Dance with Me


It is still, so still--
not one more loud cry.
Forget it, let go now, it's over and done.

Come dance with me, just like we were in love,
though I know in the morning no morning will be.
Yes, hold me tight, just like we were in love,
before the last of our love fades away;
yes, before the last of our love fades away--

before a November lays our summer low;
yes, before the wind takes me and I have to go.

It is still, so still--
each word is a lie,
spoken and broken on the same Sunday night.


Come dance with me, just like we were in love,
though I know in the morning no morning will be.
Yes, hold me tight, just like we were in love,
before the last of our love fades away;
yes, before the last of our love fades away.

Leave me your shirt, sailor, and I'll think of you
far out, far out on the high seas.
I'll give you my heart, or you'll forget about me,
until we two meet again.

I'll take your shirt, sailor, and I'll think of you,
far out, far out on the high seas.
I'll give you my heart, or you'll forget about me,
until we two meet again.

Day by day I stand on the pier,
with every ship that passes I dream on.
Now you are there, but no longer mine:
my little sister's on your arm.

So go to sea, and go to hell--
set your sails straight away.
I won't be shedding tears anymore.

 Don't give a damn about your roses,
if they have to sting so much,
and all I really love of sailors is the sea!

"Tanz mit mir" - Words and music by Anna Depenbusch
Translated by Frank Beck

Anna Depenbusch is one of today's most inventive singer/songwriters. Who else would write a song like this? I love the way it moves from desolation to self-assertion, as the rejected woman gives her sailor an earful in the last few lines.


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Somewhere else is higher



Come swim farther, don't hold back;
somewhere else is higher--
you must onward swim,
always onward swim.

Come swim farther, don’t hold back,
you could lose direction -
you must onward swim,
always onward swim.

Come swim farther, don’t hold back, 
straight up from the bottom -
you must onward swim,
always onward swim.

Come swim farther, don’t hold back,
where the winds are raging - 
you must onward swim,
simply onward swim.

First through black, then through grey,
then one thousand meters slowly through blue,
and you’ll see the turquoise shimmer.

Come swim farther, don’t hold back;
somewhere else is higher -
you must onward swim,
always onward swim.

Come swim farther, don’t hold back,
soon you will be lifted -
you must onward swim,
swim a little farther.

First through fire, then through ice,
through all that was - one final test -
and then at last all is bright and clear.

Come swim farther;
come swim farther;
come swim farther;
come swim farther.
Come.

 "Irgendwo ist oben" - Words and music by Anna Depenbusch
Translated by Frank Beck

 This is a very different side of Anna Depenbusch's music making. She cooked up this incantatory appeal to live more fully, more deeply by working collaboratively with her band. I love the way the entire lyric is built around one extended metaphor, and I love the intensity of her delivery. I also love songwriting that's this daring and ambitious--and that works.


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Take me back


If you've been worried, don't ask me where I was.
I know that you've been waiting, but now I've come back home.
And, if you still want me, I will stay right here --
that is, if you can believe me.

For an eternity now I've been thinking,
day and night for weeks.
There's something that I've brought you,
something I hope you'll take.
Here is my heart -- I want to give it to you.
If it's true that you still want me, 
I'll put it straight into your hands.

 I am so sorry that I could ever have thought
it was over and done with--that I no longer cared.
But it isn't so, and, baby, please don't forget
that I want you so much.

 Yes, it's true I'm attracted to other men's houses;
it's true I've made promises I haven't kept.
Like a child, I can't pass up one single thrill
for fear of something that I might have missed.
But now I've come back home, and I want you so much.

 I'm so sorry that I could ever have thought
it was over and done--that I no longer cared.
But it isn't so, and, baby, please don't forget
that I want you so much.

 Come here, come take me back.
Come here, come take me back.
Come here.
Come take me back.

 "Nimm mich zurück"
Words and music by Anna Depenbusch
Translated by Frank Beck




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Summer of paper


I build myself a summer
of shiny colored paper;
I set it up in winter
before all the windows freeze.

