That s How They Tempered the Steel

A Mr. Public Enemy was marched to the wall
A Mrs. Ladybird was dragged to a vault
The people were loaded onto a train
The optimistic popes continued to teach:

That’s how they tempered the steel
That’s how they tempered the steel
That’s how they tempered the steel
That’s how they tempered the steel

A Mr. Public Enemy was marched to the wall
The Kremlin clock melodically struck on ‘lights out’
The moon bit the body which gave its last breath
And scribbled with skill the words on its chest:

That’s how they tempered the steel
That’s how they tempered the steel
That’s how they tempered the steel
That’s how they tempered the steel

A Mr. Public Enemy was marched to the wall
The stone-blind eye witnesses whispered ‘That’s fate’
The optimistic popes continued crusade
Scribbling their order with the tempered swords:

That’s how they tempered the steel
That’s how they tempered the steel
That’s how they tempered the steel
That’s how they tempered the steel

The history was made with the tempered sword
The history was crushed with the tempered sword
The history was stabbed with the tempered sword
The poor guilty history was marched to the wall

That’s how they tempered the steel!
That’s how they tempered the steel!
That’s how they tempered the steel!
That’s how they tempered the steel!

Авторский перевод песни «Так закалялась сталь» группы «Гражданская оборона».