Gib mir Musik [English translation]

Under the windy market place, that I used to pass on my way to school,

There was a little record shop, where you could hear a turntable in action,

Playing the same ten songs all day long.

And among those songs, there was one...

The kind of song that captivates you, to the point of losing yourself.

And I stood there, transfixed, listening to it, and I had absolutely no other choice:

I owed it to myself to listen to it, and listen again, many, many times.

But that entailed a wait: ten songs before and ten after,

Each time, it took almost an hour for just three minutes of happiness.

There were detentions at school,1 but I didn't complain,

Music was well worth all the reprimands and all the spankings2 in the world!

Give me music! And all the public shame evaporates,

As well as being made fun of, the setbacks, the humiliations.

Bitter defeat is thus, in reality, a victory.

Give my music![x4]

On the first flight of the morning, between Frankfurt and Berlin,

Stuck between two businessmen, with the breakfast tray on my knees,

With the headphones of my Walkman3 in my ears, the music is clear and strong,

I barely dare to breathe, and I get goose bumps,

Music, like a powerful wave of heat, washes over me.

Suddenly, in spite of myself, tears spring to my eyes.

And of course, I knew that I didn't have a hanky in my jacket,

So I just cry on my breakfast tray.

On my left and right, the pinstripe suits, and me in the middle, sobbing.

Could these well-intentioned folks imagine just how happy I am?

Give me music to light the fire inside me,

To explore the deep shadows of my soul,

My desires and my pains, the scars I hide from myself.

Give me Music![x4]

My nostalgic spirit, wandering a bit astray from my way back home,

Trips up in the empty lobby of the hotel at 3:00 AM.

Another evening crammed with songs,

Another celebration just ending.

The doorman dozes off behind the counter, that's how it goes in life.

And if you sit down together, for one last, one last glass of wine...

And over there, there's a piano and Manni pulls up a chair, softly caresses the keys, starts to play and then...

He makes sounds that glitter and sparkle, makes them rise like stardust,

He makes melodies pour forth...

He creates little miracles.

He shakes you up, enflames you, and tears you apart note by note,

Until you feel your heart burst in an explosion of joy!

Give me music! The dreams I gave up long ago,

That withered, buried deep in me, are beginning to come back to life...

And I know that I will get another crack at each missed chance!

Give me music![x4]

[last verse x3]

1. I'm being a bit loose with this bit.2. This song clearly dates from the olden days of corporal punishment in school.3. Another reference to the olden days.

• Artist:Reinhard Mey
• Album:Leuchtfeuer (1996)