 And everyone can see it,
there inside the door,
and for those still out in snow
I make gloves of paper, too--

 for the feeling burns on the skin,
just as it was and so familiar.

 Hello, hello.
I'm awake, but you're on your way;
gone off into hiding somewhere overnight.
And, so I won't freeze here without you,
I build myself a summer of paper.

 I go down to a lighthouse
that stands on the beach,
and light up every lamp
just so you can find me.

 I don't know where you were
or where you'll go tomorrow,
but I know that, when you're here,
it's clear to me as day
that you can make my head spin--

 for the feeling burns on the skin
just as it was and so familiar.

 Hello, hello.
I'm awake, but you're on your way;
gone off into hiding somewhere overnight.
And, so I won't freeze here without you,
I build myself a summer of paper.

 When the world gently lies down to sleep
and we all come to rest,
while the winter so slowly goes by,
I just close both of my eyes
against all the rain, storm and thunder--

 I build myself my summer
made out of colored paper,
then I take it to the streets,
so that none of us will freeze.
Hello, hello.

 "Sommer aus Papier" - Words and music by Anna Depenbusch; translation by Frank Beck

 Anna Depenbusch wrote one of her catchiest melodies for this celebration of the vital role songs play in all our lives, no matter what language we sing them in. It's the title track for her album of the same name, which Sony promoted with a playful online video. Nice work!


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Home

Anna Depenbusch

 My home here and me
are like shadows and light, bound together.
My home here and me
are now tied up for good this time.

 I have cursed it so often
and tried to deny--
then shunned it again
every time that I missed it.

 I've belonged here so long,
whether I like it or not.
I've belonged here so long--
yes, I have little choice,
and it's got me,
no matter where I am.

 My home drowns its sorrows
in wandering that goes on forever.
My home has such scars
that they're all here for good this time.

 Never before have I seen that it's beautiful.
It always drives me far into the distance,
but I have stayed true to it every time.

 I've belonged here so long,
whether I like it or not.
I've belonged here so long--
yes, I have little choice,
and it's got me,
no matter where I am.

 I have little choice.
It's got me--
once and for all.

 "Heimat" - Words and music by Anna Depenbusch
Translated by Frank Beck

This is one of the the songs that first attracted me to Anna Depenbusch's work. Set to a warm, jazz-inflected melody, the lyrics express both affection and resignation, holding those seemingly contradictory emotions in suspension so that neither invalidates the other.


 Photograph by Frank Dietrich

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Tango

Anna Depenbusch sings "Tango" in Hamburg in 2011
You do not need to tell me;
I've known it for so long.
Should frame it like a picture--
the feeling is that strong.

 It's shining in your eyes there;
my knees are weak, and yet
believe me when I tell you
that look I won't forget.

 You haven't really found me;
I didn't search as well.
When I'm in love with someone
I know it from the smell.

 Don't want to wait much longer--
no more I need to know.
I've guessed it all already;
give me the final blow.

 So kiss me now like never before;
sing a sweet song in my ear;
love me till the morning comes,
then fly me over the horizon.

 Bite me firmly on the neck;
rip my best dress off my back;
lick my hurt and pain away,
then break my heart in two.

 When then will become of me,
if I'm doubting my own name?
I'll probably just die here,
and you will be to blame.

 Love's such a strong emotion,
but trust is what you need.
And dreams can all come true--
but first you must believe.

 So kiss me now like never before,
sing a sweet song in my ear,
love me till the morning comes,
then fly me over the horizon.

 Bite me firmly on the neck,
rip my best dress off my back,
lick my hurt and pain away,
then break my heart in two.

 Come, kiss me now like never before,
sing a sweet song in my ear,
love me till the morning comes . . .

 "Tango" - Words and music by Anna Depenbusch; translation by Frank Beck

 If all you heard was the chorus ("So kiss me now like never before ..."), you might think this was a conventional love song. Instead, Depenbusch takes us to a place where desire turns into desperation, denial and something akin to madness. And her delivery makes it all seem inevitable.

