Landmarq - Narovlya

Lyrics:
Narovlya

(This song was inspired by the letter of a kindergarten teacher,
Valentina Klimchenko, who was a witness to the devastation of the people
of her home town, Narovlya, in Belarus after the terrible catastrophe
of the Chernobyl nuclear accident on the borders of the Ukraine
and Belarus on 26th April 1986)

i) reflection

a small quiet place, in the gomel region,
good-hearted people gathered round
on one fine spring morning, in narovlya,
a ghostly dust engulfed the town
as the children played, I’ll remember that day
as the music played for the rest of my life

ii) may day

it’s the first day of may and all of our childeren
have gone out to play, it’s our celebration,
it’s tradition, for us all
our flags and our banners hang over our doors,
in the pripyat we’re swimming,
sunbathers sleep on while around us metals fall
town bosses said it was safe, don’t panic their plea
but rumours they quickly spread that all was not well
who could tell?
fallout you don’t see

iii) evacuation

the 6th of may one morning
we were summoned to the school
our children must be moved away,
for how long, nobody knew
we told each house throughout the night,
the town it didn’t sleep
mothers, fathers, all were weeping
as they watched their children leave

iv) emptiness

helpless we stand, united in grief
dazed and confused, we cry out in disbelief
our lands now destroyed, we look towards the skies
with outstretched hands we try to grasp the lies,
and through it all.... we were never told the truth
cruel that you are, we have no time for hate
fools that you are, from the comfort of your state

what became of our beloved Belarus?
what’s become of our own flesh and blood?
what’s to become of those you left behind?
what right did you have to leave us here to die?
and through it all.... we never knew the truth....

v) clean up

september came upon us, white soldiers they appeared
washing down our houses, all surface soil was cleared
we watched from open windows as they wore respirators here
they covered our grounds in asphalt removing every tree in fear
no picking mushrooms, the forest was out of bounds
no fishing in the rivers, contamination all around
and though the sun was shining there was danger everywhere
as lorries moved our people, our hearts would always be there
(until we meet again - my home Narovlya)

vi) epilogue

although we’ve resettled I re-live those years,
I dream of my home town but cannot hold back all those fears,
all of those tears
what price do our children truly pay in the end?
do they have a future?
I hope in my sorrow their scars will heal, their hearts will mend