Sleep – I’ll sing you a lullaby,
Where I promise that I’ll be fine;
/
Close your eyes, my love,
Close your eyes;
/
Every word I sing is a lie,
And my tranquil voice is rehearsed…
/
Close your eyes, my love,
Close your eyes
/
For I can’t hide the pain
With which I am engrossed;
/
Go to sleep, my love,
Go to sleep;
/
That you trust me
Is good and right;
/
‘Go to sleep, my love
Go to sleep,’
/
I will whisper before
Stepping out of the light;
/
Although my heart may scream: “wake up!
Somehow make it so that I stay,”
/
I will not interrupt your dream –
Like a nightmare I’ll fade away;
/
One more time I’ll look at your face
And wonder how it can be so calm;
/
Were you certain I would remain
By your side every night, always?
/
Were you merely under the spell
Of my voice and my magical tales?
/
Or was it simply that you did not
Ever love me the way that I hoped?
/
You’ve never opened your eyes to me;
Perhaps, when it’s too late, you will –
/
When the sun threads its first rays through
The air, filled with my prayers for you;
/
You will think me disloyal and unfair,
As you picture me singing to another somewhere,
/
And the picture you paint
Will help you to forget the truth:
/
That I sang you my swan song,
And you slept – slept all through