LYRICS
COUNTING STARS
open your heart, let us stare at the moon
never enough, maybe too much too soon
I don’t know if life is too short or too long
is it too sad what I sing in this song?
I lost my mind when I found you
I don’t think that it will come back to me
I found my fears when I lost you
I count the stars as they appear
I don’t need hands if I can’t touch your skin
I don’t need arms if I can’t hold you in
I don’t need eyes if I can’t look in yours
don’t need my feet if I can’t walk to your door
I lost my mind when I found you
I don’t think that it will come back to me
I found my fears when I lost you
I count the stars as they appear
which of those stars are in your sky?
can I stay here in this memory?
do you sometimes think of me?
who cares if I disappear?
SUMMER MOVIE SCENES
fiumicino in the sunrise
a dress rehearsal for our goodbye
it’s so much harder than last time
and I drive into the mountains
as you fly away, overhead
into the sky
few days later in the sunset
you promise that you’ll come back
it’s alright, I won’t cry
as I drive into the city
and you fly away, overhead
into the sky
summer movie scenes
my dreams a silver screen
I love how you seem to
dance when you walk
and sing when you talk
future memories form in my mind
a second spring already in sight
you were right about the relativity of time
and I drive down from the mountains
as you’re flying in, overhead
down from the sky
WISHFUL THINKING
WISHFUL THINKING
promise me that there’s a possibility
that we’ll try again under different circumstances
you know what the yogis say in L.A.:
love yourself before you love someone else
lost for words, lost in a fantasy
trying to set my heartache to a strange melody
when she sleeps
and when she smiles
I can see her as a happy child
hardly awake I’m already daydreaming
scheming how I can keep you from leaving me
don’t you feel that we can still learn from each other?
oh, how I wish we’d met when we were younger
“wouldn’t it be nice” but the other way around
in a time before the world had started pulling you under
hide and seek, a shy kiss on the cheek
drowning in your ocean-coloured eyes
the smell of sunscreen on your skin
I wonder how it would have been
remember sitting in the kitchen one night?
felt so close to you I almost cried
hell, I don’t even know your sister
I miss you so much when I listen to Phoebe-fucking-Bridgers
oh, how I wish we’d met when we were younger
“wouldn’t it be nice” but the other way around
in a time before the world had started pulling you under
oh, I know she’s already gone
think I’ll have to bury my phone
learn how to cope on my own
how can I find the will to move on?
LOOSE ENDS
I have to break the circle
that my thoughts are running in
tied up all loose ends into a knot inside my chest
now it feels so heavy
I wonder why
it felt so heavy
when we said goodbye
by now I should know how dream dies
a beginning is also an end
losing sight of a new friend
and I feel like I'm falling again
losing sleep over loose ends
and I feel like I'm falling, feel like I'm falling again
another night spent smoking cigarette after cigarette (after cigarette)
and the futile thoughts go round and round inside my head
and they drive me crazy (this is insane)
as I lie in bed (tossing and turning)
perhaps I should get up again (you’ll be dead in the morning)
take a walk instead
I've been losing sight of a new friend
and I feel like I'm falling again
losing sleep over loose ends
and I feel like I'm falling, feel like I'm falling again
as she drifts away in my embrace
I let her slowing breath caress my face
there’s no bad thought in sight
it’s so easy, right?
