Moorsoldaten

Wherever the eye looks
Marsh and heath all around
Birdsong doesn’t lift our spirits
Oaks stand bare and bent
We are the marsh soldiers
And we march with our spades
Into the marsh!

Here in this desolate heath
The camp is set up,
Where we’re far from any joy
Behind barbed wire confined.
We are the marsh soldiers
And we march with our spades
Into the marsh!

In the morning, the columns march
Into the marsh to work,
Digging under the blazing sun,
But our hearts are with home.
We are the marsh soldiers
And we march with our spades
Into the marsh!

Homeward, homeward! Everyone longs
For parents, wife, and child
Some hearts let out a sigh
Because we’re trapped here
We are the marsh soldiers
And we march with our spades
Into the marsh!

Up and down go the guards
No one, no one can get through
Escape will only cost you your life
The fortress is fenced fourfold
We are the marsh soldiers
And we march with our spades
Into the marsh!

But for us, there’s no complaining
It can’t be winter forever
One day we’ll joyfully say:
Home, you are mine again!
Then the marsh soldiers
Will no longer march with spades
Into the marsh!

We are the marsh soldiers
And we march with our spades
Into the marsh!