It was an old gospel song, but with different lyrics.

To the tune of “Down by the Riverside,” peace protesters Thursday sang not only of lying down their burdens but also of putting away “those fighter jets,” and in a later verse, shaking hands “around the world.”

Since September, peace advocates numbering up to 1,000 have gathered weekly in front of the Douglas County Courthouse to protest the war.

And about 200 people did so again Thursday, with babies and dogs, placards and candles.

But this rally was different.

“This is for the day the war began,” said Allan Hanson, coordinator of the Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice.

Most people at the rally said they were not surprised by President George Bush’s announcement Wednesday that the United States had entered the early stages of a war with Iraq.

But they were still disappointed and saddened.

Lawrence resident Andrea Zuercher said she was a “mixture of emotions.”

“I was hopeful, but just knowing how governments are … I’m just amazed it took this long,” she said.

Luke Middleton, Lawrence, stands with about 200 demonstrators who oppose the war in Iraq during a candlelight vigil Thursday at the Douglas County Courthouse.

A participant in other rallies, she said she attended Thursday’s because she wanted to show the rest of the country and world that there were Americans opposed to the war.

Others agreed, saying that the declaration did not mean failure for their cause.

“You’ve got to make a statement no matter how diminished it may feel,” said Edward Geiman, Lawrence.

He said he was sickened by the start of the war but that he thought it would be over soon.

“I think they’ve been planning on it more than they’ve been planning on diplomacy,” he said. “Pretty soon there will be a McDonald’s over there.”

And Deborah Altus said she attended the rally in part because of her Mennonite beliefs.

As she helped her preschool-aged son with his candle, she explained what she had told him about the war.

“I just told him that the war had started and that we would do what we could to stand against it,” she said.

Laura Ramberg, Lawrence, holds her daughter Copper, 11, as the pair stands with about 200 demonstrators who oppose the war in Iraq during a candlelight vigil Thursday at the Douglas County Courthouse.