Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne

Lyrics

[Verse 1] On the western edge of Germany where the Emperor lived and died The tower bells cut through the quiet of the early evening sky They say his body's buried here and I could see the bones But I've had enough of castles, they're just cold and made of stone And I'm out here on my own trying to keep this thing on track Everyday I quit this job, by night I take it back I've just got a few more minutes in this tiny room offstagе Before it's me and thе ghost of Charlemagne [Verse 2] And I'll sneak out through the back after the after-party starts I'll be too tired after two sets to be safe near any bar And all these surface conversations in a language not my own Reminds me how far away I am from any home Although tonight out there I felt close to the flame By morning I'll be hauling luggage through the rain And though it's rental cars and chain motels, cafés with clever names Some nights it's me and the ghost of Charlemagne [Bridge] We all want to leave behind A thing that says that we were here before we die Something more than just a castle in the air So we dare [Piano Solo] [Verse 3] You know that moment when the dreamer meets the dream and it's a lie After years of climbing up, I see it's just the same damned sky And the clouds that kings have pondered, yeah, they look a lot like mine I dream because I know that I'm running out of time And we're all carpenters, hammering at nails Building arks, chasing after whales Tilting at windmills and hunting the grail These little rhymes and relics, may they live beyond my name 'Cause in the end they're all that will remain Of me and the ghost of Charlemagne