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Tim loves Tina

Anna Depenbusch

Tim loves Tina, but Tina loves Klaus.
Klaus goes to work down in China
and leaves poor Tina at home.
And Tim just can't think what to do,
because Tina still doesn't like him,
and so he takes to vodka
and drinks the whole day long.

That's how love comes, that's how love goes.
It hurts and burns; yes, love does what it promises.

Ron loves his dear Ronja, just as Ronja loves Ron,
but Ron sometimes still sleeps with Sonja, and Ronja hasn't a clue.
But, with great skill and some luck too, Ron doesn't break his neck.
No, Ron is so smart, he makes Ronja his wife, with Sonja a friend on the side.

That's how love comes, that's how it goes.
It hurts and burns; yes, love does what it promises.

Paul loves Peter, but Peter he loves me.
Paul hopes that sooner or later dear Peter will just come around.
But Peter loves women, and I am his dream. I'm his whole reason to be.
He wants to have kids, since we are a pair, but I want a child from Tim.

Tim loves Tina, but Tina loves Klaus.
We laugh, and we suffer;
we leave and we stay;
we live, and we learn from it all.

This love song of mine is done.

"Tim liebt Tina" - Words and music by Anna Depenbusch
Translated by Frank Beck

 Remember when the McGarrigle Sisters sweetly sang, "It's only love, and it's only love/that can wreck a human being and turn him inside out"? There's only one songwriter I know today who writes in the same wry, wise, tender way. The surprising thing is that she writes in German.



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If you come home to me

Anna Depenbusch performing in Munich in 2013

If you come home to me, 
honey, things will be different.
I promise you that I will change--
but right now, please don’t leave me alone.

If you come home to me, we’ll take it from the top,
and tonight, at the door, I will a leave a light on.

Yes, I know that I've really screwed up.
That silly little thing about your Porsche – you know I'm so sorry.
I also understand by going off with that guy
I took things a few steps too far.

If you come home to me, we’ll take it from the top,
And tonight, at the door, I will a leave a light on.

I’m losing my mind, a little more with each day.
Since you’re gone every breath is an effort.
The craziest thoughts are hunting me down;
I wonder how I could ever have been so damn dumb and stupid.

If you come home to me, we’ll take it from the top,
And tonight, at the door, I will a leave a light on.

Because I am your mouse; I'm your puppy, your precious crystal; 
I’m your fate, I'm your darling, your sweet nightingale.
And you are my hero, my brave knight and ivory tower;
you're my parachute, my compass, my beacon in the storm.

If you come home to me, I give my word on it--
I won’t smoke anymore; I won’t take you for stupid
and run drunk in the dark to the arms of strange men.

If you come home, everything will be different
If you come home, I swear that I’ll be your girl.
If you come home, I’ll kick the others right out the door.

But when will you come home to me?
When will you come back?

 "Wenn du nach Hause kommst" - Words and music by Anna Depenbusch; translation by Frank Beck

This song is a particular favorite of mine; it's a brilliant portrait of a person who--like all of us, at times--can't quite see the untenable position she's in. Anna's performance (in a small studio for a 2011 webcast) makes the whole situation perfectly believable--if not forgivable.


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Abandon ship

Anna Depenbusch

The high has gone by,
but the rocking keeps going.
In the hallway at quarter to three,
the light comes on again.

I just cannot stand it; no, I cannot stand it--
that you love her,
that you lay down your heart at her feet,
that you bring her the stars down from heaven
because she makes you feel so alive.
I just cannot stand it; no, I cannot stand it--
that you love her.

I’m rocking back and forth, I keep rocking back and forth.
I’m rocking and rocking.
I’m rocking back and forth, as a ship goes back and forth--
I’m rocking and rocking.

One thousand times, and one too many,
one time too long,
one time too deep--
that look so enraptured,
it was much too knowing
before you let go of me,
turned yourself round and left.

