Predrag Pasic´s Claim To Fame Jan Hauenstein

(C) (F) (C) (G)
(C)Predrag Pasic (G)was a fine (F)player in his (C)time,
He (Am)had the touch, he (F)had finesse, his (C)instinct was su(G)blime.
He was (C)chosen for the Yugo(F)slavian team, the World (G)Championship in (C)Spain,
Being (F)magic with a (C)football was (G)Predrag’s claim to (C)fame.

He (F)started playing the (C)game as a (G)boy in Sara(Am)jevo,
When (F)he was six or (C)seven, a (F)long, long time a(G)go.
It was a (E)long, long, (Am)long, long time, a (E)long time before the (Am)shame,
(F)Serbs or Bosniaks, (C)Muslims or Christians, all the (G)boys cared for was the (C)game.
(F) (C) (F) (G)

They (C)saw the churches (G)and the mosques, heard the (F)muezzin and the (C)bell,
When they (Am)put the ball in the (F)back of the net, the (C)boys got along so (G)well.
But (C)time passes as it (F)always does, and (G)boys will become (C)men,
In the (F)90s in Yugos(C)lavia, nationa(G)lism reared its ugly head a(C)gain.

(F)Karadzic and (C)Mladic, (G)Tudjman and Mi(Am)losevic,
(F)Babic and (C)Hazic, (F)Seselj and Kova(G)cevic,
(E)Long is the list of war (Am)criminals, (E)long is the list of (Am)shame,
(F)No time to think of (C)little boys (G)playing their beloved (C)game.

It was the (F)time of the siege of Sara(C)jevo, the (F)year was 9(C)3.
An an(F)nouncement on the (C)radio: (F)‘Come and play football with (G)me.
(F)Boys, come and join my (C)football school, Predrag (Am)Pasic is my (G)name,
(F)No matter who your (C)parents are, all we’ll (F)care for is the (G)game.’
(C) (F) (C) (G)

(C)Silent were the bells and the (G)muezzin, so much (F)louder were the (C)guns,
But (Am)hundreds of young boys braved the (F)deadly streets (C)just to have a little (G)fun.
(C)Hungry and weary, (F)shell-shocked and traumatized (G)were those little (Am)fools,
But they (F)ran past the snipers (C)hiding in the buildings
To (G)‘Bubamara’, Predrag Pasic’s (C)football (G)school.

(C)Thousands of boys learned to (G)pass the ball, to (F)work as a team, to (C)score,
They (Am)learned all the many (F)little tricks, (C)but they learned so much (G)more,
Predrag (C)gave them the chance to learn (F)languages, made them (G)ready for the world, you (C)see,
How (F)he could pull that off in a (C)world gone mad is a (G)miracle to (C)me.

(F)Ten years of ugly (C)civil war, (G)ten years of blood and shame and (Am)gore,
(F)Ten years of rape and (C)murder and fire, the (F)rifles’ crack and the (G)cannons’ roar,
And he (E)taught the boys what a (Am)man can be, (E)taught them how to play that (Am)game,
Being (F)magic with the boys in (C)Sarajevo is (G)Predrag’s claim to (C)fame.
(F) (C) (F) (G)

(C)Now it’s twenty years (G)later, (F)ten years of fragile (C)peace,
(Am)Predrag looks at Buba(F)mara’s pitch and (C)this is what he (G)sees:
There are (C)private guards with (F)guns, there´s a (G)padlock on the (C)gate,
(F)All because of (C)local politicians with (G)hearts that are filled with (Am)hate.

Nationa(E)lism and stupidity are (Am)hard to kill, they (E)live in ugly hearts, maybe (Am)always will,
But they (F)cannot undo what (C)Predrag did, he´s a (E)hero in the heart of so (Am)many kids.
And he (F)taught the boys what a (C)man can be, (F)taught them how to play life’s (C)game,
Being (F)magic with the boys in (C)Sarajevo is (G)Predrag’s claim to (Am)fame.
Being (F)magic with the boys in (C)Sarajevo is (G)Predrag’s claim to (C)fame.

Words and music Jan Hauenstein, Goettingen, September 2014

janhauenstein@gmx.de

www.janhauenstein.com