Title: No Birdsong For Miles
by ciara from Wales | in writing, performance, lyrics
Em
There’s no birdsong for miles
Am
And the atmosphere’s bleak
G
Where the sun doesn’t shine
Cadd9
No grass under the feet
Em
Forget your entry stamp
Am
They will tattoo your wrist
G
Forget your Christian name
Cadd9
Become a number on a list
Am C
And they sat on chairs made from us
G B7
And they washed with soap made from us
C Am
And they walked on carpets made of us
Em B7
Oh, the place filled me with disgust
Em
I was told I’d have freedom through work
Am
Though electricity trapped me inside
G
As I entered the gateway to hell
Cadd9
Shaven head, I could no longer hide
Em
Blood trickling from my scalp
Am
Bones visible through my skin
G
The stench of flesh hung in the air
Cadd9
From the chimneys deep within
Am C
And they sat on chairs made from us
G B7
And they washed with soap made from us
C Am
And they walked on carpets made of us
Em B7
Oh, the place filled me with disgust
Em
I was dragged to a bathhouse
Am
To be disinfected, clean
G
Along with hundreds of others
Cadd9
I fell to my knees
Em
So close to the damp ground
Bm
I avoided Cyclone B
Em
They couldn’t rip out my gold teeth
Am
Bodies were dragged outside
G
At the bottom of the pyramid
Cadd9
I was somehow still alive
Am C
And they sat on chairs made from us
G B7
And they washed with soap made from us
C Am
And they walked on carpets made of us
Em B7
Oh, the place filled me with disgust
Am C
And they sat on chairs made from us
G B7
And they washed with soap made from us
C Am
And they walked on carpets made of us
Em C
Oh, the place filled me with disgust
These are the chords and lyrics of a song I wrote after going to Auschwitz. It is also inspired by Regina Spektor's 'Inkstains' which I saw performed live in the Paridiso, Amsterdam after Spektor visited the Anne Frank Haus.
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