עניין של הרגל
Izhar Ashdot / יזהר אשדותVersione inglese del cantante norvegese Moddi | |
A MATTER OF HABIT Learning to kill Is a matter of momentum It starts out small Then it comes to you Patrolling all night In the Kasbah of Nablus Hey, what’s ours And what’s yours At first it’s just a drill A rifle pounding on the door Bewildered children Frightened family Then the closure It’s already dangerous Death lies in ambush Around every corner You cock your weapon Your arm trembles Your finger hardens Tight on the trigger Your heart goes wild Throbs with fright It knows—the next time Will be easier They aren’t men or women Just things, just shadow Learning to kill Is a matter of habit Learning to fear Is a matter of momentum It starts out small Then it comes to you Tidings from above Fall on the streets There’s no chance of living on The end is so near Prophecies of terror Like the raven’s call Bolt your shutters Barricade yourselves at home We’re just a tiny handful And they are so many A tiny land consumed by enemies Their hearts hold only hate The evil inclination and darkness Learning to fear Is a matter of habit Learning cruelty Is a matter of momentum It starts out small Then it comes to you Every little boy is a man Lusting after conquest Hands behind your head Spread your legs It’s a dangerous time A time of terror Toughen up, soldier There’s no virtue in mercy Our cousin [1] Is like an animal Already used to seeing blood He doesn’t suffer He’s not human Fatigues and a rash Exhaustion and routine From stupidity to evil the distance Is short It’s ours, only ours The land of Israel Learning cruelty Is a matter of habit Little boy, little boy, stop Little boy, little boy, come back Come here, my darling, Come here, my baby The skies are so gloomy And outside all is dark The toy soldiers are still here Underneath your bed Come home, little boy. Come home. Learning to love Is a matter of tenderness Careful steps On a cloud of gentleness We’ll go slow, we’ll melt We’ll grow soft, we’ll lose our edge Learning to love Is a matter of habit Being human Is a matter of momentum It sprouts like a baby Then it comes to you To be just for a minute Just for now, just today On the other side Of the same barricade But our heart’s already calloused Our skin already thick Deaf and blind In the bubble of the present We’ll gaze in wonder At the fallen angel. Being human Is a matter of habit, A matter of habit. | A MATTER OF HABIT Learning to kill is a matter of habit, the more you have done it the better you’re at it. It starts in the alleys of Sechem at night. The borderlines blur in the evening light. A rifle butt bangs on an old, rusty door, ‘Where is your father? Get down on the floor!’ Soon it gets serious. A curfew’s declared. The city falls silent, there’s death in the air. Cocking his weapon with shaking fingers, grits his teeth as he’s hugging the trigger. Young blood rushes, his heart pounds. He knows it gets easier the next time around. They’re just objects and shadows, not women and men. Learning to kill is a natural thing. Learning to fear is a matter of habit, the more you have done it the better you’re at it. News from above reaches the street. There’s no hope of living, the end is so near. Tidings of terror, a raven’s crow: Shutter your windows, lock up your homes! We’re just a handful, a tiny country surrounded by evil. They won’t let us be. They have hate in their hearts and in all that they bring. Learning to fear is a natural thing Cruelty is a matter of habit, the more you have seen it the better you’re at it. Every boy has a tyrant’s desire. Hands behind the head, legs spread wide! These are times of danger, times of despair. No room for compassion, a soldier can’t care! Our neighbours are vermin; they’re used to the blood; how can they feel pain when they live in the mud! Through cruel routine a soldier is born. Ignorance soon turns to evil in war. Israel’s land is for Israel’s kin. Cruelty comes as a natural thing. Learning to love is a natural thing, it will find a way if you just let it in. It’ll be strange at first, but then you will see it, that learning to love is a matter of being Being human is a matter of habit, a few baby steps, then you get better at it. To be for one minute, just now, just recall the opposite side of the towering walls. But our hearts have hardened along with our skin. We live in a bubble and let no one else in. We’ll be staring in wonder as the angel falls, then being human will be a matter of course. |
[1] Hebrew slang for “Arab” |