Posted by Sorcha in another thread.
-Joe Offer-

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CANDLE FOR DURRATI
(Al Grierson)

Well the headline on the paper said the good guys won the war
And the red star won't be shinin' over Moscow anymore
My heart fell like a sparrow in the depth of my despair
When I saw La Pasionaria with a flower in her hair

In a postcard by Picasso, so defiant and serene
With the mercy of a mother and as grand as any queen
She had gathered all her children under many different drums
In the power of her promise when the revolution comes

In the darkness and disorder, in the fire of our fears
She had bound our broken bodies in the rainbow of her tears
In the hour of our triumph, with a promise to prevail
And another for the future in the hour that we failed

And so my friend and comrade, as you go across the sea
I ask no shining souvenirs, but only send to me
The finest rum of Cuba from the finest sugar cane
And a postcard by Picasso when you reach the coast of Spain

And remember 'til tomorrow as we leave our banners furled
That it only took six days to make, and ten to shake the world
Light a candle for Dorruti and we'll honor all the brave
With a rollcall of the fallen in the dust on Franco's grave

(Repeat first verse)



Notes: Candle for Durruti (Al Grierson) Written some time after the fall of the Berlin Wall, this song is a tribute to La Pasionaria, Dorruti, the Lincoln Brigade and all the others around the world who fought and generally died in defense of freedom in Spain. The Spanish Civil War is seen by many as the real beginning of WWII, and also represents perhaps the most spectacular outpouring of international solidarity the world has ever seen. Though the war in Spain was won by the Spanish fascists (with the aid of Hitler's planes, Mussolini's troops and America's oil), the legacy of the International Brigades who went to defend Spain's democractic government continues to inspire many today.