Airdrop

from Bearing Witness by David Rovics

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In 1948 the US and others airlifted between 5 and 20 thousand tons of aid to West Berlin every day.

lyrics

When the blockade was imposed, and no one could come or go
And in order to successfully throttle off the flow
Of food and fuel and what's needed to survive
To keep more than two million people alive
The authorities limited imports to just a few
Tons that would be allowed to pass through
To try to break the siege on the ground
Seemed impossible until the world heard the sound

Watch the aviators streaking through the sky to try
To find out how much cargo they could fly

They drafted every plane that could be flown
Determined not to leave these millions alone
To be cold and hungry or else to be subsumed
They said it was impossible, an endeavor that was doomed
Every thirty seconds, a plane would fly away
To deliver to those trapped five thousand tons a day
More than two million, supplied by air alone
Thousands of airdrops flown

Chorus

Planes crashed, as they do, a hundred people died
But the flights kept coming, no way to put aside
The needs of all these people to have something to eat
To have fuel and medicine and shoes upon their feet
It was in West Berlin way back when
And it could all be done again
To save the Gaza Strip, or forever wonder why
We just let all the Palestinians starve and die

Chorus

credits

from Bearing Witness, released April 19, 2024

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David Rovics Portland, Oregon

Singer/songwriter, writer, podcaster (on Spotify, Substack & Patreon), anarchist, dad, lover of life.

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