I Trawl the Megahertz
Prefab Sprout Lyrics

I am telling myself the story of my life,
I am narrating my life's journey to myself, which is more extraordinary than any song or fictional tale.

Stranger than song or fiction.
My life is even more unusual and remarkable than any story or work of art.

We start with the joyful mysteries,
The beginning of my life is filled with unknown and delightful experiences.

Before the appearance of ether,
Before the introduction of a mysterious and intangible element.

Trying to capture the elusive:
Attempting to capture something intangible and hard to grasp.

The farm where the crippled horses heal,
A place where broken horses are rehabilitated and find healing.

The woods where autumn is reversed,
A forest where the season of autumn is reversed, portraying a different reality.

And the longing for bliss in the arms
The yearning for ultimate happiness and contentment in the embrace

Of some beloved from the past.
Of a person I deeply loved in the past.

I said ′Your daddy loves you'.
I expressed to you that your father loves you.

I said ′Your daddy loves you very much';
I emphasized that your father loves you immensely.

He just doesn't want to live with us anymore′.
However, he no longer desires to live together with us.

The plane comes down behind enemy lines
An aircraft descends behind enemy territory.

And you don′t speak the language.
You are unable to communicate in the native tongue of that area.

A girl takes pity on you:
A compassionate girl feels sympathy towards you.

She is Mother Theresa walking among the poor,
She possesses the same selfless nature as Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to helping the needy.

And her eyes have attained night vision.
Her eyes have developed the ability to see clearly in the dark.

In an orchard, drenched in blue light,
In a garden filled with a soothing blue glow.

She changes your bandages and soothes you.
She replaces your bandages and provides comfort to ease your pain.

All day her voice is balm,
Throughout the day, her voice acts as a therapeutic and soothing agent.

Then she lowers you into the sunset.
Subsequently, she gently guides you into the setting sun.

Hers is the wing span of the quotidian angel,
She possesses the ordinary angelic qualities that impact everyday life.

So her feet are sore from the walk
As a result, her feet are tired from continuously moving on this path

To the well of human kindness,
Towards the reservoir of compassion and understanding within humanity

But she gives you a name and you grow into it.
However, she bestows upon you a name that you begin to embody and live up to.

Whether a tramp of the low road or a prince,
Regardless of whether you are a wanderer on the path of uncertainty or a person of high status

Riding through Wagnerian opera,
Moving through life like a character in a dramatic Wagnerian opera.

You learn some, if not all, of the language.
You acquire knowledge of the language, if not fully, then partially.

And these are the footsteps you follow
These are the footsteps you choose to trace and follow in life.

- The tracks of impossible love.
These tracks represent the path of an unattainable and challenging love.

12 days in Paris,
A span of twelve days spent in Paris.

And I am awaiting for life to start.
During this period, I am eagerly anticipating the commencement of a meaningful existence.

In the lobby of the Hotel Charlemagne
Within the entrance area of the Hotel Charlemagne

They are hanging photographs
Pictures are displayed

Of Rap artists and minor royalty.
Depicting both rap musicians and individuals of lower nobility.

All cigarettes have been air-brushed from these pictures,
In all these images, cigarettes have been removed via photo retouching.

Making everyone a liar,
As a result, it portrays everyone in the pictures deceitfully,

And saving no-one from their folly.
Failing to rescue anyone from their foolishness.

As proud as Lucifer, I do nothing to hide
Similar to Lucifer, I display my arrogance and pride openly,

My kerosene dress and flint eyes
Through my fiery and provocative attire, as well as my sharp and intense gaze

Which with one steady look, are able to restore
By simply fixing my eyes upon someone, I am capable of reinstating

To these images their carcinogenic threat.
A sense of danger and toxicity to these images.

So what if this is largely bravado?
Even if this is mostly an act of false confidence,

I have only 12 days in Paris
I am aware that I only have a limited timeframe of twelve days in Paris

And I'm waiting for life to start.
During this period, I am anticipating the beginning of an exciting and meaningful existence.