to follow her
we’re falling through the night
I have to end these endless conversations in my head
but as I close my eyes it all comes back
and I feel so empty (empty inside)
I lost the fight (and you lost your mind)
and the streets are empty (noone in sight)
as I step out into the night
I've been losing sight of a new friend
and I feel like I'm falling again
losing sleep over loose ends
and I feel like I'm falling
I've been losing sight of a new friend
(oh, how I wish we’d met when we were younger)
and I feel like I'm falling again
(and it’s killing me to see you go)
losing sleep over loose ends
and I feel like I'm falling, feel like I'm falling again
get a grip man, it’s only love
anyway you’ve got shit to do
this has to stop
CONGRATULATIONS
congratulations
you’ve successfully maneuvered yourself into stagnation
like a spider, trapped in the bathtub
with eyes like Ed Norton in Fightclub
you can’t see over the edge
if you just stay immobile in bed all day long
I don’t want to eat
I don’t want to read
a book or some rant
I just want to sleep but I can’t
don’t want to see a picture of her and some man
yet I’m compulsively scrolling through instagram
at 3 am
congratulations
you’ve successfully maneuvered yourself into stagnation
like a spider, trapped in the bathtub
with eyes like Ed Norton in Fightclub
you can’t see over the edge
if you just stay immobile in bed all day long
SAVIOUR COMPLEX
picked you up from your therapist
where you go to talk about your ex
you say you’re better off on your own
without me and my saviour complex
in all the time that I have waited for you
I could’ve written a novel or at least a song or two
but if you need more time
to make up your mind
I’ll wait a little longer if you want me to
you say you need to fuck this up
you say that you’re still stuck
you say you can’t get over him
you say he lives under your skin
you say this whole thing is a mess
you say you don’t want to have to confess
so I’m on my own now
and it’s killing me to see you go
It was quite the show to say the least
oh, I know now and I can’t say that I’m surprised at all
i’ve seen the writing on the wall
Follow me, my love
towards the light and sound
in this tale she’s the one
who’s not allowed to turn around
been thinking about going to a therapist
to have someone to talk to and cry over my ex
perhaps I’m better off on my own
without you and a dormant saviour complex
you say this was never meant to last
you say your heartstrings are tied to the past
you say it will stop to hurt
you say this would never work
so I’m on my own now
and it’s killing me to see you go
It was quite the show to say the least
oh, I know now and I can’t say that I’m surprised at all
i’ve seen the writing on the wall
for one hot minute it seemed like
my love could pull you out of your romantic purgatory
but you want to stay to you the flames smell like morning glory
farewell my Eurydice
farewell, farewell
farewell my lover
farewell, farewell
ABOUT TIME
WE CAN DO IT AGAIN
now it seems to me, that it just might be the best thing that we’ve ever done together
never mind the weather, never mind the crowds, just hear me out
just let me in, we can do it again, we can do it again
I don’t mind if we take a ride down memory lane
but it hurts if those memories don’t mean the same to you, that they mean to me
I apologize if I misread your eyes, again and again
but I know you will remember this time and then you’ll see what you mean to me
and the weeks fly by
like clouds in a stormy winter sky
and I still miss you
white lies, stifled cries and empty promises
I hope I get to find out what it is that I can do to be free
tears dry, say goodbye and exit the premises
I guess we always knew that me and you just wasn’t meant to be, unfortunately
and the years fly by
like clouds in a stormy winter sky
and I still miss you
now it seems to me, that it just might be the best thing that we’ve ever done together
never mind the weather, never mind the crowds, just hear me out
just let me in, we can do it again, we can do it again
OSCILLATING
fair skin, dark hair
wherever you go, she’s already there
and she’s waiting for you, to show you what’s right
to lead you gently out into the night
I’m tracing our steps back to the start
I know that you know, that I know who you are
I wear my mask and you wear one, too
the trick is to show you that I’m just like you
as I walk away, on my back I can feel your gaze
if you don’t want me, why did you call me in the first place?
what are you trying to do to me?
I’m oscillating between depression and ecstasy
I cannot wait until I see you again
but I still don’t know if you do feel the same
I’m giving up, I can’t take it no more
how many times did I say this before?
It’s been so long I can barely remember your face
why won’t you call me, I don’t think we’re done playing games
what are you trying to do to me?
I’m oscillating between depression and ecstasy
fair skin, dark hair
wherever you go, she’s already there
and she’s waiting for you, to show you what’s right
to lead you gently out into the night
what are you trying to do to me?
I’m oscillating between depression and ecstasy
DESERT SHUFFLE
when the sun sets, I’ll be out of here
it’s about time I go and watch the desert disappear
I turn my back on this destruction and despair
somehow, I know my fortune lies at sea
and I’ll be home and dry by the time you follow me
never say never
well, I’m save now, comparatively
but this is not how I imagined my refuge would be
seems I just can’t escape hatred and hostility
somewhere out there a future waits for me
or I’ll be dead and gone, nothing but a memory
forever and ever
how have you been dear Elijah?
I’ve always known you’re a survivor
how have you been in the United States?
