and I know your room has no walls
but it really won’t take long anymore
we regain strength in Calais
we regain strength in Calais
and tomorrow we go together to the beach
dreaming of the far side across
waiting just a little more in Calais
waiting just a little more in Calais
we will get there, though it may be awfully slow
though the hours sometimes seem like days here
the nights are long in Calais
without a prospect by the sea
the wait is long in Calais
but son, hold on, really, imagine once:
people see, people hear
they recognize our fate, they went ahead of us
in thoughts they are with Calais
in thoughts with Calais
hope is not taken away from us
for that we didn’t come from so far
waiting just a little more in Calais
waiting just a little more in Calais
Excerpt from Het Zesde Metaal, “Calais,” included in the album Calais, 2016. My translation.
This song is sung in West-Flemish. The Dutch version is published in Wannes Cappelle and Robin Aerts, Zeg alles af voor morgen. Het Zesde Metaal (s.l.: Het Zesde Metaal, 2017), 32.