Leningrad

LENINGRAD

VICTOR WAS BORN IN THE SPRING OF '44
AND NEVER SAW HIS FATHER ANYMORE
A CHILD OF SACRIFICE A CHILD OF WAR
ANOTHER SON WHO NEVER HAD A FATHER AFTER LENINGRAD

WENT OF TO SCHOOL AND LEARN TO SERVE THE STATE
FOLLOWED THE RULES AND DRUNK HIS VODKA STRAIGHT
THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE WAS DROWN THE HATE
AND RUSSIAN LIFE WAS VERY SAD
AND SUCH WAS LIVE IN LENINGRAD

I WAS BORN IN FORTY NINE
A COLD WAR KID IN MCCARTHY TIME
STOP'EM AT THE THIRTYEIGHT PARALLEL
BLAST THOSE YELLOW REDS TO HELL
COLD WAR KIDS WERE HARD TO KILL
UNDER THEIR DESK IN AN AIR RAID DRILL
HAVEN'T THEY HEARD WE WON THE WAR
WHAT DO THEY KEEP ON FIGHTING FOR?

VICTOR WAS SENT TO SOME RED ARMY TOWN
SERVED OUT HIS TIME BECAME A CIRCUS CLOWN
THE GREATEST HAPPINESS HE'D EVER FOUND
WAS MAKING RUSSIAN CHILDREN GLAD
AND CHILDREN LIVED IN LENINGRAD
AND CHILDREN LIVED IN LEVITTOWN
AND HID IN THE SHELTERS UNDERGROUND
TILL THE SOVIETS TURNED THEIR SHIPS AROUND
AND TORE THE CUBAN MISSILESS DOWN

AND IN THAT BRIGHT OCTOBER SUN
WE KNEW OUR CHILDHOOD DAYS WERE DONE
AND I WATCHED MY FRIENDS GO OFF TO WAR
WHAT DO THEY KEEP ON FIGHTING FOR?
AND SO MY CHILD AND I CAME TO THIS PLACE
TO MEET HIM EYE TO EYE AND FACE TO FACE

HE MADE MY DAUGHTER LAUGH THEN WE EMBRACED
WE NEVER KNEW WHAT FRIENDS WE HAD
UNTIL WE CAME TO LENINGRAD

BILLY JOEL