page 295
This is my tribute to one of the best songwriters of the 20th century (in my opinion), Al Stewart (yeah, the "Year of the Cat" guy). If you didn't care for that song, don't let it stop you from listening to this one. The original is "Roads to Moscow", one of his lesser known works. I understand if you don't want to work through a filk of a song you don't know. If not, give a listen to the original anyway, it's based on the experiences of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
/>
The first verse starts during the prologue. The last verse would take place around page 217.
Disclaimer: No Danes were harmed during the writing of this filk.
ROADS TO KASTRUP
or
The Story of the Danes as told by Mikkel
They crossed over the border the hour before dawn
Eleven in all, so they say
Every last one of them sick by the end of the day
The rash traveled quickly, our world overwhelmed
Most people carried away
Bodies abandoned, they stayed on the ground where they lay
Then we heard tales that the dead were not dying
Just rumors, we knew
Creatures from nightmares, devouring, hunting
It cannot be true
And all that we ever
Were able to hear
The screams in the night and the shouting
And running and panic and fear
Lines of survivors, we moved towards the coast
Walking in groups through the day
Huddled and hunted, at night some were stolen away
With pitchforks and axes we made our way through
Scavenging all of the way
Fighting and hiding, our numbers were whittled away
Winter brought cold and snow, the trolls disappeared underground
We stocked up our boats then, by springtime we must not be found
And all that we ever
Were able to see
Our homes standing silent, abandoned
We made our escape by the sea
(Ah, Ah, Ah) [x4]
For eighty years we helped to clear the cities and the forests of the north land
Dreaming of our homes and those still isolated farming on our island
By day we moved from street to street and cleaned those bits and pieces in the forest
By night the cats and scouts stood sentry, guarding us from monsters in the darkness
You never see, you never hear, you never know, which way to look,
you never see them
All the time we gained in skills and numbers, building up an army to return home
The day had come, our waiting done, tomorrow we're returning
We formed in lines in the darkness there, our torches brightly burning
We crossed over Oresund the hour before dawn
Decades of promise fulfilled
We took up positions by squads at the top of the hill
A gentle breeze carried the promise of Spring
Whispering over the hills
The cats were unsettled, below us the city was still
They came with the darkness in numbers uncounted with barely a sound
We hunters were hunted, they moved to our flanks, we can't slow them down
And all that I ever
Was able to see
The fire of the guns in the darkness
And strange silhouettes through the trees
(Ah. Ah, Ah) [x4]
'The radios aren't working for the static, we can't talk, the base can't hear us
We'll never hold, we'll never last without more men, we have to have more ammunition
The beasts are moving left and right to cut us off, we had to close the tunnel
Bring us aid please if you can!' and then I ran and scrambled heedless down the ladder
I spun the wheel and closed the bolts, my stumbling footfalls echoed in the darkness
In failing light and failing hope, the sound of gunfire fading in the distance
I cannot say what I feel today, on this dawn so like the other
The wind is soft, the guns are still, and below the city slumbers
I don't know when we'll be home again, but I won't see it, ever
The breezes sigh, and the silent earth and skies go on forever...
