Leave the bureau in the snow
Catch a tram to Onkel PO
Early evening ring around the moon
Slip in by the concierge
By the bikes and up the stairs
Snap the latch and creep into the room
You throw off your coat, pick up the post
And put a coffee on
Lie down on the bed, lay back your head
And smoke a cigarette

And listen to the radio
Listen to the radio
In the city late tonight
Double feature, black and white
"Bitter Tears" and "Taxi to the Klo"
Find a bar, avoid a fight
Show your papers, be polite
Walking home with nowhere else to go
You throw off your coat, pick up my note
Put another coffee on
Lie down on the bed, lay back your head
And smoke a cigarette

And listen to the radio
Listen to the radio
Atmospherics after dark
Noise and voices from the past
Across the dial from Moscow to Cologne:
Interference in the night
Thousand miles on either side
Stations fading into the unknown:
So throw off your coat, we'll butter some toast
And put a coffee on:
We'll lie down on the bed, lay back our heads
Smoke another cigarette

And listen to the radio
Listen to the radio
All night long...
---
by Peter Gabri