As I fly my plane above the Earth
My flu plays games within my head
A normal man would have resigned
To the safety of his bed

And why not I? I wonder now
Why I let Goring get me angered
I should have stayed in bed today
And left my plane inside the hanger

Why do I need to prove myself?
I’ve fought so many places
Brought down so many other men
To be an ace of aces

Concentrate! Keep your head on task!
I say as I now scan the skies
The fever plays cruel tricks on me
I can’t believe my eyes

I see dead comrades on my wing
Who died in acts of valor
They call to me by radio
“Come with us to Valhalla”

And then they’re gone just as they came
I shrug off willies as I climb
Higher into a dense cloud bank
Wondering what I hope to find

And then they appear just above my nose
As I break through the clouds
B-17’s on their way back home
Flying in their usual crowds

Dicke Autos! Bombers! 12 o’ clock high!
I use the fact I’ve not been seen
To maneuver behind their form
I use the cloud banks as a screen

Now I’m behind the formation
Above them poise’ed for a dive
And now push my stick forward
And wonder if I will survive

I keep my throttle up on full
Through the sky my plane is screaming
I see my dead comrades again
And assure myself I’m only dreaming

The bomber’s tail guns open up
The tracers flash before my eyes
I roll my plane and open fire
A bomber drops out of the sky

I pass through the formation
And as I come around again
A bullet pepper my port wing
With holes I cannot mend

I forge on with my crippled ship
Doing what damage I can do
But I am running low on fuel
And running out of ammo too

And then the fever strikes me
A dream that feels so real
Annelise is standing in a field
In our mountain’s foothills

She turns to me and smiles
And beckons me to come
She turns back and starts to walk away
I break into a run

Then I hear a noise that brings me back
My engine has been hit
And as the smoke grows thicker
It sputters and soon quits

I fall from many thousand feet
My nose points to the ground
But suddenly I’m in a ship
My comrades all around

It’s an old Viking sailing ship
With oars that move alone
I ask where I am going
And my comrades say “Home”

So I died and found my rest
My struggle at an end
I will no longer have to fight
Or kill any other men

Dear darling, please don’t cry for me
I have now found my peace
I wait for you at our mountain
My darling Annelise