Andy Goggin: The Songs
THE WAKING CITY
(Sung by Andy Goggin - U.K./Denmark)
Music & Lyrics by Andy Goggin. Produced by Carsten Derri Falkenlind - 5th. Vision Studio, Copenhagen.
Early in the morning some years ago, I was walking past The Central Railway Station in Copenhagen. On one of the platforms I could see an old man lying, beside of him an empty wine bottle. Several people walked by him without giving him a second look. I watched the scene for a while - how the commuters were completely occupied with their own selves.
What if this elderly man was dead? No-one would know and probably no-one would care!
And me......What did I do? Nothing of course. After a while, I too, just walked on and went my own way.
This song is maybe a way of saying sorry to the old gentleman on the cold platform that morning.
(P.S. - The Spanish feel of the song came by me trying to imitate the rythmn of the trains!)
The waking city turns off her lights,
And closes her mind to the night.
A frightened child, though he´s sixty-four,
Lying asleep on the floor.
Platform feeling cold, but the sun´s rising now.
A handful of people turn into a crowd.
An empty track, as the train´s late again.
Crowd starts to grumble, necks start to crane...
But Oh! The waking city smiles upon it all.
Oh! The waking city pretends, just like a whore!
The tired old man doesn´t move at all.
He´s so still as the rain starts to fall.
A lonely bird picks up the crumbs.
A lonely man finally succumbs!
His train came many years ago.
The destination he didn´t know,
So he took the easy way out,
Tried it all but never found out......