June of '86
Our Sierra1 was almost new
Dad filled up the car, mom packed snacks
I was already sitting in the back seat
Smiling from ear to ear with my seat belt fastened
Dingo was singing about a girl in a leather coat2
Grandpa told stories of the Continuation War3
About corporal Rokka4
I didn't understand anything back then
I just enjoyed my summer vacation
Dad please let me do the driving on the cottage road
I promise I'll carry water to the sauna
I remember the rocks and stumps on this gravel road
In my mind I was Henri Toivonen5
A rally idol of little boys
Dad laughed, mom was afraid to look
The summer was over and I was told
There won't be any more trips to Evitskog6
My parents divorced and the cottage was sold
Yesterday I went for a drive on the cottage road
It took less time than I remembered
The familiar routes have changed into black surfaces7
Grandpa is no longer telling stories about the war
He's pushing up daisies at Honkanummi8
Now I understand the story better
And I appreciate what he has done
Dad please let me do the driving on the cottage road
I promise I'll carry water to the sauna
I remember the rocks and stumps on this gravel road
In my mind I was Henri Toivonen
A rally idol of little boys
Dad laughed, mom was afraid to look
1. Ford Sierra, produced 1982-1993 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Sierra2. "Nahkatakkinen tyttö" by Dingo https://lyricstranslate.com/en/nahkatakkinen-tyttoe-girl-leather-coat.html3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuation_War4. A character in the novel "The Unknown Soldier" by Väinö Linna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unknown_Soldier_(novel)5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Toivonen6. Evitskog is a small village in Kirkkonummi municipality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evitskog7. Translator's interpretation: The old gravel road to the cottage has been paved with asphalt8. He's dead and buried at Honkanummi (a cemetary in Vantaa)