Rendezvous with the dead

Introduction in English:
Some of my friends accuse me of having a longing for death or even of glorifying death. In fact, I often deal with death in my lyrics - as I do in this song and the whole album that will be released in the next 12 to 15 months. 
But as with previous songs, I always say that I can enjoy life all the more by fully accepting death as an inevitable reality. Many people who try to suppress this fact constantly feel an underlying, agonising fear that tends to keep them away from the wonderful aspects of life. 
In addition, recognising that death is a constant companion from birth leads to even more profound gratitude for every day that I am allowed to live. 
The song ‘Rendezvous with Death’ was written at a time when I was at an important turning point in my life. During this phase, I realised that I had to let some things ‘die’ in order to continue living well. In this respect, this in-depth rendezvous was necessary in order to move forward again. Another example of how death and life are inextricably linked.


Lyrics in English

Rendezvous with Death

The dead comes very quietly
He sneaks up behind you unnoticed
He has stolen your lifelong dream
So don't even start making plans for the future

In the most beautiful kiss he takes your joy
In the greatest rush of life he simply unplugs you

He cradles you gently in his lap, lulls your mind, sings you to sleep
Before you awake, he draws you all the way in to himself 

He is waiting for you in the treetop 
Lean in, he takes you to himself
With every branch he has already grasped you
The dead

Deutscher Originaltext

Rendezvous mit dem Tod

Der Tod kommt auf ganz leisen Sohlen
Er schleicht sich unbemerkt von hinten an
Er hat Dir Deinen Lebentraum gestohlen
Drum‘ fang‘ erst gar nicht mit Zukunftsplänen an

Im schönsten Kuss nimmt er Dir Deine Freude
Im größten Rausch des Lebens stöpselt er Dich einfach aus

Er wiegt Dich sanft in seinem Schoß, lullt Dich ein, singt Dich in den Schlaf
Bevor Du erwachst zieht er Dich ganz zu sich hinein 

In der Baumkrone erwartet er Dich 
Lehn Dich an, er nimmt Dich zu sich
Mit jedem Ast hat er Dich schon erfasst
Der Tod

Rendezvous mit dem Tod (Rendezvous with the dead)

Rendez-vous mit dem Tod (Rendez-vous with Death)

Introduction in English:

Manfred (‘Manne’) was my oldest friend. We used to play together in the sandpit. 
We were both very contrasting characters. I was ambitious for a long time and wanted to excel through special achievements. Manne, on the other hand, preached idleness and complete freedom from pressure even as a teenager.  He often laughed at me from his lotus position when I got bogged down in something. I secretly admired him for his attitude of pure being and complete freedom from purpose. 
Through him, I learnt about the benefits of slowness and pausing. And he was a sensitive companion when I came into contact with certain drugs such as cannabis, alcohol and cocaine in my early adulthood.     
Unfortunately, from his mid 20s onwards, he tipped more and more towards the destructive side of drug use. During this time, we both drifted further and further apart. The last time I saw him, he seemed like a wreck to me. I could already sense that things weren't going to be good with him for much longer. 
Nevertheless, I was shocked when I learnt of his early death at the age of just 31. 
Since then, I have visited his grave every year and see how many beautiful aspects of him live on in his son, who is my nephew. 
With this song, I would like to honour him with my own personal musical memorial.   

Lyrics in English (for those, who don`t speak German):

Manne Manne

Manne Manne, it hurts so much
Because I just don't quite understand
That you left so soon
You pissed off from one day to the next

Manne Manne, you were such a cool hero
In your anti-achievement world
Instead of storm and stress in a noble snail's pace
A bohemian with a song of lullabies

Believed in you for a long time,
In your ‘Let yourself go’ poem
Your vision of life without haste

Without any pressure and stressful scabies
Just stay lying there
Behind misty coloured windows
Against the compulsion to do!

Manne manne, you were once so beautiful
You could turn women's heads
With your deeply chilled charm
Even the proudest lay in your arms

Manne Manne, master of slowness
Of ‘I don't have to do anything, I always have time’
Of life beyond ‘Nine to Five’
Of twilight sleep in the realm of night owls

Lord of the drug world
Herring-hook-less tent
Invited us into

Strange magic worlds
Where no rules apply
Into dark shadowy spaces
Gave us a light there

Manne Manne, it hurts so much
Because I never quite understand
That you went down like that
I've missed you a few times

Manne Manne, I`ve dreamt of you sometimes
Damn, I missed it somehow
To stop your self-dissolution programme
At the last meeting it was already much too late

Manne Manne
Manne Manne
Manne Manne
 
 




Manne Manne

Introduction and Lyrics in English:

The ghost forest really does exist on the German Baltic coast. Over the centuries, the beech, oak and ash trees have taken on bizarre shapes due to the Baltic wind and the many storms. To me, they look like bent, crooked figures that seem to be on the run from the recurring storms. 
As almost all the trees have only one crown and are completely bare underneath, they also give me the impression that they have shut themselves off from the fury of the storms and withdrawn into themselves.
In my imagination, the storms stand for the inner ghosts or demons that more or less haunt everyone rarely, sometimes often or always at night.  
For me, the trees in turn symbolize the sometimes panic-like fears and the need to flee when the inner ghosts appear.   
At the same time, in my mind the trees also stand for the great achievement of some people who nevertheless live and continue to live under the impression of permanent demonic inner storms: Admittedly somehow crooked, slanted and crooked; but nevertheless in a marvelous way peculiar, unmistakable and original.
This is the background against which the song ""Ghostly Forest"" was created.

