09-18-1943, 1st volume, no. 5, Page 13
09-18-1943, 1st volume, no. 5, Page 14

cover / introduction table of contents

Song of a Disappointed One

When he came to power,
Adolf promised us
That all evil would end
With him as the leader.

And Germany would become a paradise,
Everything hunky-dory,
Swindled Dr. Goebbels to us
Together with Dr. Ley.

We will soon bring it so far
That everyone drives a car,
The Führer, our guiding star,
Brings us a golden era.

The Volkswagen for everyone,
For John and Jane,
That propaganda gem
Held everyone in its spell.

And besides, we go on tours
Throughout foreign lands,
Kraft durch Freude organizes transportation,
Then we‘re out of trouble.

The propaganda drum beats,
The people come and pay,
The car shines like a star of hope,
We were always told.

The car arrived, we went on trips
In pack rats formations,
We saw Norway and Paris,
Italy, Greece.

We saw the Libyan desert,
We saw the banks of the Volga,
Ate Dutch cheese, drank French wine
As Kraft durch Freude [Strength through Joy] customers.

But when looking back on it,
Are we amused?
No, that wasn‘t really traveling,
What we once desired.

And as I look at the car,
I become sad and think,
How different from my imagination
Does this caterpillar-tank appear.

The journey is coming to an end now,
And I look rather sour,
The old glory has vanished,
The trip was far too expensive.

Prosperity has withered and faded,
Money and possessions are lost,
The Travel Agency deceived us,
Our travel price was our blood.

Post-Editing: Daniel Green