I. I MEAN NO HARM
I'm walking through the silent garden
On a summer evening
In the twilight, I am starting
To remember everything
There's a subtle smell of fire
From a nearby barbecue
But the neighbourhood's quiet
Like the people all hide
From my view

With the impressions that I get
It's easier to find
A way to weed the herbal bed
That's overgrown with time
These joyful memories
Should bring me some relief
But I stole them from the past
So I tiptoe through the grass
Like a thief

Do you still remember?
We were so young and wild
I meant no harm to you
I simply was a child
I simply was a child but I have grown

I'm walking through the silent garden
In the night of my return
Wish that I could beg your pardon
My lessons I have learned
It is time for something new
For I cannot conceal
The cue marks on my hand
I guess I've reached the end
Of the reel

On that day in December
I had to say good bye
I meant no harm to you
But I was aiming high
Yes, I was aiming high but now I'm home
And I'm singing low

Dream on now

Indians attacking
Load my wooden gun
The tree house is surrounded
In the rising sun
Are we lost?

Conquering a mountain
While the wild winds blow
The shack on top will give us
Shelter from the snow
Sitting where the gallows stood
Oh, how I wish that I could
Fly high
Through the chimney into the sky

I try to turn the light on
But the switch is dead
So I know I'm dreaming
It's all in my head
Then I realize the
Consequence of this
And with a smile, I step
Into the abyss

Dream off now

White noise on the TV screen
Ripples on the surface of my mind
In the racks around the couch
The books are all carefully aligned
Two plates with crumbs of bread
And three empty bottles of wine
We're getting nostalgic, it seems
Moving along a fine line
Because I'm still waiting
For the first bomb to hit my face
Calm before the storm
What would you have done
If you had been in my place?
But family ties cannot be torn
The story is so long, you know

I've seen the bad luck letter on a stranger
I've seen oranges as signs of danger
I've seen movies and conversations fading
But I've been enthusiastic even after
I've seen on-cue crying and canned laughter
I've seen movies and conversations fading

II. NINE FEATHERS CAME OFF
When I was a fox and chased a goose
Nine feathers came off
I put them in my pocket and carried them around
All these years
So I brought them back and laid them to rest
In a pillow soft and white
The red hunter in me is dead
'though I still wear his hide

When I was asleep and out in the streets
The people caught fire
The wind turned them to ashes and carried them away
One by one / So I trotted back to my part of town
To burn in my own flame
And hide inside my anonymous flat
Where no neighbour knows my name

Many years I wasted
In this hive so far from home
Flowers I have tasted
Long distances I have flown
I've seen the honey but I could not make my own

I went down the village road
Straight into the fields of oat
Only weeks 'til harvest time
Clouds like stains on the sunshine
I passed by our primary school
Looking back is sometimes cruel
Owing to the many sides
Of attic days and basement nights

Cellar door
Cellar key
Cellar door
C'est la vie

Look at me now, standing here
My back against the wall
A storm is coming, far away
The thunder starts to roll
A tired house with eyelids down
Waits for the night to fall
The yawning of the doors
Echoes in the entrance hall

Do you still remember?
When the sky was scarred and loud
You sang into my ear
Trying to create a sound
That no one else could hear
'though it was just a clever way
To cover up your fear
It always seemed to work
I never saw a single tear
In your eyes, in your eyes
And besides, it was night

III. U'G'K I climb up the walls again
Back into each frame
From which I disappeared
The family is calling my name
Where have you been boy and what have you done?
I reached for the stars but was burned by the sun

I climb up the stairs again
Back into my place
Teddy bears, toys and books
Still carry the smell of yesterdays
Each night I visit this room in my dreams
This time it's real - or so it seems

After the years on the playboard
I finally returned to square one
So afraid and not knowing what I would find
But I would have never expected
That you'd welcome me with open arms
Oh, you are uncommonly gentle and kind

I go back in time again
Four decades at least
Our mother still smiling then
Not yet a sign of the disease
Father he whistled in the staircase and said
Now it is time that we go to bed

Here in this house that they left us
There's nothing that doesn't remind
Me of them and the life that I had long ago
Say, what remains of our childhood
But keepsakes that gather the dust?
Anyway, being home feels so good, you know

The curtain falls again
I'm tired and old
My conscience calls again
I've put it on hold long enough
I am an artist and I am alone
When the film is over, it is time to go home
And the credits roll
Where we put them all
On a pedestal
Pride will have a fall
Friends who turn away
Golden figures stay
That's the price you pay
For all your fame

Movies and conversations fading

I look out into the garden
So silent in the night
I can see the curtains swaying
As the cool air streams inside
The waning copper moon
Shines on my silver smile
The peace in here is golden
But only for a while