Leningrad

Song Leningrad
Artist Billy Joel
Album The Complete Hits Collection: 1973-1997 Limited Edition

Lyrics

[00:21.02] Viktor was born in the spring of '44
[00:28.83] And never saw his father anymore
[00:35.52] A child of sacrifice, a child of war
[00:42.40] Another son who never had a father after Leningrad
[00:49.78] Went off to school and learned to serve the state
[00:56.28] Followed the rules and drank his vodka straight
[01:03.08] The only way to live was drown the hate
[01:10.08] A Russian life was very sad
[01:14.15] And such was life in Leningrad
[01:20.41] I was born in '49
[01:23.28] A cold war kid in McCarthy time
[01:26.77] Stop 'em all at the 38th Parallel
[01:30.08] Blast those yellow reds to hell
[01:33.47] And cold war kids were hard to kill
[01:37.04] Under their desks in an air raid drill
[01:40.54] Haven't they heard we won the war
[01:43.86] What do they keep on fighting for?
[01:50.42] Viktor was sent to some Red Army town
[01:56.79] Served out his time, became a circus clown
[02:03.98] The greatest happiness he'd ever found
[02:10.66] Was making Russian children glad
[02:14.73] And children lived in Leningrad
[02:20.85] But children lived in Levittown
[02:24.06] And hid in the shelters underground
[02:26.96] Until the Soviets turned their ships around
[02:30.46] And tore the Cuban missiles down
[02:34.02] And in that bright October sun
[02:37.35] We knew our childhood days were done
[02:40.59] And I watched my friends go off to war
[02:44.27] What do they keep on fighting for?
[02:50.84] And so my child and I came to this place
[02:57.53] To meet him eye to eye and face to face
[03:04.40] He made my daughter laugh, then we embraced
[03:11.28] We never knew what friends we had
[03:15.34] Until we came to Leningrad