I′m setting out my stall behind a sheet of dark hair,
I am presenting myself confidently, hidden under a veil of dark hair,

And you, the hostage of crazed hormones,
And you, held captive by your irrational teenage hormones,

Will be driven to say:
Will feel compelled to express:

'I am the next poet laureate
'I am destined to become the next highly esteemed poet

And she is the cherry madonna,
And she is the symbol of purity and benevolence,

And all of the summer is hers.′
And she possesses the entirety of summertime and its glory.'

At first I don't notice you,
Initially, I fail to observe your presence

Or the colour of your hair,
Or the specific shade of your hair,

Or your readiness to laugh.
Or your natural inclination to find joy and amusement.

I am tying a shoelace,
I am occupied with the task of tying a shoelace.

Or finding the pavement fascinating
Or finding the ground beneath my feet strangely captivating

When the comet thrills the sky.
Even when a comet creates a thrilling spectacle in the sky.

Ever the dull alchemist.
Always remaining as an uninteresting alchemist of life.

I have before me all the necessary elements:
I possess all the essential components right in front of me:

It is their combination that eludes me.
However, combining them in the right way continues to escape me.

Forgive me ... I am sleepwalking.
Pardon my actions... I am simply moving through life in a daze.

I am jangling along to some song of the moment,
I am unthinkingly humming along to a passing popular tune,

Suffering its sweetness,
Enduring its saccharine charm

Luxuriating in its feeble approximation of starlight.
Indulging in its weak attempt to replicate the brilliance of starlight.

Meanwhile there is a real world ...
In the midst of this, there exists a tangible reality...

Trains are late, doctors are breaking bad news,
Trains are delayed, and doctors are delivering troubling diagnoses,

But I am living in a lullaby.
Yet, I am immersed in a comforting lullaby-like existence.

You might be huddled in a doorway on the make,
You may be crouched in a doorway, striving to achieve something,

Or just getting by, but I don′t see it.
Or merely surviving, but I fail to notice your struggle.

You are my one shot at glory.
You are my singular opportunity for greatness.

Soon I will read in your expression
Soon, I will interpret from your facial expression

Warmth, encouragement, assent.
Feelings of affection, support, and agreement.

From an acorn of interest
Derived from a small seed of curiosity

I will cultivate whole forests of affection.
I will nurture a profusion of love and fondness.

I will analyse your gestures
I will scrutinize your body language

Like centuries of scholars
With the intensity of numerous scholars over centuries

Pouring over Jesus' words.
Studying intensely the words of Jesus.

Anything that doesn't fit my narrow interpretation
Anything that does not align with my limited understanding

I will carelessly discard.
I will recklessly discard without consideration.

For I am careless... I′m shameless... and -
Because I am thoughtless... I am unscrupulous... and -

(′Mayday, Mayday, watch the needle leave the dial')
(Mayday, Mayday, observe as the signal weakens)

I am reckless,
I am impulsive and daring,

I am telling myself the story of my life.
I am recounting the narrative of my own existence.

Soon, I will make you a co-conspirator:
Before long, I will include you as a partner in my secret plans:

If I am dizzy I will call it rapture;
If I feel lightheaded, I will label it as a state of ecstasy;

If I am low I will attribute it to your absence,
If I am feeling down, I will blame it on your nonexistence,

Noting your tidal effect upon my moods.
Observing how your presence greatly influences my emotional state.

Oblivious to the opinions of neighbours
Unaware and unconcerned about the judgments of others

I will bark at the moon like a dog.
I will vent my frustrations by howling at the moon like a canine.

In short, I′m asking to be scalded.
In essence, I am practically inviting myself to be burned.

It is the onset of fever.
This is the beginning of an intense emotional fervor.

Yesterday they took a census.
Recently, a census was conducted.

Boasting, I said 'I live two doors down from joy.′
In a moment of pride, I proclaimed, 'I reside only two doors away from pure happiness.'

Today, bewildered and sarcastic, I phone them and ask
But now, feeling confused and sarcastic, I call them and inquire

Isn′t it obvious? This slum is empty.'
Shouldn't it be evident? This place is vacant and devoid of contentment.'

I am listening to the face in the mirror
I am attentively listening to my own reflection in the mirror

But I don't think I believe what she′s telling me.
However, I do not think I trust the words she is conveying to me.

