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1. |
Skinny Kid
03:49
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I was only fifteen
A family lunch in the summer
I was looking at grandad
Too much wine for my jolly old man
He was talking too loud
About a time in the war
Somewhere in Berlin
Couldn’t jump the train, couldn’t stop the rain
Couldn’t guess the pain, couldn’t break the chain
When he walked through the gate
In iron letters read his fate
The skinny kid drowns in an ocean
He tries to swim among wheels in motion
The skinny kid can’t stop the corrosion
He’s losing his grip
Wave upon wave of faceless strangers
Chosen, discarded
Put in a line to the chambers
He was spared by the guards
Just because of his craft
The skinny kid, like a sudden explosion
Runs away from the pit
A dream has swollen
The skinny kid, high above on a tree
He’s tied up to sleep
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2. |
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There were two of us
We left in a rush
We stole a gun, some clothes and ran
We kept going all night all day
Until Berlin was far away
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3. |
The Logic
02:22
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I’ve got my side, you’ve got yours
We keep an eye open wide indoors
I know it’s cold and we walk in pairs
Better a wall than a hot full war
The logic is cyclical
It’s shining iron, systematic
The logic is cynical
It takes a phase and makes it critical
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4. |
13 Days
03:27
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Defence Condition is two
A giant leap for mankind
A small step for you
Unless you’re blind
We pull a blockade
And call it quarantine
Could be our last day
You might convene
First strike: miscalculation
Second strike: retaliation
You keep pushing for war or invasion
We just want the best conclusion
In the meantime
Helen stares at the window
Hugging her husband
Waiting for that cloud
—Not coming, is it?—
It’s dark outside
The red of a street light
She might never live
To see another nice
Saturday night
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5. |
Unter Den Linden
03:39
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Last night in my dream
We crossed the border in a car boot
Didn’t blink, couldn’t breathe
Hearts were pounding
Teeth were grinding
Next time I don’t want to be seen
Wake up, gotta go now
To the place we can’t be afraid of
Join me, let us be there
No flags no fear I can assure you
Come on, we have to be there
This time I want to be free
This time we need to be seen
This time I can be me
This time we’re gonna be free
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6. |
Love Field
04:23
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Somehow, somewhere
I’m part of the crowd
Shaking hands with him
Bringing roses to her
At Love Field
Somehow, somewhere
Standing still at a window
I lean over, stay on the low
I hold my breath
I show my strength
The limo, the bikes
The petals, the signs
—She’s waving—
The flowers, the dress
The runner, the press
—He’s waving—
Somewhere, somehow
Here, right now
—I’m waving—
Somewhere, somehow
The moment is right
To stand still
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7. |
Requiem
02:09
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Eulogy speech by Robert F. Kennedy (extract)
"Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings, and he died because of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, perhaps we’ll have to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black, you can be filled with bitterness and with hatred, and a desire for revenge. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to replace that violence with an effort to understand, compassion and love."
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8. |
The Day Before
02:45
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Nineteen-eighty-three
On a Friday night—I think
When I took my seat
And the lights went off
On the biggest screen
I cannot tell the way it was
But I went miles away
A boy in a foreign land
A farmer, a soldier
A groom and a bride
Children, a daughter
In the countryside
A doctor, a nurse
The fire in the sky
A priest and a curse
Burns to the eye
Nineteen-eighty-three
On a Friday—I believe
When I watched the film
And the fear would never leave
Never leave
Never leave
Never leave
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9. |
Berlin 91
04:09
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I’m twenty again
On a noisy bus
No matter where we are
The breeze, the vane
A Trabant passes by
Naked sign of time
The wind of East Berlin is ruby-red
When lost in your hair
I whisper your name
On the yellow line
We’re leaving hand in hand
A war to blame
No wall to climb
A concrete partner in crime
The lights of West Berlin are ruby-red
When lost in your hair
That was me watching the no man’s land
That was me
This is me changing the life I planned
That was me thinking of where to stand
That was me
This is me walking the no man’s land
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10. |
Sachsenhausen
04:03
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You went to see your son
Could not stay too long
Did you think of his tiny hand
In no man’s land?
You were just a young lad
Didn’t mind to be a dad
Fascists then came
For the end game
I stand up to my fears
After so many years
Walking towards your jail
Chasing your trail
Then I saw the gate
No future, no fate
‘Work sets you free’
Next time you might be free
The barracks, the beds
Watchtowers, the meds
White walls with a stench
The bleach, the long bench
The wooden foot shape
You sitting on a crate
The pot, the silver spoon
Breath under the Moon
I stand up to my fears
After so many years
Walking around your jail
Chasing your trail
Not easy to stand my ground
Staring eyes with no sound
Walking around your jail
I stand and I vail
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Minutes to Midnight Cambridge, UK
Sound designer, bass player and music producer. Game audio pioneer.
Storytelling has always been a huge magnet, hence why the concept album is my favorite medium.
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