First & Then
Bertolf Lyrics

First you lose yourself in water
At the start, you immerse yourself in something so completely that you forget everything else

And then you think you're in control
Afterwards, you feel like you have power over that thing because you know it so well

Next the more you know the more you wonder
Then, the more you understand, the more questions you have about it

And then you learn to let it go
Eventually, you realize that you don't need to have control over everything and it's better to accept it as it is

At first you wanted to seem older
Initially, you tried to appear more mature than you actually were

And hide away your innocence
And you kept your naivete hidden from others

Now when someone says you look much younger
Nowadays, if someone remarks that you look younger than your actual age,

You take that as a compliment
You consider it a compliment rather than an insult

But don't you think it's rather sad
However, don't you find it disheartening

That time is not the greatest adviser
That time doesn't always give you the best advice

You learn as much as you forget
You gain knowledge but you also forget just as much

So at the end you won't be much wiser
Therefore, in the end, you won't necessarily be any wiser than when you started

First they teach you to be modest
You're first taught to not be too proud of your abilities

And then you hit so hard you crack
But eventually, you work so hard that you reach a breaking point

Next they will attack you if you're honest
Then, if you're truthful about your abilities,

And then you learn to take it back
You learn to retract your statements to avoid criticism

You taught to work by those where of your grow
You're taught how to work hard from those who raised you

And to do you better than your best
To put in even more effort than you thought was possible

Next you work so hard you snow under
Then, you work so much that it becomes overwhelming

And then you learn to take some rest
And eventually, you learn to take a break to avoid burnout

But don't you think it's rather sad
However, don't you find it disheartening

That time is not the greatest adviser
That time doesn't always give you the best advice

You learn as much as you forget
You gain knowledge but you also forget just as much

So at the end you won't be much wiser
Therefore, in the end, you won't necessarily be any wiser than when you started

First they teach you to be patient
You're initially instructed to exercise patience

And then you learn there is no much time
But then, you realize that there isn't much time available

Next you know learn go on to hurry
Following that, you begin to rush and hurry around

And you trying to just enjoy the ride
But you're trying to just savour the experience even during times of stress

Oh you trying to just enjoy the ride
You're attempting to fully revel in life and its moments, even when it's difficult