MOTH TO A FLAME
your dazzling beauty calls me through the night
and I just can’t resist the attraction of your light
to me you are the brightest star
(moon and sunshine, beautiful and divine)
the only one that has ever shone on me
it broke my heart when it went dark
you burned twice as bright but only half as long
and I will burn for you
but you’re not the one to blame
please don’t feel no shame
I am what I am
a moth to a flame
the fire extinguished
I’m drowning in the darkness
and resting my singed wings
I’m still hoping for a spark, yes
and I will burn for you
every time we touch it hurts a little more
I did not forget all those times before
but you’re not the one to blame
please don’t feel no shame
I am what I am
a moth to a flame
NIGHTS OF APHELION
every night two sheets to the wind
let’s call it bohemian
we’ve never been so close again
since those nights of aphelion
I wouldn’t mind but I know what I am missing
this is no confession, this is a plea
then she said to me:
close your eyes, I’ll be fine
dream your dream and I’ll dream mine
twilight smiles, hands on thighs
her eyes like blue obsidian
careless like lost juveniles
oh, how I miss those nights of aphelion
I wouldn’t mind but I know what I am missing
this is no confession, this is a plea
then she said to me:
close your eyes, I’ll be fine
dream your dream and I’ll dream mine
so that’s it, goodbye my friend
maybe we can start over once again
in another life, another time
close your eyes, I’ll be fine
dream your dream and I’ll dream mine
(nights of aphelion)
oh babe, I lost you to the summer wind
no, we’ve never been so close again
and I hope that I can still call you a friend
I think of you whenever I smell peppermint
THE WATERS OF THE NILE
I saw you standing at the shore crying crocodile tears
I’m lowering the needle onto Tears for Fears
it’s a very mad world indeed
good luck as you try to succeed
everything seems wrong - know the phenomenon?
but I have to carry on
gone is another year
how did it disappear so suddenly?
don’t rock the boat but keep it steady
there’s nothing you can do, I’ve tried already
like the waters of the Nile
I rise from time to time
and contemplate this life in fascination
from now on I’ll be cool, cunning and suspicious like
Bogart squinting through drawn venetian blinds
I’m gonna pull my head out of the sand
I can at least try to understand
everything I say, overused clichés
let the tide take me away
the current is pulling me relentlessly towards the sea
my oars are broken and my sail is full of holes
time is running through my fingers, incessantly
breathlessly I whisper: save our souls
like the waters of the Nile
I rise from time to time
and contemplate this life in fascination
AMETHYST DECEIVER
as a child I wanted to be an argonaut
sail the seas and save the world, I thought
sons of the north wind
brothers in arms
keep your eyes skinned
I’ll race you to the stars
all my life I’ve waited to fulfil my role
could it be that the gods don’t need me after all?
but tonight I feel this could be real
Jason take me with you
Orpheus sing my song
Medea let me kiss you
like I’m the chosen one
amethyst deceiver, show me something new
make me a believer, I’m tired of this view
who am I and does it even matter?
it’s about time I find some peace of mind
amethyst deceiver, my path is yet unclear
Hera, I believe her
she’ll release me from my fear
why still try to be someone better?
it’s about time I embrace the truth
ABOUT TIME
it’s all right lover, go back to sleep
soon enough you’ll discover that I had to leave
oh, these eyes that hide more than they reveal
oh, these words we speak in order to conceal
for the first time in years I don’t lie when I say that I’m fine
well, it’s about time
what if I could go back, turn back time?
could I jump my shadow and speak my mind, this time?
oh, these eyes that hide more than they reveal
oh, these words we speak in order to conceal
and when, by chance, we meet again
I’ll curse all our mutual friends and reach for your hand
well, it’s about time
SUNSET POINT
I want to be here, you want to be higher
I want to stay near, you want to spit fire
you and me, we can’t share this coin
but we will meet again at sunset point
I thought we could join forces
and find a common ground
ride bareback horses
and let the world spin around
we have to part
I need a new start and you need to follow your heart
this is farewell but it’s not the end
you remain in my book as a friend
you and me, we can’t share this coin
but we will meet again at sunset point
I guess we have to stop trying
and accept how it is
no point in lying
when you fell down the abyss
we have to part
I need a new start and you need to follow your heart
do you remember the first time we took to the sky?
did you surrender the last time we said goodbye?
