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Operation Peter Pan

Operation Peter Pan, which took place between 1960 and 1962, was an operation in which over 14,000 children were sent away from their families in Cuba, some never to reunite again.

In general, the parents of these children were opposed to the Cuban Revolution but, for various reasons, were themselves unable to leave the island. The Catholic Church and the U.S. State Department assisted in the operation. Pan Am flights took the children to Miami, Florida, which was referred to as "Never-Never Land," and the children became known as the "Peter Pans."

Singer Tori Amos wrote a song about the incident, by the same name/title, which was available as a B-side to the limited edition release of her single "A Sorta Fairytale." In it she expounds on the tragedy of the situation by using metaphor from the original Peter Pan story. The line "Second to the right, straight on 'til morning" comes directly from J. M. Barrie's novel; these are the directions on how to get to "Never Never Land."

The lyrics are:

hola, rojo, 'morning to you
you always helped me chase demons away
don't know what i'll do without you
so Pan is the name of the plane

second to the right
straight on 'til morning
that's where i'll be waiting
second to the right
straight on 'til morning

hola, tick-tock
my time is up
Pedro says
i will forget him in days
in my new life, no room for a lost boy
boys can be so dumb sometimes

second to the right
straight on 'til morning
that's where i'll be waiting
second to the right
straight on 'til morning
straight on 'til morning

kiss Pedro for me