Excelsior Drowning

Excelsior Drowning

Pretoria-City, heart of Transvaal,
Suffers a cold night, 9 to 10 p.m.
In the darkness I see reflectors
Of helicopters diving in the sky
On the streetsides: gross policemen,
Bawling people, streetwalking whores

Excelsior Africa, your heart is tumbling
Sacred goldland, your ship is drowning
One is waiting inside a prisoncell
Inevitably he must be released!

Burning gaslamps, burning corpses
On the stake of liberty
White kills Black, Black kills White
Fire goes earth, water reveals air...

Rubber truncheons break up heads
Legs must stumble
With a board between one's knees!

Echoes hoodwink, sirenes howling
Goodness me! It's witchcraft that I see!
One is waiting behind the mirror
On his robe the badge of KGB!

Legs must stumble, heads gotta roll
Iron helmets: gifts of USA!
A nice "white" X-mas!, happy new year,
The fire's still burning, melting snow in the sun...

Beside the terror a little sneer
White farmers chattering: "Nothing to be done!"
On the streetsides: gross policemen
Legs must stumble: even when they're black!