Memories of War


All the people of Rhodesia know,
The horrors the pictures of war can show.

A baby murdered on an isolated farm,
As a domestic worker tried to protect her from harm.
A viscount shot down on a starry night,
The survivors shot dead at the crash site.
The cowards rushed into a hotel dining room,
And with their AK47's they brought such doom.

And the worlds silence was deafening once again,
As Rhodesians shed tears like falling rain.

Attacks on farms in the middle of the night,
Made Rhodesian farmers even more determined to fight.
Children injured and killed in a landmine blast,
Left broken hearts in their school class.
So many soldiers their lives they gave,
And Mothers cried at their young sons grave.

And the worlds silence was deafening once again,
As Rhodesians shed tears like falling rain.

Terrs and Troopies was the game of the day,
When Rhodesian children went out to play,
Their Daddies had gone away to fight,
They'd gone to fight for what was right.
And at the end of each day they'd pray,
For their Daddies , that safe they'd stay.
And so many hung their heads and cried,
As brave Mothers explained that Daddy had died.

And the worlds silence was deafening once again,
As Rhodesians shed tears like falling rain.

 

The whole world thought it was just about race,
Why couldn't they see that was not the case.
For many black Rhodesians did fight,
They fought for what they too believed was right.
Black children were snatched in the dark of night,
And told for Majority rule they'd fight.
They were taken to training camps to be brainwashed,
And any resistance was so cruelly squashed.

And the worlds silence was deafening once again,
As Rhodesians shed tears like falling rain.

Many black workers in the middle of the night ,
Risked their lives to warn their employers to take flight.
Terrorist visits in the still of the night,
Left black Rhodesians filled with terror and fright.
Intimidation and torture were the terrorists tools,
And death came to those who broke their rules.
Men, women and children lined up and shot dead,
As the rising sun painted the Rhodesian sky red.

And the worlds silence was deafening once again,
As Rhodesians shed tears like falling rain.

And through it all together we stood,
Both young and old as only Rhodesians could.
We stood tall and full of pride,
Right up to the day that Rhodesia died.
We will never forget all the Rhodesians so brave,
It was for our Country that their lives they gave.
And for those of you who loved ones lost,
For those of you who paid the cost.

We think of you and share your pain,
And we still shed tears like falling rain.

Sandy Botha
E Mail - sandy@design-a-gift.ie

© Sandy Botha 2003
Reproduction in media of any form is prohibited except with express written permission of the author