More songs by Gorillaz
Description
Somewhere between fairy tale and apocalypse, a strange dream about a world that did not realise it had fallen prey to its own greed was stuck. A small town at the foot of a mountain lived in blissful ignorance until those who knew how to hide behind glasses and lies arrived. They dug deeper - into the earth, into souls, into the very essence of peace - and soon the cold wind from underground began to smell of trouble.
And then it all ended: not with an explosion, not with screams - just a dull echo of fire that swallowed both the mountain and their innocent dreams. It was as if the world took a deep breath and exhaled ashes. And now the only question that remains, one that always comes too late, is: where were you when it all collapsed?
Lyrics and translation
Original
Once upon a time, at the foot of a great mountain
There was a town where the people known as Happyfolk lived
Their very existence a mystery to the rest of the world
Obscured as it was by great clouds
Here they played out their peaceful lives
Innocent of the litany of excess and violence
That was growing in the world below
To live in harmony with the spirit of the mountain called Monkey was enough
Then one day, Strangefolk arrived in the town
They came in camouflaged, hidden behind dark glasses
But no one noticed them, they only saw shadows
You see, without the truth of the eyes, the Happyfolk were blind
Fallin' out of aeroplanes and hidin' out in holes
Waitin' for the sunset to come, people goin' home
Jump out from behind them and shoot them in the head
Now everybody dancing the dance of the dead
The dance of the dead, the dance of the dead
In time, Strangefolk found their way
Into the higher reaches of the mountain
And it was there that they found the caves
Of unimaginable sincerity and beauty
By chance, they stumbled upon the place where all good souls come to rest
The Strangefolk, they coveted the jewels in these caves above all things
And soon they began to mine the mountain
It's rich seam fueling the chaos of their own world
Meanwhile, down in the town, the Happyfolk slept restlessly
Their dreams invaded by shadowy figures digging away at their souls
Every day people would wake and stare at the mountain
Why was it bringing darkness into their lives?
And as the Strangefolk
Mined deeper and deeper into the mountain, holes began to appear
Bringing with them a cold and bitter wind
That chilled the very soul of the Monkey
For the first time, the Happyfolk felt fearful for
They knew that soon the Monkey would stir from it's deep sleep
And then came a sound, distant first, that grew into castrophany
So immense that it could be heard far away in space
There were no screams
There was no time
The mountain called Monkey had spoken
There was only fire, and then nothing
Oh, a little town in the USA, your time has come to see
There's nothing you believe you want
But where were you when it all came down on me?
Did you call me? No
English translation
Once upon a time, at the foot of a great mountain
There was a town where the people known as Happyfolk lived
Their very existence a mystery to the rest of the world
Obscured as it was by great clouds
Here they played out their peaceful lives
Innocent of the litany of excess and violence
That was growing in the world below
To live in harmony with the spirit of the mountain called Monkey was enough
Then one day, Strangefolk arrived in the town
They came in camouflaged, hidden behind dark glasses
But no one noticed them, they only saw shadows
You see, without the truth of the eyes, the Happyfolk were blind
Fallin' out of aeroplanes and hidin' out in holes
Waitin' for the sunset to come, people goin' home
Jump out from behind them and shoot them in the head
Now everybody dancing the dance of the dead
The dance of the dead, the dance of the dead
In time, Strangefolk found their way
Into the higher reaches of the mountain
And it was there that they found the caves
Of unimaginable sincerity and beauty
By chance, they stumbled upon the place where all good souls come to rest
The Strangefolk, they coveted the jewels in these caves above all things
And soon they began to mine the mountain
It's rich seam fueling the chaos of their own world
Meanwhile, down in the town, the Happyfolk slept restlessly
Their dreams invaded by shadowy figures digging away at their souls
Every day people would wake and stare at the mountain
Why was it bringing darkness into their lives?
And as the Strangefolk
Mined deeper and deeper into the mountain, holes began to appear
Bringing with them a cold and bitter wind
That chilled the very soul of the Monkey
For the first time, the Happyfolk felt fearful for
They knew that soon the Monkey would stir from it's deep sleep
And then came a sound, distant first, that grew into castrophany
So immense that it could be heard far away in space
There were no screams
There was no time
The mountain called Monkey had spoken
There was only fire, and then nothing
Oh, a little town in the USA, your time has come to see
There's nothing you believe you want
But where were you when it all came down on me?
Did you call me? No