I just cannot stand it; no, I cannot stand it,
that you love her,
that you lay down your heart at her feet,
that you bring the damn stars down from the heavens for her
because she makes you feel so immortal.

Hey Kapitan, we’re taking on water!
Hey Kapitan, time to abandon ship!

"Kommando Untergang" - Words and music by Anna Depenbusch; translation by Frank Beck

Many of Anna Depenbusch's songs are humorous, but this one is dark and soulful, and I love it. It comes from her 2011 album, Die Mathematik der Anna Depenbusch. The performance is from a late-night TV program in Hamburg. As usual, the show's host, Ina Muller, sings along.


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Benjamin

Anna Depenbusch


Benjamin from next door and me,
at one point we were inseparable,
but that was all a fleeting thing.

There is not really much to tell about our story.
I had come home late and just ordered pizza.
In the hall at eight o’clock, he introduced himself.

He was new here in town,
had just moved in yesterday - next to me.
So we unpacked his boxes
and sat together that night and ate pizza.

All that was already some weeks ago.
At first we were in love and then we weren’t.
It came from the common delusion
that we saw with each other’s eyes.

I find it’s not bad that we are still neighbors.
It’s even practical when I’m on holiday,
for the mail and the flowers and the newspaper boy.
No one’s robbed me, and yet I mind.
I hear when he visits at night through the wall.

Benjamin.

What can I do now? Tell them "you’re welcome" ?
I can’t even sleep when I hear those two there.
Who was it made this house out of papier-mache?
I mean, yes, it is great when you’re in love,
but pretty stupid just lying beside it.

So I take myself out to the terrace
and sleep on concrete where the night is so starry
and it’s all just so wonderful -
like the thought of the loving couple next door.

Benjamin.

All that was already some weeks ago.
At first they were in love, but then they weren’t.
It came from the common delusion
that they saw with each other’s eyes.

 Now the wall next door is silent,
and here with me, for some days, lies
a new young man, and he's called

Jan.

 Words and music by Anna Depenbusch
Translated by Frank Beck

One of the things I like most about Anna Depenbusch's writing them is the way she mixes humor and pathos. "Benjamin" is from her most recent album, Sommer aus Papier (Summer of paper), released in 2012. Depenbusch was said to be working on a new album this winter.


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Because you're gone (Puisque tu pars)

Jean-Jacques Goldman

Because the dark has won;
because there's no high mountain
where the winds of forgetfulness
are blowing strong enough;

because we have to learn
that we failed to understand,
to dream into our wishes
and to live what might have been.

Because it seems to you,
from the closest evidence,
that sometimes giving everything
still is not enough;

because you think your heart
will beat better somewhere else;
because we love you far too much
to hold on to you now.
Because you’re gone . . .

May the good winds bring you
where other, kinder souls
will learn to love you better,
since we cannot love you more.

May life always teach you,
but may you remain the same—
for if you had betrayed yourself,
we truly would have lost you.

So go and take this chance,
while in silence we must envy
the strength to keep believing
that the best is yet come,

and, as far from each of us
as October is from April,
know that you have left
an indelible footprint here.

No drama and no tears—
those pitiful, poor weapons—
because there are some sorrows
that can only rage inside,

because today your only home
is that far horizon,
try, in your exile, to learn
how to come back.
But not too late …

In days to come
recall this night
and our goodbye—
because you’re gone.

I could have closed these doors
and simply walked away—
but that’s not what you did.
I could have given so much love,
given so much strength,
but all that I could do was not enough,
not enough, not enough.

In days to come
recall this night
and our goodbye—
because you're gone.

"Puisque tu pars" - Words and music by Jean-Jacques Goldman; translation by Frank Beck


Many Americans misunderstand French pop music, and that's understandable. The music is usually secondary to the words, so knowing some French is crucial to appreciating many French songs. Jean-Jacques Goldman is a prime example: he's a master lyricist, and "Puisque tu pars" is one of his best efforts.

 With the help of my translation, I hope you'll see why he's still one of the popular entertainers in France, years after releasing his last album.


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