Andries Bezuidenhout - Song for Berlin

A song for Berlin, from South African visual artist, poet and musician Andries Bezuidenhout. This English version of the song is translated from the Afrikaans-language original, as recorded for the album "Dink aan planete" (2022) [tr: Think of planets]. The video contains original footage from Berlin, treated with a bit of AI to give it a dreamlike feeling. The song explores Berlin's past and present - how different people move through the city, given its combination of grit, beauty, and historical trauma.
SONG FOR BERLIN
From the Fernsehturm, Berlin from up high
You get to know a new city best from the sky
City of gates, city of walls
Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburger Tor
In the Waldbuhne theatre Leonard Cohen takes a bow
And shortly thereafter turns his back on the crowd
Down Unter den Linden a breeze of perfume
At the Hauptbahnhof the sounds of Lili Marleen
City rebuilt, city of ruins
Fallen walls reappear in dreams
Never-ending circle of the S-Bahn tracks
My balance faltered at Alexanderplatz
Polished concrete in the winter sun
Rows of light a blinding abandon
Words disappear down Kastanienallee
As the past recalls the future from somewhere or nowhere
Rosa Luxemburg’s ghost at Kreuzberg’s canal
On a statue shoulder Wim Wenders’ angel so small
The Palast der Republik’s shattered glass
Nightmares and hope in a cabaret dance
City rebuilt, city of ruins
Broken walls reappear in dreams
Never-ending circle of the S-Bahn tracks
My balance faltered at Alexanderplatz
In Prenzlauer Berg I met you for a Steh Kaffee brew
My coat’s lining too light for the colour of your mood
City of belonging, city of hate
Checkpoint Charlie and Ishtar’s gate
City rebuilt, city of ruins
Fractured walls reappear in dreams
Never-ending circle of the S-Bahn tracks
My balance faltered at Alexanderplatz
© Andries Bezuidenhout

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