Words

Words fail me,
You put all the words in a sack and you drowned the lot.
Everything you say it is is what it’s not,
Words fail me.

Words fail me,
I want to tell you just exactly where it all went wrong,
Want to call you out and take you on, but I’m not that strong:
My words fail me

Bevor sie die Kommunisten holten, holten sie die worte.
Bevor sie die gewerkschafter holten, holten sie die worte.
Bevor sie die Zigeunerin holten, holten sie die worte.
Bevor sie die Juden holten, holten sie die worte.
Am anfang war das Wort.

Words fail me,
You suck out the semantics from the sentences you speak,
Your every exegesis is unique, replete with conceit, and oblique:
Your words fail me.

When you say “Don’t Walk”, that’s when I walk;
“chill out”, I know it’s time to rock;
“Do Not Disturb” – that’s when I’ll knock.
We just assume that you are lying when you talk.

"When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less…”

Words fail me,
You put all the words in a sack and you drowned the lot,
Now everything that you insist it is must be exactly what it’s not:
Your words fail me.

Words fail me.
You stood up on the bridge and tossed your rocks down on the seething, heaving sack.
When the ripples on the face of the canal had gone there was no turning back,
Everything just black,
Words.

Por los estranjeros, los otros, por los pobres de la tierra
!Diga! Guarde sus palabras. La lengua este vuestra.

Words fail me,
You put all the words in a sack and you drowned the lot.
Now everything that you insist it is must be exactly what it’s not,
Your words fail me.