This song was a song of my childhood and a burning tribute to the heart of mankind that fought in World War II "the war to end all wars". I was overjoyed to find it on the net and a commentary as well. Here are the lyrics:

 

There'll be blue birds over
The white cliffs of Dover,
Tomorrow, just you wait and see.

There'll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow, when the world is free.

The shepherd will tend his sheep,
The valley will bloom again
And Jimmy will go to sleep,
In his own little room again.

There'll be blue birds over
The white cliffs of Dover,
Tomorrow, just you wait and see.

http://www.rienzihills.com/SING/thewhitecliffsofdover.htm
"There, in that song, that unremarkable bit of doggerel, was captured much of the ethos of the times in which I grew up, the faith which led women and men to attempt the impossible, to risk their very lives. They believed that the world could be better, that their children would inherit from their hands a brighter, more promising future, that justice and truth and right were strong beyond all the forces arrayed against them. And in the midst of terrible inhumanity and suffering and loss, that was the faith which sustained them. And it is that lost faith which is at the root of our national nostalgia, that for which we in this age yearn so insistently. ...

In the midst of those awful times, I was taught to believe in the fundamental goodness of people, in the ability of people to care profoundly for each other, in the ability of people in the depths of despair to dream a better world and work to make it reality. It was in that time of death and destruction that I was taught that we have responsibility for each other and a special responsibility to the weak and the helpless and most vulnerable."
David E Bumbaugh
I read David's commentary and was genuinely touched because I would have said the same thing. I was heart wrenched as I read of his disheartened feeling about the direction that our country has gone but inspired by his "in spite of it all, we shall over come" resolve in the end.

I recently had the opportunity to fly to England and was able to view the beautiful white cliffs of Dover for myself.   These were the cliffs that my Father had spoken of during his many trips in the Atlantic Theater on convoy back and forth from the United States.  They were magnificent.
 


In the light of 9-11, we might question our resolve and hope for the future, but if we do we question all that those have gone before us have given.  In my heart, those blue birds will fly, not only over Dover, but all places like the World Trade center, that have been marred by war. 

And I do believe in the goodness of mankind. We have a long way to go to grow in goodness globally and locally. But gradually and eventually I believe like the song says:

There will be joy and laughter and love ever after,
someday, just you wait and see
There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover,
Someday, when the world is free.
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White Cliffs of Dover
By Harry Todd