And if I was born in '17 in Leidenstadt
On the ruins of a battlefield
Would I have been better or worse than these people
If I had been German?

Rocked by humiliation, hatred and ignorance
Fed with dreams, of revenge
Would I have been one of those unlikely consciences
Tears in the middle of a torrent

If I had grown up in the docklands of Belfast
Soldier of a faith, of a caste
Would I have had the strength against my own
To betray, to extend a hand?

If I was born white and rich in Johannesburg
Between power and fear
Would I have heard these cries carried by the wind?
Nothing will be as before

We will never know what we really have in our bellies
Hidden behind our appearances
The soul of a brave or an accomplice or a torturer?
Or the worst or the most beautiful?
Would we be those who resist or the sheep of a flock
If it took more than words?

And if I was born in '17 in Leidenstadt
On the ruins of a battlefield
Would I have been better or worse than these people
If I had been German?

May we be spared, you and me if possible for a very long time
From having to choose a side

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