Silent Night

(album: New Songs For Old Friends - 1973)

I was sleeping when they came
The warning was the same
They've crossed the border
Grandpa's dignity intact
Never once did he look back
We moved in order

Down the steps the lamps were lit
We found space where we could sit
There was no talking
We heard bombs begin to fall
We could hear the trembling wall
Like God was walking

The night was calm
The stars were bright
It was a calm
And peaceful night

Little bits of ceiling fell
And I thought if this is hell
Then where's the fire
Grandpa held me in his lap
Till I heard s sudden snap
Like a breaking wire

Then I heard a giant roar
And I felt the shelter floor
Come up to meet me
I struggled with my fright
There was something in the night
That meant to eat me

The night was calm
The stars were bright
It was a calm
And peaceful night

When I found myself again
I could hear the sounds of men
Soft words were spoken
I was lying on the ground
Trying to move myself around
Something was broken

When I finally raised my head
I could see that all were dead
If not dead, dying
There were strangers all about
Trying to dig the shelter out
And some were crying

The night was calm
The stars were bright
It was a calm
And peaceful night

On the southern edge of town
I could hear it coming down
The earth was quaking
When I knew that I would live
I thought, what are we to give
For what we're taking

I saw flashes in the sky
I saw something up there die
All red and leaping
Grandpa lay beside me there
And I straightened out his hair
He seemed to be sleeping

Of the diggers, there was one
Found the body of his son
And held it to him
Grandpa lay upon his back
With his dignity intact
I hardly knew him

The night was calm
The stars were bright
It was a calm
And peaceful night

The night was calm
The stars were bright
It was a calm
And peaceful night