you will wear it to the show." I was trying to make him hold on. I said: "When you come to the show I want you to see you in this jacket and in this glove" and I gave him one of my rhinestone gloves - and I never usually give the rhinestone gloves away. And he was just in heaven.

But maybe he was too close to heaven, because when I came to his town, he had already died, and they had buried him in the glove and jacket. He was just 10 years old. God knows, I know, that he tried his best to hold on. But at least when he died, he knew that he was loved, not only by his parents, but even by me, a near stranger, I also loved him. And with all of that love he knew that he didn't come into this world alone, and he certainly didn't leave it alone.

When I see children, I see the face of God. That's why I love them so much.