VIEILLIR

To die in one’s gore
Riddled with German lead
Blown apart in the war
By the blue, white and red

To die buried alive
In a collapsed flooded trench
Or to starve to our bones
In a dank dungeon’s stench

To die of the cold
In darkness and fear
Abandoned by all
Alone in the field

Chorus
Or in our hundredth year
To pass away at night
A wretched aged man
Without hearing or sight
Before they nail my coffin down
I’ll spit out my last tooth
Singing “Amsterdam”
It is nothing to die
Death is a beautiful act
But to grow old…oh, to grow old

We can die laughing
They say it is true
They say we can die
From ecstasy too

To die suddenly
As our hearts burst in pain
Or consumed by the tumour
Devouring the brain

To die in a car
Trapped in the flames
Then cut from the ashes
No one knowing our name

Chorus

To die without honour
Without wealth or power
Mourned by our friends
And deluged with flowers

To die in our youth
Our lifetimes cut short
So much left undone
So much still to prove

To die with our futures
Bright before our eyes
When it seems we are standing
At the start of our lives

Chorus