Dear Ivan

Dear Ivan

You don't know me

And I don't know you

But I sure would

Like to meet you

Yes sir, I'd like to walk up

And shake your hand and

Look you straight in the eye

And tell you that I haven't got

One thing in this world against you

I know that the

Heads of our government

Seem to have problems getting

Together to talk things over

But I got a feeling if you and I

Could just sit down and talk

Not as representatives of

Anybody's government but just

Two plain ordinary human beings

I feel that we might think

A great deal alike

I'm an entertainer now, Ivan

I used to be a farmer just like you

I got a wife and three kids

And this may sound a

Little unpatriotic, but to me

These are more important than

The heads of anybody's government

A few years back

You and I both left the farm

And we put on a uniform

And we were on the same side

Of the fence, you and me, Ivan

And you know, I can't help

But believe that we're still

On the same side of the fence

That we both like to see

A world united in peace

I'll tell you something, Ivan

I love my land very much

Oh, we got some of the

Prettiest mountains and trees

And rivers and valleys

That you've ever laid eyes on

And I'm sure you feel the

Same way about your country

And I know that neither one of us

Would like to see the face of

Our countries blackened with

The hot breath of anybody's bomb

You know, they tell me that

Over there, you don't believe in God

But though I've never met you

I can't help but believe that

A man who's stood on a

Crisp fall morning and watched

The sun rise over his farmland or

He's planted a small grain of corn

And seen it grow out of the fertile soul

Or better than that, Ivan

Held your own baby in your arms

I know that you know that there's

A God up there watching over

Each and every one of us

Ivan, when I put my

Babies to bed tonight

I'm gonna say a prayer

For you and yours

And if you in your own way

Will say a prayer for me and mine

And maybe we can talk our

Neighbors into doing the same thing

This will be more powerful

Than any conference held over

Any conference table anywhere

In the whole wide world

And then maybe we can

Live as God intended

Peacefully, together

Yours truly, Jimmy Dean