We’re here because we’re here

“We’re here because we’re here” is a refrain Aza Holmes’s mother has sung to her since childhood, turning a song associated with soldiers into a family lullaby. In the scene where Aza retreats to bed rather than talk, its repetition finally quiets her thoughts and carries her into sleep.

Origin and Form

The song is identified as one English soldiers used to sing to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne.” Its refrain repeats the same assertion four times: “We’re here because we’re here because we’re here because we’re here.” Rather than explain why anyone is present, the words return to presence itself; their looping form makes repetition the song’s central action.

A Family Lullaby

Aza’s mother has sung the song whenever Aza could not sleep, as far back as Aza can remember. The old soldiers’ refrain has thus become an intimate, recurring part of their family life: a remembered melody offered at moments when sleep will not come.

The Song in the Scene

After Aza says she is fine and turns toward her room, she gets into bed although she is not tired and does not want to remain conscious. When her mother comes in a few minutes later, Aza pretends to be asleep to avoid talking. Her mother sings above her, raising her pitch through the first half of the refrain and then bringing it back down. Aza is nearly grown and is annoyed by her mother, but the familiar lullaby finally stops her thinking long enough for her to fall asleep. The scene’s comfort comes not from resolving what troubles her, but from the repeated song’s familiar presence.