My father was like a foreign land
Too far away to approach without a guide in command
When we met it was too short to give it a chance
My father was like a foreign land

There was no way to get close or to make any plan
To listen to his story and to tell him the same
Without any reproach, any case or complaint
My father was like a foreign land

He married too young, he worried too late
He had a daughter and a son but he never cared
In his final hour he found it hard to let loose
As if he was bearing an unresolved truth

I saw him lying on the bier right before he was burned
Wouldn’t have recognized him or shown my concern
Found a tree for him on the peaceful sand
My father’s buried now in a foreign land

He may have been too proud or even ashamed
To call us to his bed when it came to an end
Finally I got that letter from the authorities
Asking me to pay for his funeral fees

No claims ‘bout the dreams that we never shared
No loss of the blood that we never shed
Just the hope that someday we’ll shake hands
And talk like men and hug like friends

You married too young and you worried too late
You had a daughter and a son but you never paid
In your final hour you found it hard to let loose
As if you were bearing an unresolved truth

I saw you lying on the bier right before you were burned
Wouldn’t have recognized you or shown my concern
Found a tree for you on the peaceful sand
Now you’re buried down in a foreign land