Paratrooper Balad

[Intro] (Instrumental Solo) [Verse 1] Engines hum low 'neath twilight's dying breath Boots tap tarmac in a rhythm like death Not the kind that chills, but a steady, soft beat Red berets glint where the badge meets the heat Bordeaux wool catches the paratrooper's shine Rifles ride easy, a creed in their mind "Einsatzbereit – jederzeit – weltweit," they breathe Stepping to planes where the night hides their fate beneath [Pre-Chorus] Officers, sergeants, farm boys in threadbare coats Hierarchy melts where brotherhood floats No rank in the sky, no stripes in the fall Just one name burning: Fallschirmjäger, all [Chorus] Glück ab, brothers, answer Germany's call Black, red, gold we stand for one and all! Through sky and storm, through fire and night Einsatzbereit — by day or by night! Glück ab, brothers, answer Germany's call Black, red, gold we stand for one and all! Through sky and storm, through fire and night Einsatzbereit — by day or by night! [Verse 2] Inside the transport, red light bleeds dim Faces like stone, but their hearts hum a hymn Not of glory, but the man at their side Whose life, like their own, hangs on the wind's wild tide Jumpmaster's voice, steady as the tick of time "Check your lines, boys, and your courage to climb—" Climb from the sky where the eagles once flew To the earth far below where their duty rings true [Pre-Chorus] Officers, sergeants, town boys with calloused hands No man left behind when the parachute lands A creed not of orders, but blood, sweat, and bone "For each other we fight, and for each other we'll come home" [Chorus] Glück ab, brothers, answer Germany's call Black, red, gold we stand for one and all! Through sky and storm, through fire and night Einsatzbereit — by day or by night! Glück ab, brothers, answer Germany's call Black, red, gold we stand for one and all! Through sky and storm, through fire and night Einsatzbereit — by day or by night! [Verse 3] Saarlouis, Seedorf, Altenstadt's green fields Barracks still stand where old stories yield Calw's elite, where "Der Wille entscheidet" rings clear A creed in their veins, like the blood they hold dear Before the jump, hands clasp tight in a ring A whisper, a prayer, a song they all sing Not of battles, but pubs back at home Where beer flows like water and fiddle notes roam [Bridge] Firelight flickers, the fiddle weeps low For brothers we lost in dust and snow Afghanistan's peaks, Mali's hot sand Kosovo's cold nights, where they made their final stand Good Friday 2010, rain fell hard as lead They held their ground like a lighthouse unread They didn't return, but their spirit remains In the glass we raise and the stories we name [Verse 4] We drink to their memory, we sing of their name Fallschirmjäger forever, in honor and flame Not with sorrow, but pride for the lives that they led For the brotherhood strong and the creed that they fed Back to the past where the old ones did soar Crete's rocky cliffs, Norway's cold shore Rotterdam's streets where their boots first did land A legacy written in the blood of their hand [Pre-Chorus] Old Fallschirmjäger, medals and scars etched deep Taught us courage, loyalty, the stars to keep "Einsatzbereit" isn't just words on a page It's fire in your heart and a bond through every age [Chorus] Glück ab, brothers, raise your glass up high For black, red, gold, for those who touch the sky! From Calw to Saarlouis, our hearts burn bright Einsatzbereit — with will and with might! Glück ab, brothers, raise your glass up high For black, red, gold, for those who touch the sky! From Calw to Saarlouis, our hearts burn bright Einsatzbereit — with will and with might! [Verse 5] Now the pub's filled with laughter, accordion plays loud We're old men now, but the pride never bowed We were young once, flew through the dark of the night For Germany's flag and brothers' pure delight [Outro] Einsatzbereit – jederzeit – weltweit… Einsatzbereit… Der Wille entscheidet… GLÜCK AB! (Instrumental Solo)