red and blue line up in time
and night and day are joined at sunset point
I need a new start and you need to follow your heart
THE ISLE OF DOGS
THE ISLE OF DOGS
I went down to the river and I went up on the hill
but wherever I go, I only find time to kill
and your lies still echo inside my head
and your eyes lead the way
I guess I stay a little longer, looking for a road I haven’t walked down yet
but whatever I was looking for, it’s one of those things I tend to forget
I remember the isle
white smoke and the hint of a smile
the memory dies, I look up to the skies
and your lies still echo inside my head
and your eyes lead the way
I went down to the river and I went up on the hill
but wherever I go, I only find time to kill
and your lies still echo inside my head
and your eyes lead the way lead me away
DOWN TO THE RIVER
down to the river where I used to stay
when you packed your bags and went astray
down to the river, where you once took my hand
maybe I will finally understand
the water’s moving, your lips are too
but my mind is standing still like
you at a crossroads in a long forgotten land
kneeling down and reaching out to touch the sand
and as the sand runs through your fingers
a hearse is passing by the driver almost lingers
but you scared him with your eyes
down to the river where I’ll wait
until you come back home it’s not too late
THE SEA
the sea, it always waits for me
whenever I come back, it’s still a mystery, the sea
I feel so alive when the surging sea hits me
the sun in my face, the canvas ready to take me away, out of the bay
the sea, it always waits for me
whenever I come back, it’s still a mystery
wind is all I need and solitude is all I seek this time
and finally all I can see, is a straight horizon line
and when I’m home I sit inside and watch the rain run down my windowpane
then I think about the days, spent fighting waves
I miss the rough rope in my hand and the sand and the smell of the sea
the sea, it lies before me like a canvas for my dreams
and I can see the future coming, can see the past retreat
and I can’t breath,
I can’t breath
BLACK BEACON SOUND
so we beat on
boats against the current
borne back ceaselessly into the past
into the past but never stand still
if you join in, I’m sure that we will
against all odds, find the isle of dogs
let’s meet by the lighthouse, when the sun is low
there are so many things I want to show you
long island shores long left behind
all we need right now is in our minds
and everything is turning around
when you enter the black beacon sound
let’s meet by the lighthouse, when the sun is low
there are so many things I want to show you
the black beacon sound will change who you are
and what you hear is what you saw
the black beacon sound is coming through
delivered by us and absorbed by you
so we beat on
boats against the current
borne back ceaselessly into the past
and now we gonna sell you black beacon glue
and black beacon screws
and sing the black beacon blues
and wear some black beacon shoes
then paint them black beacon blue
enjoy the black beacon view
and have a black beacon stew
GREEN HILLS OF HOME
at some point in time, the highway blues seemed like the perfect song to sing
but some memory, inside your head, you can’t forget, is lingering
would you like to take my hand and tell me things I can understand?
I would like to go and climb the ancient willow tree, like we used to do in a memory
green hills of home
I see them tonight
small specks of light
through the trees
so green
I don’t need the seven seas, this black sound is enough for me right now
and yes I’m back, but still not sure, if I’ve found the illness or the cure
would you like to take my hand and tell me things no one understands?
we could go so far, we just need to find an open car
green hills of home
I see them tonight
small specks of light
through the trees
so green
oh so green
small lives inside
quicksand of time
the land divine
green hills of home
MOONSHINE AT MIDNIGHT
top down, highway sunset, a desert full of scars
the hitchhiker says he knows a shortcut to the stars
the gas station man can’t fool you, you know you’re being watched
let’s just hope that I’ll reach the sea
how should I know if I’m heading in the right direction
aren’t you tired of these endless imperfections
how should I know that I’m not circling ‘round the light
please tell me that I'm gonna be alright
with moonshine at midnight
the moon is shining in my brain
moonshine lighting up my veins
your eyes reflect a silver star
and down in the city nobody knows where you are
moonshine set me free
let this light shine on me
moonshine, bone white
let this light shine bright
moonshine at midnight
TRANSLUCENT ENGINEERING
here I stand, a figure by the road
my wife has left me and the car is long sold
bygone the days when I was loved throughout the land
bestselling author, my name a famous brand
behind the trees, where the hilltop meets the sky
is where I used to go to let my mind fly high
like rain the words were pouring down and
lined up neatly on my string of thought
I wove into the fabric of a dream
soon I’ll write again, I thought a while ago
I’ll just sit down and watch the letters flow
onto the paper, to form the story of
two retired clergymen united in their scorn
but after the first page I can’t carry on
do you remember the flicker of the gas station light?
and do you recall the smell of the dark summer night?
you were sitting right beside me with that dog
and I just kept on driving into the fog
do you remember?
I do remember, but the words don’t come out right
I try to focus, but the page is still white
translucent engineering inside my mind
and everyone knows there’s no comparison to find
something’s inside and needs to get out
to be diluted with doubt
the empty streets I’m walking, in search of inspiration
remind me of another time
and just as suburban fences can’t repel the shadows
I can’t escape my dead life
translucent engineering inside my mind
and everyone knows there’s no comparison to find
something’s inside and needs to get out
to be diluted with doubt
translucent engineering inside my mind
translucent engineering so hard to find
translucent engineering forever entwined
translucent engineering absolutely combined
GOOD MORNING DYSTOPIA
PROLOGUE
good morning dystopia, I’m sorry but I quit
at the heart of this urban war, I’ve got to admit
that I’ve been a fool sometimes
but it’s been tough with you, too
oh, what a fool I’ve been to trust in you
5 am, I wake up in my so called home
the only thing I’m sure of is that I’m all alone
good morning dystopia, now I can see
all these years you’ve been all around me
and I’ve been a fool to trust in you
oh, tell me what to
FRAGILE FREEDOM
a thousand eyes are watching me
as I walk down this street
they see what I see
everybody I meet
down from the walls of this city
every step is observed
they feel no pity
it’s not what you deserve
it’s a fragile freedom and it has to be seen
it’s a fragile freedom don’t you know what I mean?
