Roberto's Eyes

When have I seen those eyes before?
Somewhere I've seen those eyes before
Ages ago, far up above, feeling the wind rush
Something about the look of him brings me back to then
Feel the controls, hand on a stick, flying a biplane
Bristol F2-Fighter
Wing man to Roberto

High above the clouds
Cutting through the air
In the war

Piloting his Bristol, seven thousand feet aloft
Chasing down a German plane who's tail he's set ablaze
Jerry dodges left and right, Roberto's like a cat
His gun sight never loses track of where he flies

When was it when I looked into those eyes?
When was it when I last beheld those eyes?

He can outmaneuver him, he's got him on the run
Then the German rolls and points his nose into the sun
Blinded for a second now, Roberto looks above until there's nothing all around but empty skies

When was it when I last beheld those eyes?

Then all at once
There dead ahead
High in the heavens

Both of them race
They're face to face
No way to turn back

One of them will live
One of them will die
It was war

Left and right his wings are shredding
Situation dire
Now Roberto's shooting back there's hardly time to fire
Then a German bullet hits directly in his engine
and Roberto's in a tailspin trailing smoke

I follow as he folds
He turns to me and waves
A smile betrays his terror
I stare into his eyes
and that is when I saw it
Though he was still alive
He knew that he was dead

To see a man the moment when he dies
I see that look again in that man's eyes