I met this guy in Poitiers, I had seen him once before
We got into conversation about music and much more
He said, "There are two things about which you can always sing
It's girls and work and the perpetual trouble that they bring"
And then a question came up that still lingers in my head
He asked me, "Do you really think that people who are sad
Want to have their spirits raised by a sentimental song?"
I thought I knew the answer then but maybe I was wrong
And now I think again

Suppose the times are rough and you are feeling really bad
Because your girlfriend ditched you or your dear old dog is dead
Isolation - you don't want to talk to anyone
Rather listen to a stranger so you put a record on
Now if a song is sad what do you listen to it for?
Is it supposed to cheer you up or floor you even more?
Or maintain the melancholy that you're in so deep
Self-torture with melodies until you fall asleep

When you're in a mess and in your head it looks like rain
You don't want to hear of that the sun will shine again
And when you sit down on a chair to contemplate the course
You don't need someone who tries to pull you up by force

You want to hear: Old buddy, I know exactly how you feel
I don't mean to bother you but let us make a deal
Give me your attention and I will agree with you
This life just ain't worth living, yeah, we both know that it's true

When your missing peace of mind is like a needle in a stack
When you're still alive but kicking like a beetle on the back
When you feel like you're going to a funeral every day (with a heavy heart)
When they ask you what is wrong and you don't know what to say (or where to start)
You take your problems to the pub and drown them in the drinks
But very soon you find out that they brought their water wings
The powerful solvent that never solved anything (oh, my heart sinks)
There's got to be another way to take your mind off things

A shopping tour, a bath, a longer visit to your mom
Over-eating, over-sleeping, over-and-undone
In desperate search for a distraction, you can't help thinking:
"Now that my floor is made of mud I might as well sink in"
So if you're in the doldrums you should spend some time alone
Leave the shutters closed and don't answer the telephone
For that's the only good thing about being in a bad mood
It's the aqualung for diving into solitude

Retreat into your shell and then make sure that no one hears
How you celebrate your pain and wallow in your tears
But like everything that's aqueous they will dry in the end
Sometimes scientific facts are comforting, my friend

Hang in there, old buddy, I know exactly how you feel
I don't mean to bother you but let us make a deal
Throw away those razorblades and I will see you through ('cause I can see through you)
I will be the prism that spreads out your shades of blue

Maybe an experiment or maybe the new way
No more silly songs that praise belief in the next day
However, we are indie or at least we want to be
And I'll be damned if I do what someone expects from me
No matter what you've been through or what you had to endure
You will get over it and actually, I'm sure
That once this song is over and the last bar's ringing out
You look out of the window and start wondering aloud
How you feel today