The Peat Bog Soldiers
Originally written in 1933 by prisoners in the Börgermoor concentration camp in Germany, "Die Moorsoldaten" (The Peat Bog Soldiers) became an international anti-fascist anthem. It was widely adopted by the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, the Canadian volunteer unit that fought in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), and later by Canadian forces in World War II.
- Video
- Lyrics
Far and wide as the eye can wander,
Heath and bog are everywhere.
Not a bird sings out to cheer us,
Oaks are standing gaunt and bare.We are the peat bog soldiers,
We're marching with our spades
To the bog.Up and down the guards are pacing,
No one, no one can go through.
Flight would mean a sure death facing,
Guns and barbed wire greet our view.We are the peat bog soldiers,
We're marching with our spades
To the bog.But for us there is no complaining,
Winter will in time be past.
One day we shall cry rejoicing,
"Homeland dear, you're mine at last!"Then will the peat bog soldiers
March no more with their spades
To the bog.