total confusion wasted in vain
no revolution will kill every urge to reign
it’s a fragile freedom and it has to be seen
it’s a fragile freedom don’t you know what I mean?
ALIENATION
so here we are now, let’s see what we’ve got
there is this young man
who once woke up in his bed, all alone
and he discovered he was wrong
the world he believed in never existed
the young man’s name is Paul
we’re going to listen to his thoughts
while he’s talking to himself
which makes no sense at all
tell me how to get ready
tell me what to do
give me something steady
something to hold on to
don’t tell me that I’m drifting
I know I’m drifting well
life is not persistent
we’ll all meet up in hell
SUBWAY
sedated in the subway
by magnetic screens
news about people
nobody needs
pitchblack rollercoaster
neon-blinded eye
brainwash prose
every word a lie
beware of those violent guys
kicking the shit out of you
while you wait for the train to arrive
empty faces
the smell of lead
no salvation
dawn of the dead
darker tunnels
no control
I don’t belong here
deep in a hole
beware of those violent guys
kicking the shit out of you
while you wait for the train to arrive
RED SKY
red sky over our town
can’t make you stay
it’s the first time someone’s come around
don’t run away
red sky, red blood on my hands
now you have to stay
back on my own again
I still hear you say
nothing’s made for eternity
not even you
not even me
the madman’s selling silver spoons
put them in your mouth
you better be fast and be someone
or you’ll get thrown out
I am missing something
maybe it’s on the other side
and I know that something’s wrong
because the sky glows red at night
INSOMNIA
long ago I went west with the winds
to the city of the moving shadows
it didn’t take long before I became a shadow myself
and now I’m lost in this cement garden
the cement garden that I used to crave
I see the city in the people and smiles fade away
it brings grief in their hearts
what makes them stay?
yet the city’s got a certain beauty
more and more are coming in
and I’m still here filled with fear
waiting for the dawn
I just did what I’ve been told
I didn’t know that I’ve been sold
and now I’m nothing more than a pale silhouette
so I went up to the old big house
waited for the stormy clouds
to light a fire no one will extinguish
the ever growing concrete plains surround me
the everlasting sound of cars it drowns me
and I see the walls closing in
somehow I have to escape
drifting through insomnia to wake up in a dream
and it’s always getting stranger than it seemed to be
THE GUARDS
wake up, look around to see
what it means to be free
here they’re coming all dressed in black
with the finger on the trigger
we’re here to say what we think
but they seem to gain vigour
some idiots are throwing stones now
“time to get lost” you say
the crowd of guards is getting bigger
we’re turning and running away
stand against the wall now, then look to me
your picture is taken for your own safety
I remember the last time in this room
I didn’t think I’d be here again so soon
supersonic silence scissors
please cleave this ancient spell
I hope that someone’s making sure that
the guards will burn in hell
I’m watching you
you’re watching me
she’s watching Paul
and the eye in the sky is watching us all
so the city's still got me in it’s iron claw
don’t trust your neighbours, don’t trust the law
and if it hits you, you can’t run away
you can’t hide, you can’t stay
the guards will get you – you know they will
you better start running they’ve got the licence to kill
do you remember the last time in that room?
you better do, cause the next time will be your doom
ALASKA
let’s go to Alaska, find the mountain peace
I know I should ask her: come with me please
we’ll look down on Alaska, from a mountain view
I see a stir inside of you
where land meets water
where space meets time
where earth meets air
and body meets mind
times of wisdom
in an age of fools
seasons of darkness
and a spring of hope
SHINE
shine until the end of your time
I could hold my breath forever
forever is not too long
sigh when you found some peace of mind
come with me and dream away
could this be the one idea we had?
maybe it would have been better
to stay in our cage
EPILOGUE
good bye dystopia, so I finally quit
and absorbed by rural awe, I’ve got to admit
that I was right to go and leave you to die
after all I don’t believe your lies anymore
good bye dystopia, let’s not pretend
while composing your epitaph
we both know it’s the end
all lyrics by Tobias Geberth