My comments and suggestions for the lyrics from an English-speaking (not British, though) person:
Tale of the Shadow
Verse 1:
once upon a time there was a writer
who wrote about beautiful things
he was young as well as clever
and this is how the tale begins
He used to sit and watch his shadow
to stretch itself against the wall
sometimes it was almost invisible
sometimes it grew strong and tall
Verse 2:
There was a strange house
on the opposite side of the street
flowers stood in the balcony,
blooming beautifully in the heat
nobody was to be seen there
since the writer arrived
but every night delightful music
could be heard coming from inside
Verse 3:
The writer said to his shadow:
"Step in the house and look around
tomorrow come back and
tell me what you have found"
When the morning brought the sunrise
The truth came with the light
The mirror told him the magic
he had lost his shadow overnight
Verse 4:
years passed by, until one night
a gentle tap was heard at the door
A well dressed stranger said
"Don't you recognize me anymore?"
The shadow had a body of flesh,
and good looking clothes to wear
Life had been good to him,
he had gold everywhere
Verse 5:
The shadow offered money and said
"I want to purchase my freedom"
The writer replied as he turned away
"just go, you don't need a reason"
The shadow grew richer and fatter
the years went by, time just fell away
while the writer grew poorer and paler
and he got sicker and sicker every day
Verse 6:
The shadow proposed a wellness trip
to a watering-place and he said
"Just follow me as my shadow and
all your expenses will be met"
They drove, rode and walked together
side by side,like they had always done
one in the front and the other behind,
depending on the position of the sun
Verse 7:
The shadow met a beautiful princess
and they danced and talked each night
one day they became engaged to each other
beneath the moon's sweet light
The writer was the only one
who knew the truth of the past
the shadow made up an evil lie
and everything was all over too fast
Soon the guards of the princess
came and captured the writer
He lost his desperate battle
like a lonely freedom fighter
Verse 8:
In the evening of the wedding
the whole town was having a feast
The writer was praying alone
and waiting for the priest
All was good for the shadow
he had the crown on his head
the writer didn't know anything
he was already dead[/quote]
I didn't make many suggestions, and they're almost completely to make the lyric sound more like I would hear it spoken in English.
Really interesting subject, by the way. I suspect, if I put some thought into it, I could detect a deep meaning under it. Maybe someone pretending so hard to be something he isn't that he loses his real self somehow?
Good luck with it!
Vicki
