I got I got a strange envelope
in the mail
not too long ago
it was a weird looking thing
was very old crinkly kind of
manila paper
and writing on it was very faded
almost illegible ink
and when I opened this package
a dust blew into my face and I
I found inside this package
a cassette in incredibly decrepit,
ancient condition,
so dried that it was almost impossible to play.
It was only by some heroic
reclamation efforts
by some technicians
that we were able to play
this cassette at all,
and then we had to get it translated,
and what I'd like to do for you now
is simply a translation
of what I found on that cassette.
Dear Diary,
Dear Diary,
I'm writing these lines
the 1st of September 1939.
Had lunch with Ava, went to the zoo,
and oh, by the way,
started World War II a good day.
La la la, and so to bed.
Dear diary, dear diary,
another day gone,
Went bowling with
Goring and watered the lawn,
Went to the opera, went to a dance,
Bombed London, bombed Coventry,
Rolled across France, a good day,
La la la, on Sault -D' -Ebel.
Dear diary, dear diary,
to Moscow we go
The children all tell me that
we shall have snow
The hills will be covered,
the children will play
We're sure to take Stalingrad
most any day
A good day, la, la, la,
once or t 'better
Dear diary, dear diary,
the hour is late,
The Russians are bombing
the Chancellery gate,
The rate things are going,
they're sure to break in,
Hello Buenos Aires, Wiedersehen Berlin,
Good day, ta ta ta, und so Tibet,