Jonathan Johansson’s lyrics from the album En Hand I Himlen (A Hand In The Sky)

_______________________________________________________________________

1. En Hand I Himlen (A Hand In The Sky)

We’re taking off now
in another space
in another light
over a thousand dancefloors
and we float into
and out of each other
in another light

Chorus

A hand in the sky
a hand
somewhere else
a hand…

And they turn on the lights
we take the jackets
go out
and it’s
another morning
but we have been
here before
in a taxi through tunnels
you remember
what you once promised
where you said you would go

Chorus

A hand in the sky
a hand somewhere else
a hand…

All the citites will be emptied
all the streets
forgotten
are you inside or outside
you dropped/lost your name
you wanted to be someone else

Chorus

A hand in the sky
a hand somewhere else
a hand…

2. Innan Vi Faller (Before We Fall)

Over the roof stars are going out
that we didn’t knew existed
we know quite a few things about loneliness
and we hold each other
the streets are empty and we are on our way home
all the ghosts that rised
from the asphalt
and we regret what we regret
and we forget
what we can
it was the dreams the promises
we couldn’t keep
and if we could make peace
if we could
get through
to what we actually could get
and what we are bound to loose

Chorus

Before we fall
away from here

Why did we start counting our prayers
in a sky which opened
and then collapsed
as if they didn’t push
through and over
and what were we to do
but to try again

Chorus

Before we fall
away from here

Over the roofs stars are going out
that we didn’t knew existed
and the ghosts come, stay
and disappear
and the streets are empty
but we can hold each other
in whatever we loose and
what we may win

Chorus

Before we fall
before we fall away from here

3. Högsta Taket, Högsta Våningen (Highest Roof, Highest Floor)

I laid heavily
in a bed
and I fell
through the sheets
a hundred floors down
for the big city
outside
you were only the memory
of something you’d forgotten

Chorus

But I felt you coming closer
felt it becoming warmer
felt you coming closer

Through walls and wallpaper
you came forth
and looked at me
I got my
name back
and the big city outside
became just the memory
of something you’d forgotten

Chorus

But I felt you coming closer
felt it becoming warmer
felt you coming closer

4. Alla Vill Ha Hela Världen (Everybody Wants The Whole World)

We’ve com here
no way
back
the big dream is
transparent

Chorus

Pretend as if everything’s alright
and as if
everything is beautiful
everybody wants the whole world

Take what you want
and learn
how to close your eyes
we are free now
shone through*

We have come here
no one wants to go back
we know
how to do it
that you have to

Chorus

Pretend as if everything’s alright
and as if
everything is beautiful
everybody wants the whole world

In a room where the light never enters
hold my hand as the wall collapses

Chorus

Or pretend as if everything’s alright
and as if
everything is beautiful
everybody wants the whole world

Take what you want
no one will judge
the big dream
is transparent

5. Aldrig Ensam (Never Alone/Lonely*)

In the fine thin light
I stand
and wait quietly
the summer is ahead
the block
almost empty
on people and feelings
no movement anywhere

Chorus

Never, never alone/lonely, always alone/lonely here
Never, never alone/lonely

The fine thin line
between our world
and yours
cuts through every sound
through every extended thought
every attempt at understanding
every song
I ever sang

Chorus

Never, never alone/lonely, always alone/lonely here
Never, never alone/lonely

I have longed for violence
for revenge
and more humiliation
but the big, big fear
is not here tonight
it’s echoing between the houses
no movement anywhere
only the fine
thin light
between our world and yours

Chorus

Never, never alone/lonely, always alone/lonely here
Never, never alone/lonely

6. Sent För Oss (Late For Us)

And you saw
over us
the sick birds arrived
and I saw
in front of us
another mirage about
our new careers
our drugs
our goals
quiver and disappear

You want to get out
and
dance
I want to sing out a way
that goes through the clouds
and straight through you
and under the disco ball
we can laugh again
and we tear holes
in time, the future

Chorus

When the world ends in a wave of neon
our longing will come loose/be released, come loose/be released from us

And we touch each other
our wounds
our names
and we saw our options
the love that is left
all the stories about those
who gave it all up
for something that
never could be caught anyway

You are shining like a vacuum
shining inside me
the thin silver edge
off from the promises
that we gave
and we close our eyes in the time
the future

Chorus

When the world ends in a wave of neon
our longing will come loose/be released**, come loose/be released from us

7. Du Sa (You Said)

You said something about, the other side
You said something about, you said something about us

You said something that, never left me
You said something that, stayed

8. Efter Skimret, Efter Snön (After The Shimmer, After The Snow)

So the snow falls
and we
who can’t take it
will hide
for months
will we slowly fade away

Protect me
from what I want
before I hurt myself
before I hurt myself

Out of nothing
comes nothing
and what would be right
if nothing is wrong

Protect us
from what we want
what we can keep for seconds
shimmers and then falls apart

When the snow disappears
it’s we
who are still lying
with the list
under the arm
with all those who
never said sorry

Protect me
from what I want
I wanted to do
them harm
I wanted to hurt them

9. Säg Vad Ni Vill (Say What/Whatever You Want)

The fog over the bridges
and the morning
and the coming nights
I wear my crosses
my sins
and an open place
which sings

Chorus

I was only a child that reached out
and touched the flame
say what/whatever you want

They are turned on and out
in the windows
in my head
in my chest and below the ground
all the voices all the faces
that move
and that shift inside us
and the newspapers blow
over the ground
with the world that we deserve
there was a pile of dead birds
in front of the doors
but we still opened

Chorus

I was only a child when I reached out
and was burned by the flame
Say what/whatever you want

Gold is lying around rottening
in the container
no papers
no numbers
and below the skyscrapers
I heard how
the darkness slowly pushed forward
in every crack
every step
and every handshake
between me
and everyone else
who wanted to make a difference
wanted to dream
about something bigger
for each other

10. Psalm Noll Noll (Psalm Zero Zero)

Our hearts’ lost beats
all the dreams
that never happened
and the lies we lived
and stayed in
the ones we became and the ones
we wanted to be
all the tears that no one could dry
and the wonderful
so short
those who failed us and those
who we failed in return
our hearts’ lost beats

You who carried me through
carry me again
carry me now
and carry me all the way home
______________________________________________________________________

* “Ensam” means both alone and lonely in Swedish. We have the same word for both meanings!
** “lossna” in Swedish could here be interpreted both as “come loose” and “be released”. The exact underlying meaning is a bit vague.

I hope all of those who love Johansson’s music but don’t understand Swedish found this helpful and valuable. I make reservations for any grammatical faults or abnormalities. Please let me know if you find faults or have suggestions on improvement. I just want to make clear that translating between languages can’t be 100% accurate all the time. We saw two clear examples of this here above. All of a sudden his vague poesy became much more touchable and beautiful in a way, after working more closely with it. But I must say I prefer the Swedish lyrics much more. An original language is almost always the best, that’s just the way it is.

Jonathan Johansson - Sent För Oss (zshare)
Jonathan Johansson - Sent För Oss (ysi)