Ghostly forest

Every night you are there
Like a fool tormenting me with relish
Like a sneering clown
You force me to look into my abyss

Mmh

Fall deep, almost unbearable these soul wounds
Give me this one shot that pulls me out of the tunnel of pain
aah

You tell me dark things
Accuse me, expose me, make me small
You put me before the last judgement
Spit brazenly in my scarred face

You give me the feeling
That all I want is to die, to be dead
Oooh
Seemingly salvation, consolation

No! Get up!
Get to your feet!
At the bottom
You're still healthy,

I was 
In the ghostly forest
I lost my way there,
I still find the gap
Which leads me to my Yes! to life
Leads me to life!

You never leave me in peace
Give me new blisters every night

When I think I've banished you now,
You come prancing in from the left

Not one tired night 
I woke up without your fearful bite
Behind windows, doors, cupboards you sit 
Always ready for the nightmare leap

This morning
my deepest soul centre would have almost
faded before you

You were on the verge of destroying my core
Dishonouring my dignity beyond repair

A deflated moment
Who knows only silence, rigor mortis
Oooh
Already thought I'd never return

No! Get up!
Get to your feet!
At the bottom
You're still healthy,

I was 
In the ghostly forest
I lost my way there,
I still find the gap
Which leads me to my Yes! to life
Leads me to life!

Gespensterwald (Ghostly Forest)

Introduction in English:

People often tell me that when they are with a loved one who is about to die, they feel particularly close to them. 
Sometimes, in such moments, the history of their relationship flashes before their eyes. 
Some report reaching a deeper peace with the person in question shortly before their death. Often, the dying say things they have never been able to say in their lifetime. For example, a father who, shortly before his death, is able to tell his daughter for the first and only time that he has always loved her.
Many of those left behind tell me that they did not want to let the dying person go, but that they somehow realized that they had to let go of their loved one so that they could pass away as peacefully as possible; that they could not “die with them,” but had to continue living alone. 
And it is not uncommon for those who are approaching death to tell their accompanying relatives that they should continue to live well and in peace.
All of these stories inspired me to write the song “Mourir (Dying).” And as always, for such fundamental existential experiences, I choose the language that best expresses these radical moments of transition: French.


Lyrics (for those, who don`t speak French)

Dying

I watched over your bed 
Sat here with you night after night

Your breathing is very laboured
And it's been a long time
Since I spoke to you

The cancer has destroyed you 
You lie there, powerless and limp

You've lost the fight 
No, you won't be reborn

The thread of your life is increasibly breaking

Your gaze is so empty
Come on, please look at me again 

One last time
Don't go yet
Come on, turn around one last time.

Your heart is beating so weakly
So stay awake a little longer

I'm really letting you go
But let us look at each other once more
A farewell glance before you pass over

It's already too late
I'm saying a prayer for you.

So go in peace
Without pain

Forever my great Love

Französischer Text

Mourir

J'ai veillé à ton chevet
Je suis restée avec toi nuit après nuit
Ta respiration est tres difficile
Et cela fait tres longtemps
que je t'ai parlé

Le cancer t'a emporté
tu es là, sans force et sans vigueur
Tu as perdu la bataille 
non, tu ne renaîtras pas
Le fil de ta vie se rompt de plus en plus

Ton regard est si vide
Viens regarder encore une fois
Une dernière fois
Ne pars pas encore
Tourne-toi encore une fois

Ton cœur ne bat plus que très faiblement
Mais reste encore un peu éveillé

Je vais vraiment te laisser partir
Mais regarde-moi encore une dernière fois
Un regard d'adieu avant la transition

Il est déjà trop tard
je fais une prière pour toi

alors va en paix, libre de toute douleur
Pour toujours mon grand amour

Mourir (Dying)

Introduction and Lyrics in English

This song was inspired by the images of war that I have been increasingly confronted with on the internet, television, and social media in recent years.
The verses are an attempt to translate the sometimes unspeakable horror of brutally extinguished lives and destroyed houses and cities into pictorial, metaphorical language.
The chorus expresses the longing to stop this creeping wave of destruction and counter it with a profound world peace. A world peace that will lead stray souls, who are currently being seduced by right-wing populist and ultimately warmongering slogans, to return to their true loving, deeply humanistic core selves.
Since the entire song is a kind of desperate plea for more love for oneself and others, I chose Picasso's famous painting “The Supplicant” as song-cover.

