we stumbled out- sent West not East-
Love-hate railways
Down to the railway station woman
the two Red soldiers ordered
rifles at the ready

No goods
grab your kids
forty eight thousand of us
shunted out
one bag permitted only
a handbag
a week to my first birthday
Mum wrapped me up in her fur coat
grabbed my brothers hand
down to the railway station woman
with your kids

Had we done wrong
No crimes
it was our land before
for two thousand years
in nineteen twenty
in beautiful Logano
the Allies
the Trianon
gave our lands to the Slovaks
down to the railway station woman
take your kids

we Huns live happily
with anyone and with everyone
but the Slovaks do not
they followed the Marshal Plan
Imploding is a bad idea
destructive
poverty ensues
Poverty did follow
without all of us
down to the railway station woman
and take your kids with you

some were sent to the Transylvanian mountains
with nothing
began with no help
Mum's boss, President Klements tutted
I can't stop them shipping you out
I can't stop them doing anything
you've heard me on the phone to the Kremlin
your soldiers are raping our women
stop them
down to the railway station little woman
and take your little children with you

Bourgoisee you are,
employing workers
bosses in your own right
from your families hard work
enemies of this state now
fifteen workers employed by you
you worked with Jews and Germans
Czechs and Slovaks
making the crombies for the rich
using Yorkhire Wool
for the best suits in town
down to the railway station little woman
and take your kids with you

They took our businesses
they took our homes
they took grandmama's wedding gift
in Mikelska Ulica
gave us one room
with our seven children and all the grandchildren
down to the railway station little woman
and take your children with you

Said President Klements to mum
fear not,
I'll have them send you West not East
the Reds arrested the old people
bourgoisee,
to Siberia with them
The city top Jews marched to the Russian Kommandatur
Release this man
release this woman
Good people
they clothed us with their own ration cards
fed us all through Hitler
release them NOW
back then Jews were listened to
Down to the railway station little woman
and take your children

We did not want to leave our home
go home to your room old man
take your old woman to your room
in her wedding present down Mikealska Ulica
you are released
Down to the railway station
little woman and her little children

Grandmama Teresa was Austrian
though Grandpapa Josef was Hungarian
Masaryk had bade us all welcome
come to us,
at their wedding
Theresa was the daughter of Wachau farmers
Mum, during the great depression
went to Austria to work as a railway translator
took her citizenship there
down to the railway station little woman
and take all your children with you

In our country
we were not permitted any civil service job
so out we were
I as a none existant person
she as an Austrian citizen
only Czechs and Slovaks got jobs
we and the Jews lived from our businesses
without our businesses
they soon grew poor
down to the railway station woman
and take your little children with you

penned up at the railway station
the Reds loaded us onto the waggons
mum spoke little of it-
here is what I know
Arrived in East Germany on my first birthday
said my mother
Priests waited at the railway station
food only for catholics though
so she told them
go to hell,
(Hungarian tempers are a dreadful thing)

said my mother
the fat little german babies died like flies
you were skinny, underweight, had malnutrition
survived it all
arrived alive.

Years, many, many years later
she whispered at nights
terrible things happened on the trains
dreadful, dreadful things
difficult to comprehend
you know all about nerves and adrenalin
so I can tell you
sex between ....and this I will not tell
in public in front of others
and other awful things

We are in England now
their government paid for our transport
after security clearing us
so we could work at the Palace even

we are poor, poorer than the poorest here
work as labourers now
but live with civilised people
In those post-war years
it was a very peaceful island!!