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215
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Aug 5, 2026 updated
Verified editorial review
Brian Doerksen's song '215' addresses the discovery of unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children at a Canadian residential school. The lyrics mourn the loss and express sorrow and shame over the church and government's role in the violence. The song calls for lament and solidarity with Indigenous communities, acknowledging a painful history. It reflects on the failure to listen to elders and the need for confession. The piece is a poignant response to a tragic event, blending grief with a plea for awareness and healing.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team
Two hundred and fifteen
Two hundred and fifteen
Indigenous children who can't come home
Two hundred and fifteen
How many more missing?
Indigenous children who won't come home
Why did it take so long?
Revealing this ancient wrong
When mothers cried through countless nights alone
The church and the government
Complicit in violence
How could such savagery stay unconfessed?
If there's a God in heaven, you've been used again
To subjugate, assimilate, eradicate the other
We're Christian and Canadian yet now ashamed of both
We weep with the indigenous and stand with all who mourn
Why did it take so long?
Revealing this ancient wrong
The elders spoke but we refused to hear
The church and the government
Complicit in violence
How could something so evil happen here?
Two hundred and fifteen
Two hundred and fifteen
Indigenous children stolen