Face of a Stranger Songtext

von Philip Quast

I sailed away from an island
To an island across the earth
And I worked at adopting their style and their customs
For all I was worth
And I rose to my present position
And I gained some celebrity
Now I bask in their praise and conditional love
But who do they see
The face of stranger
Who can't even say who he is anymore
The face of a stranger
A mask made for covering passions and pain
But lately I'm wondering what did I gain
When I see in my mirror the face of a stranger
Come home and visit your dad, boy
Calls my mum from across the sea
He's not young anymore and he's sad, boy
Though he won't admit it to me
So I fly myself back to their island
To the wheat and the tractor wheels
And I show them my sonny-boy smile and I know
They can tell it conceals
The face of a stranger
No longer at home in that house on the hill
The face of a stranger
The boy that they raised there is gone without trace
And even the family he's built in their place
Regard him with love, but they're loving the face of a stranger
I would be off on my own
Exploring the earth's empty ends
Then why am I lonely
Surrounded by family and friends
They tell you No man is an island
But to me that's not how it seems
I think every man is an island
Of secrets and longings and dreams
An invisible ocean surrounds us
Those who love us reach just the shoals
Is it any surprise it astounds us
How well we keep playing our roles
With the face of a stranger
Who peers in bright windows from out in the dark
The face of a stranger
And even the woman I most truly love
She tells me I wear an emotional glove
But I laugh it off with the smiling face of a stranger
Darling, have you seen the children
Yes, they're out playing Pirates-at-Sea
Ah, well, let me just pay this last bill, then
And we can sit down and have tea...