Papusza and the Crows

I fell in love with her among harps and violins Attracted by her songs and the books she'd hidden Her family brought the woods alive with thirst for living But feared written words and cursed her for her reading This passion, self taught Along with local lessons she bought Stolen chickens is how she managed to pay And as she snapped their necks, she prayed One crow sorrow, two crows trust Whomever is my maker tell me this much How can what I love so much be wrong Are not words on paper as pure as words in song One crow worry, two crows war Three crows run child Before they reach your door This crow's seen it all before So I warned them two times more All the birds were praying for the Gypsy children To blend into the forest so the pale men can't reach them "Snow fell thick as leaves" as we watched their shadows Looking past us in the trees As if the stars might guide them Porraimos, the Devouring 500,000 gone, more running We're alone on this longest road Papusza, don't you see, beware of the gadjo! One crow danger, two crows truth Three crows, enough luck to pull the family through She wrote all of their suffering down And hoped a sympathetic ear may be found My darling was delighted to meet Ficowski Felt he understood her nature and poetry But two hearts in the right place don't guarantee A happy ending, can't control what is to be One crow sorrow, two crows joy Three crows a promise Four crows a ploy This crow has seen it all before I had to let her take her fall They called her mahrime, traitor No longer one of their daughters No longer a part of The water that wanders My words were used against my wishes The Great Halt left my people stranded If this is how it's going to be Then bury me My words were used against my wishes The Great Halt left my people stranded If this is how it's going to be Then bury me My words were used against my wishes The Great Halt left my people stranded If this is how it's going to be Then bury me standing, standing, standing My words were used against my wishes The Great Halt left my people stranded If this is how it's going to be Then bury me standing