| Al Stewart – Roads to Moscow Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Not one of you dimwits have this right. The song synopsises a Russian soldier's experience in WW2. ALL of WW2. It starts with the early days of the German Blitzkreig of 1941, describing the swift advance of German troops into Western Russia, and the waiting tactic adopted by the ill-prepared Soviet troops. The lyric continues through the battles of Stalingrad and the failure of the Nazis to take Moscow, resulting in the retreat and pursuit of the German forces, culminating with the German collapse and the capture of Berlin in 1945. At some point in the narrators' service, he was captured, but had 'a lucky break' and was able to escape after being held for a day. He innocently reveals this on a homebound train, only to be overheard by NKVD operatives. He is singled out as one of thousands of Russian soldiers to be sent to Siberian Gulag work camps. This practice was Stalin's way of dealing with the huge number of returning servicemen. To allow them to return to civilian life would have placed too large a burden on the Soviet economy. Now, go read a book. |
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