Sheryl Crow releases new song, 'The Dreaming Kind,' for 5th anniversary of Sandy Hook school shooting
WATCH Sheryl Crow discusses her new song inspired by the Sandy Hook shooting
Sheryl Crow today debuted an original song that marks the fifth anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 20 students and six educators.
Sandy Hook families push to reinstate lawsuit against gun manufacturer Sandy Hook group releases PSA on gun violence
"The Dreaming Kind" was written by Crow, a nine-time Grammy winner, after the October shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and injured nearly 500 others attending a country music festival.
"I didn’t know what I was going to do with it and then suddenly we were presented with the Sandy Hook Promise and the opportunity to have a song for it," Crow said today on "Good Morning America." "I said, ‘I just have written this song which is basically about what they went through.'"
Win McNamee/Getty Images, FILEProceeds from downloads of the song will benefit Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization that uses educational programs to help prevent acts of gun violence before they occur.
The organization was founded by Nicole Hockley, whose son, Dylan, was killed in the shooting, and Mark Barden, who also lost his son, Daniel, at the Newtown, Conn., school. The 20 students killed were 6 and 7 years old.
The Hockley Family/AP, FILECrow's song represents the voice of the parents of Sandy Hook victims and others working to end gun violence.
“I’m giving it all I got; there’ll be no more wasting precious time; giving it all I got; and nothing’s ever going to change my mind," the lyrics read.
ABC NewsCrow, a mother of two, performed the song today with her elementary school-age niece, Ava.
"This is just like a foot in the door to an overdue conversation that has been needed … for a long time," Crow told ABC News' Rob Marciano before her performance. "The song was really just a project of love."
Crow said her inspiration for writing the song came from "the anger and the frustration and the disillusionment" she felt after the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas.
"After Sandy Hook, we all felt everything was going to change, and yet it has not changed," Crow said. "People cling to the Second Amendment but really what we’re talking about with Sandy Hook Promise is just a sensible conversation about what can we do to curtail what’s happening in this country."
Along with Crow's song, Sandy Hook Promise released a new public service announcement today that calls on viewers to learn the warning signs exhibited by those who may act violently toward themselves or others. The PSA also encourages viewers to take action to prevent acts of violence before they occur.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP, FILEThe PSA, called "Tomorrow's News," depicts mock news coverage of a school shooting from the day before it occurred, to illustrate how it possibly could have been prevented.
"The goal is quite simple, to save lives," Hockley said. "We know that our training has already averted multiple school shootings and suicides and other acts of harm."
Hockley described the organization's approach to ending gun violence as "understanding who’s at risk at potentially hurting themselves or someone else and how can we take action now, before a tragedy happens."
Sandy Hook Promise is holding a “moment of silence” via Facebook Live on Dec. 14 to commemorate the five-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Shooting.
PlayABC News' Catherine Thorbecke contributed to this report.
- Star
