Like water springing from the earth
We saw our enemies emerge from the sands
On every dune we crossed

The bursts of gunfire seemed like shooting stars at night
Chasing us over the darkness of the desert
Our mission was to prevent the scouts from advancing into our territory

We are the Desert Tigers: The hope of the forgotten

Under the scorching sun, lost in some Middle Eastern country
The five of us were entrenched in the mountains
Beside the hot desert sands

I, without a defined rank, because in that place forgotten by God
Military hierarchy no longer mattered
But rather the respect of my group and the dedication
To those suffering people

I was training four snipers on the mountain when the enemies started arriving
Like ants sprouting from the sand
More and more appeared with each dune
And our supplies were running out

Like water springing from the earth
We saw our enemies sprouting from the sands
On each dune we crossed

The bursts of gunfire seemed like shooting stars at night
Chasing us through the darkness of the desert
Our mission was to prevent the scouts from advancing into our territory

We are the Tigers of the Desert: The hope of the forgotten

A crack and I took a grazing shot to the earlobe
A little more to the left and my group had lost its mentor
My team laughed at my jokes, but they knew that if we stayed there
The bullets would run out and we would need to cross the mountain
And enter the desert to the refugee camp

We needed to resupply and warn our superiors
About the imminent invasion, because no radio signal was available in that area

Descending the mountain and crossing the desert
Hunger and thirst were constant companions to these wretched soldiers
The next twenty kilometers were a torment we faced as night fell
The desert grew cold and dangerous
We saw bursts of gunfire chasing us like shooting stars in the darkness

The darkest night wasn't outside, but within our hearts
And the thoughts that plagued our souls
Faith and hope for a new dawn were shared by all
Some wanting to see their relatives, children, and loved ones
And others simply wanting to leave this desert and rest
In a clean bed after a bath

Simple desires of simple men in the eyes of the Western people
Who don't value small details
Just the fact of not witnessing a war and seeing friends dying beside them
Is already comforting

Like water springing from the earth
We saw our enemies sprout from the sands
In every dune we crossed

The bursts of gunfire seemed like shooting stars at night
Chasing us over the darkness of the desert
Our mission was to prevent the scouts from advancing into our territory

We are the Tigers of the Desert: The hope of the forgotten

At four in the morning we arrived at the camp
Two or three hours ahead of the scouts
Time is precious, but the clock doesn't stop

Someone offered me a drink, a merchant in his tent
Offering his liquors to ease the suffering of these people
It was a green drink with lemon, but unlike anything I had tasted up to that point
It tasted awful, smelling like detergent or soap
I took a sip and threw the rest on the sand, which it absorbed almost instantly
Just as it did with the dreams and lives of our soldiers

Like water springing from the earth
We saw our enemies sprouting from the sands
On every dune we crossed

The bursts of gunfire seemed like shooting stars at night
Chasing us over the darkness of the desert
Our mission was not to let the scouts advance into our territory

We are the Tigers of the Desert: The hope of the forgotten

I sat at the foot of a tent to talk to an old man
Who had once been an excellent soldier, but was now incapacitated by illness
We talked little, but just the moment I relaxed, seeing a friendly face
Already relieved me of the previous day

But we still needed to reach the school and clear the city before our enemies arrived
They were coming from the east, and we didn't foresee another front to the west
Which at dusk would be our downfall

Like water springing from the earth
We saw our enemies emerge from the sands
On every dune we crossed

The bursts of gunfire seemed like shooting stars at night
Following us across the darkness of the desert
Our mission was not to let the scouts advance into our territory

We are the Tigers of the Desert: The hope of the forgotten