One Hundred Seventy-Five

Inspired by Pentagon investigation into US missile strike on an Iranian school that killed at least 175 children, teachers, and staff. Lines like "There were lesson plans for Tuesday, there were field trips on the board" ground it in specifics. The indie-folk production gives it a distinct character. The mood: devastating, quiet, raw.

[verse 1] There were pencils on the desks when the ceiling came apart There were drawings on the walls, little handprints, little art There were backpacks in the hallway with the zippers halfway done And a teacher counting heads before the morning had begun [chorus] One hundred seventy-five One hundred seventy-five Count the shoes beside the rubble Count the names you won't forget One hundred seventy-five And the Pentagon says they regret [verse 2] There were lunch boxes with stickers, superheroes on the lid There were jump ropes in the courtyard where the younger children hid There were lesson plans for Tuesday, there were field trips on the board There were futures in that building that will never be restored [chorus] One hundred seventy-five One hundred seventy-five Count the shoes beside the rubble Count the names you won't forget One hundred seventy-five And the Pentagon says they regret [bridge] Somewhere a mother is digging through the dust Somewhere a father holds a photo turning rust Somewhere a classroom bell is ringing in the air But nobody's sitting in the little wooden chair [chorus] One hundred seventy-five One hundred seventy-five Count the shoes beside the rubble Count the names you won't forget One hundred seventy-five And we won't forget, we won't forget [outro] One hundred seventy-five