To Rest in Peace

Eyes run with pus
A freshly wilted bouquet of flowers
Bridges are broken
Rainbows are grey
A man cries
Before his wife's corpse

Glasses without stems and without shine
A shadow invites you to dance with death
A bed stands crooked and askew
Because it ran in circles
The shop door
With the inscription ‘No one here’

Inside, it's seething
Everything wants to burst
Rabies has taken hold of my soul
The river of balm fights its way through the narrowness
Perhaps it will take away this curse of haste

I'd like to lie down for a while
To Rest in Peace
Who will give me the liberating blessing
To rest in peace
To rest in peace

Chocolate runs into the stairwell
The fairy tale is about to end
Red mushrooms give us the last poison
A sarcophagus is shipped anonymously

Horses can no longer find their way
A lizard man steps up to swear an oath of truth
Prayers are said on combs
Bubbles burst
Urinary retention
Now takes its course

My senses are shattered
A thousand ears
My eyes are flooded
Glaring light
Can't smell
Nostrils beaten black and blue
My tongue swells from the fresh cactus sting

I want to lie down for a while
To Rest in Peace
Who will give me the liberating blessing
To rest in peace
To rest in peace

In peace
In peace
In peace
In peace
In peace

Deutscher Originaltext

To Rest in Peace

Augen laufen eiternd aus
Ein frischverwelkter Blumenstrauß
Brücken sind zerbrochen
Regenbögen grau
Ein Mann weint
Vor der Leiche seiner Frau

Gläser ohne Stiel und ohne Glanz
Ein Schatten lädt zum Totentanz
Ein Bett steht krumm und schief
Weil es im Kreise lief
Die Ladentür
Mit Aufschrift "Niemand hier"

Im Innern brodelts
Alles will zerspringen
Die Tollwut hat meinen Seelenhain erfasst
Der Balsamfluss kämpft sich durch die Enge
Vielleicht nimmt er mir diesen Fluch zur Hast

Möchte mich ein wenig hinlegen
To Rest in Peace
Wer gibt mir den befreienden Segen
To Rest in Peace
To Rest in Peace

Schokolade läuft ins Treppenhaus
Das Märchen steht kurz vor dem Aus
Rote Pilze schenken uns das letzte Gift
Ein Sarkophag wird anonym verschifft

Pferde kommen nicht mehr in die Spur
Ein Echsenmensch tritt an zum Wahrheitsschwur
Auf Kämmen wird gebetet
Blasen springen auf
Die Harnverhaltung
Nimmt jetzt ihren Lauf

Meine Sinne sind geborsten
Tausend Ohren
Meine Augen sind geflutet
Greller Schein
Kann nicht riechen
Nasenflügel windelweich geprügelt
Mein Zunge schwillt vom frischen Kaktusstich

Möchte mich ein wenig hinlegen
To Rest in Peace
Wer gibt mir den befreienden Segen
To Rest in Peace
To Rest in Peace

In Peace
In Peace
In Peace
In Peace
In Peace

To Rest in Peace

Deutscher Singer-Songwriter über fünfzig Jahre alt. Seit fast vierzig Jahren schreibe und singe ich Lieder. Mein Hauptinstrument ist die akustische Gitarre, aber ich mag auch Perkussionsinstrumente (Cajon, Maracas, Gurio). Ich liebe es, melancholische und poetische Balladen zu komponieren. Aber manchmal schreibe ich auch (schwarze) humorvolle Songs, Jazzstyle und -Rocksongs. Meine Hauptsprache ist Deutsch. Aber in Zukunft will ich mehr Songs auf Englisch und vereinzelt auch Französisch schreiben.
In meinen Kompositionen bin ich inspiriert von Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, Jacques Brel, Van Morrison und Bob Dylan. Auf meinen Platten spiele und singe ich alles alleine. Meine Vision für die Zukunft ist es, Musiker aus verschiedenen Kulturen zu finden, die gerne ihre Tracks mit mir teilen wollen.
Mein persönliches Mantra ist ein Satz, der von Paul Mccartney auf dem Beatles-Album "Abbey Road auf dem Track "In the end" vor fast Fünfzig Jahren geschrieben wurde:

Die Liebe, die Du bekommst ist gleich der Liebe, die Du gibst.

German singer-songwriter over fifty years old. For almost forty years I have been writing and singing songs. My main instrument is the acoustic guitar, but I also like percussion instruments (Cajon, Maracas, Gurio). I love composing melancholic and poetic ballads. But sometimes I also write (black) humorous songs, jazz style and rock songs. My main language is German. But in the future I want to write more songs in English and occasionally also in French.
In my compositions I am inspired by Leonard Cohen, John Lennon, Jacques Brel, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. On my records I play and sing all by myself. My vision for the future is to find musicians from different cultures who would like to share their tracks with me.
My personal mantra is a sentence written by Paul Mccartney on the Beatles album "Abbey Road on the track "In the end" almost fifty years ago:

The love you take is equal to the love you make.

Rendezvous with the dead

Karlit-O-Kay (K-O-K)