Her words are modern, but her eyes have been weeping
Her words are contemporary, but her eyes have experienced sorrow

In gardens and grottoes since the Middle Ages.
In gardens and caves since the Middle Ages.

This is the aftermath of fever.
This is the result of the previous emotional fervor.

I cool the palms of my hands upon the bars
I take solace in pressing my hands against the metal bars, cooling my palms

Of an imaginary iron gate.
Of a gate made of iron that exists only in my imagination.

Only by an extreme act of will can I avoid
Only through a strong exertion of willpower can I prevent myself

Becoming a character in a country song:
From becoming a stereotype in a country music song:

′Lord, y'gave me nothin′, then y'took it all away.′
'Lord, you granted me nothing, and then you took everything from me.'

These are the sorrowful mysteries,
These are the enigmatic and melancholic aspects of life,

And I have to pay attention.
And I must be attentive and mindful.

In a chamber of my heart sits an accountant.
Within a chamber of my heart resides an accountant-like figure.

He is frowning and waving red paper at me.
He wears a frown and gestures towards me with red documents.

I go to the window for air.
I move towards the window to breathe in some fresh air.

I catch the scent of apples,
I detect the aroma of apples,

I hunger for a taste,
I yearn to taste them,

But I can't see the orchard for the rain.
Yet, the view of the orchard is obstructed by the pouring rain.

There are two ways of looking at this.
Two perspectives can be adopted in regard to this situation.

The first is to accept that you are gone,
The initial option is to acknowledge your absence,

And to light a candle at the shrine of amnesia.
And to symbolically commemorate your departure by lighting a candle at the altar of forgetfulness.

(I could even cheat).
(I could potentially deceive myself in the process).

In the subterranean world of anaesthetics
In the inner depths of anesthetic-like detachment

Sad white canoes are forever sailing downstream
Depressed white canoes are perpetually voyaging downstream,

In the early hours of the morning.
During the early hours of the morning.

′Tell the stars I'm coming,
'Inform the stars that I will soon arrive,

Make them leave a space for me;
Request that they reserve a place for me;

Whether bones, or dust,
Regardless of whether I am remains, or mere dust,

Or ashes once among them I'll be free.′
Or if my ashes will eventually join them, I will be liberated.'

It may make a glamorous song
My situation might serve as inspiration for a captivating song

But it′s dark train of thought
However, the underlying themes of this situation are morose,

With too many carriages.
With a burdensome number of negative aspects.

There is, of course,
There is another perspective, naturally,

'Your daddy loves you, ′ I said
'Your father loves you,′ I reassured

'Your daddy loves you very much;
'Your father loves you immensely;

He just doesn′t want to live with us anymore.'
However, he no longer desires to reside with us.'

By day and night, fancy electronic dishes
Throughout the day and night, advanced electronic instruments

Are trained on the heavens.
Are directed towards the skies above.

They are listening for smudged echoes
They are attempting to detect faint echoes

Of the moment of creation.
Originating from the precise moment of creation.

They are listening for the ghost of a chance.
They are hoping to catch a glimpse of an improbable opportunity.

They may help us make sense of who we are
These instruments might aid us in comprehending our identities

And where we came from;
And enlighten us about our origins;

And, as a compassionate side effect,
And, as an unintended outcome of this pursuit in understanding,

Teach us that nothing is ever lost.
They could teach us that nothing is truly ever lost.

So... I rake the sky.
And thus, I intensely examine the sky,

I listen hard.
I listen attentively.

I trawl the megahertz.
I search meticulously through various frequencies.

But the net isn′t fine enough,
Yet, the net I am using is not fine or precise enough,

And I miss you
And as a result, I fail to perceive your presence,

- A swan sailing between two continents,
Similar to a graceful swan gliding between two continents,

A ghost immune to radar.
You are akin to a ghost, impervious to detection by radar.

Still, my eyes are fixed upon
Nevertheless, my gaze remains focused on

The place I last saw you,
The exact location where I last saw you,

Your signal urgent but breaking,
Your signal was urgent but unstable,

Before you became cotton in a blizzard,
Before you transformed into a speck of cotton in a blinding snowstorm,

A plane coming down behind enemy lines.
Like an aircraft descending behind enemy territory.