Interesting lyrics  

Everytime when I'm listening to the radio, there are always a few (parts of) lyrics that touch me, that mean something to me. Because they describe so well how I feel. Here are a few of them.

 

There's always some reason to feel not good enough

and it's hard at the end of the day

(Sarah McLachlan, "Angel")

 

 

Time which heals all wounds doesn't go by without you

(Marco Borsato & Trijntje Oosterhuis, "Wereld Zonder Jou"; translated from Dutch)

 

 

I like sleeping,

I'm only safe when I'm dreaming

(Nada Surf, "Zen Brain")

 

 
And now, I would like to give you the full lyrics of a song I heard a few times on the radio lately; I bought it today and it makes me cry everytime I listen to it. I'll type the original Dutch lyrics, and the English translation (as good as possible).
The song is called "De treinen hebben kleur" ("The trains have colours"), and it is sung by Maarten Peters. It's about a war, I think the war in (former) Yugoslavia, compared to World War II.

Heb ik dit niet al eens eerder gezien                                               Haven't I seen this before
beelden in zwart wit, stil, anoniem                                                 Pictures in black & white, silent, anonymous
foto's uit een donkere tijd                                                               Pictures from dark times
gezichten vol met angst en eenzaamheid                                       Faces full of fear and lonelyness

Hebben wij elkaar niet ooit eens beloofd                                       Didn't we promise eachother once
Dit nooit meer; het duivelsvuur gedoofd                                       This never again; the devil's fire put out
Nooit meer doen alsof je het niet ziet                                            Never again pretend you can't see it
Nooit meer zeggen God, ik wist het niet                                       Never again say God, I didn't know

Maar de treinen hebben kleur                                                       But the trains have colours
de treinen hebben kleur                                                                 The trains have colours
Dit is geen verleden tijd                                                                This isn't history
Dit is onze werkelijkheid                                                               This is our reality
De treinen hebben kleur                                                                The trains have colours

Heb ik dit niet al eens eerder gehoord                                           Haven't I heard this before
beloftes aan een volk dat wordt vermoord                                   Promises to a nation that is being killed
Lege woorden praten met het kwaad                                           Empty words talk to evil
Voor miljoenen kwam het weer te laat                                        For millions of people it was too late again

Heb ik dit niet ooit eens eerder gedacht                                       Haven't I thought this before
jij en ik huilend in de nacht                                                          You and me crying in the night
vluchtend voor het beest op zijn helse troon                                On the run for the beast on its hellish throne
's morgens nat bezweet - 't was maar een droom                         Sweating in the morning - it was just a dream

Maar de treinen hebben kleur                                                       But the trains have colours
de treinen hebben kleur                                                                The trains have colours
Dit is geen geschiedenis                                                                This isn't history
Dit wordt hier en nu beslist                                                          This is decided here and now
De treinen hebben kleur                                                               The trains have colours

En elke vier mei                                                                            And every fourth of May
Eén minuut herdenken wij                                                           One minute we recall
Nooit meer wat is geweest                                                           Never again what has happened
Morgen is het feest                                                                       Tomorrow there's a party

Maar de treinen hebben kleur                                                      But the trains have colours
de treinen hebben kleur                                                               The trains have colours
Geen oude foto's van weleer                                                       No old pictures from the past
nee die doodswagon rijdt weer                                                   No, that waggon of death rides again
De treinen hebben kleur                                                              The trains have colours
 
Explanation of the second-last paragraph: In World War II, the Netherlands were freed from the Germans on the fifth of May. Every year on the fourth of May, everyone in the Netherlands takes two minutes of silence (so "one minute" is actually wrong, but who cares?) to honour all who died in the war. The next day, the fifth of May, we celebrate the fact that we were freed.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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