There was a country by the sea - Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble Of Shadows (永恒沉睡)

There was a country by the sea

But I cannot say for certain

Whether it was part of a lonely isle

Or merely some coastal region

A landing stage of rotten blanks

Stretched carefully into the waves

And for one moment I did wonder

What frightening purpose it might serve

O heavy roaring endless seas

What secrets does this rage entomb

Have ancient memories or hungry ghosts

Gathered all their strength to call for this storm

Deep seated gardens almost a labyrinth

Walled in by ruins and rocks ivy clad

Perhaps this strange place had once been a palace

Where now violent bushes bear dark thorns instead

A young boy was taking me by the hand

And unerringly he was leading me down

Below the gardens which I hardly remembered

The moment I took the first step underground

We came to a room with only small windows

And to my surprise I could somehow still hear

Though reduced to a murmur now chant like and humming

The once savage voice of the roaring sea

The boy has built a catacomb he is living in a tomb

Below the ground where there's no sound

He is hiding from the world

Something resembling an altar was built there

A secret overshadowed structure and use

Underneath in inanimate self contemplation

Lay a jet black mass of coal like granules

Yet this dark material had an unearthly lightness

And when I touched it to feel what it was

It did seem to totally ignore my presence

Without leaving a trace it came trickling off

Then out of a sudden from under the barrow

Something appeared unexpectedly

It was the bones of the little boy's mother

Which he had placed with greatest care underneath

The boy has built a catacomb he is living in a tomb

Below the ground where there's no sound

He is hiding from the world

There must have been something in my look

'Cause the little boy started to speak

And to my unvoiced question of why he had done this

He answered these words to me

This is the only way I can be save from her

Only this can guarantee

That she will not rise again because when she does

She is always following me

There's just no alternative I cannot escape from her

Because as soon as I try

She will get up again merely to haunt me

Oh believe me I have tried numerous times

But here in these vaults I have finally found

Something that works like a seal

These jet black granules do keep me from harm

And her bones can no longer hurt me

Piled up in a certain specific form

All the remains must be covered with it

Then everything keeps still and for a brief moment

I can pretend that she does not exist

Yet all the time I must be on my guards

Because now and then it can happen indeed

That frequently the earth does tremble and shaken

And some of the stones are starting to slip

So constantly I have to control the barrow

The jet black darkness of the coal like mass

In order to be there to repair the damage

To pile all back safely and to replace

The boy has built a catacomb he is living in a tomb

Below the ground where there's no sound

He is hiding from the terrible world

It took me a while to realise that we all have secrets and fears

Is it then a surprise that we close our minds

From the pain that is causing these tears

The boy has built a catacomb he is living in a tomb

Far below the ground where there's no sound

He is hiding from the terrible world