40 Years of “We Are the World”: A Song, A Movement, A Message We Still Need ©Dawn Minott

Beforeword: Forty years ago today, We Are the World brought together some of the biggest voices in music for a cause greater than themselves. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and recorded by an all-star ensemble, the song raised over $80 million for famine relief in Africa, proving that music has the power to move not just hearts, but mountains.

Since then, many have tried to imitate its magic, but none have truly duplicated its impact. It wasn’t just the melody—it was the message: unity, compassion, and a shared responsibility for the world’s most vulnerable. And looking at our world today, we need that message more than ever. Hunger, war, displacement, and inequality still demand our collective response.

We Are The World

As we mark this milestone, let’s not just remember We Are the World—let’s live it.

There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it’s time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can’t go on
Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of God’s great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
Well, send them your heart
So they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
Oh, there’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
When you’re down and out, and there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe, there’s no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize
Oh, that a change can only come
When we stand together as one (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day
So let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There is a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
Alright, let me hear you
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (said, we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day
So let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a brighter day
Just you and me, come on now, let me hear you
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day
So let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, yeah, yeah
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day
So let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
And we’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world (one world)
We are the children (our children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day
So let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world, we are the world (we are the world)
We are the children, yes, sir (we are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day (we are the world)
So let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me (ooh-ooh, dear, God)
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
Alright, can you hear what I say? (So let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day

Source: LyricFind

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In creative solidarity, Dee

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