The Propeller Song

Sometimes my courage sinks very low,
I look at things gloomily,
And then I hear the engines roar,
The RAF flying to Germany,
How tirelessly they bring their loads
To Hamburg, to the Ruhr,
Then that relieves my sorrow,
I hum along with the propeller song

We fly with buzz and hum,
Whether a hospital or the Cologne Cathedral,
It gets shattered by a bomb,
Whether a factory or a civilian house,
We smash the Third Reich to dust.

If I ask Aunt Betje in the morning,
Did she sleep well last night,
She says no! It was no fun,
I spent it wide awake.
When I hear the engines growling,
I cannot sleep all night,
Then I am so afraid of the bombs,
And hold Uncle Jaap’s hand.

I don‘t like buzz and hum,
I‘m so scared, a bomb will fall,
So anxiously I say, Jaapie, come,
With fear, I hold his hand,
I shiver, tremble, and my teeth chatter.

I must say, Aunt Betje,
I find your standpoint quite wrong,
You should consider it a little distraction,
I wish you would learn that from me!
If you hear the engines humming at night,
And it deprives you of sleep,
Then think, I do not give a damn,
Say cheerfully to Uncle Jaap:

They fly with buzz and hum,
Whether a hospital or the Cologne Cathedral,
It gets shattered by a bomb,
Whether a factory or a civilian house,
They smash the Third Reich to dust.