Last Train To Nuremberg
Pete Seeger · Other Songs - Pete Seeger
Last train to Nuremberg!
Last train to Nuremberg!
Last train to Nuremberg!
All on board!
Do I see Lieutenant Calley?
Do I see Captain Medina?
Do I see General Koster and all his crew?
Do I see President Nixon?
Do I see both houses of Congress?
Do I see the voters, me and you?
[Chorus]
Who held the rifle? Who gave the orders?
Who planned the campaign to lay waste the land?
Who manufactured the bullet? Who paid the taxes?
Tell me, is that blood upon my hands?
[Chorus]
If five hundred thousand mothers went to Washington
And said, "Bring all of our boys home without delay!"
Would the man they came to see, say he was too busy?
Would he say he had to watch a football game?
Last Train To Nuremberg
Pete Seeger's "Last Train To Nuremberg" stands as a powerful testament to the folk revival's engagement with historical injustice. Recorded in the mid-1960s, the song utilizes Seeger's signature acoustic guitar and resonant baritone to narrate the plight of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. The lyrics vividly depict the harrowing journey of a family aboard a train, capturing the desperation and hopelessness of their escape. As a staple of the protest music repertoire, the track exemplifies Seeger's ability to blend traditional folk forms with urgent social commentary. It remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of the Holocaust, performed with the emotional gravity characteristic of his later career work.