A dreary land with no real hope
Which seeks to rise from gray waters

Feel the light shine through the clouds of fear
Bring the fight, a clever fox with highest hopes

These are the prospects of our people
To free ourselves from constant shame

All eyes gaze upon the elector - Who are you to judge me so?
A well meaning failure, "protector" - Disregarded and mocked
All eyes gaze upon the elector - I try my best to guide us through the fire
A poisoned and hesitant mindset - I did my best for us all

Caught between the hammer and the anvil
Torn apart, my reputation's fate

These are the prospects of our people
To build a nation just as strong

All eyes gaze upon the elector - The Swedish lion calls for war
A well meaning failure, "protector" - No place for neutrality
All eyes gaze upon the elector - No right choice to make
A poisoned and hesitant mindset - I'm damned no matter what I do

This poor lame man was doomed to hang
But not from rope, but from his own shame

These were my prospects and ambitions
I try so hard but always fail

All eyes gaze upon the elector - Who are you to talk me down?
A well meaning failure, "protector" - A lame and courageous man
All eyes gaze upon the elector - Ich laufe nach Ducal Preussen
Menschen koennen so gedankenlos - A hero who accepts unjust shame

Now the time to decide
Give us a choice between the hell and fire
We yield, unending strife
Catholic rage - and all for god

The Danes came into our city in peace - There's no need for bloodshed
Then fire came from out of the western bank - Provoked Danish fire

Chaos and bloodshed throughout the streets of Brandenburg
Are filling with dead, the harsh cannon fire belches its horrid smoke

Pointless violence, shattered silence
Give all you have and still you'll die
By my will we'll take what we need
Even daughters bound and gagged

Ears parted with heads
Splinters of wood in throats of old men
Burn houses and steal anything found in the rubble

Children stripped of their clothes and left to die of exposure
The common man pays a horrible price to feed other armies

Amazing, the cost of belief
And there's no relief
Imperial bloodlust
We have to reform, concentrate power
Thirty years of blood is far too much

Thirty years of terror
Thirty years of fear
And no one is safe here from Swedish or from Danes
Thirty years of hardship
The soldiers live off our land
We're just a fledgling nation
I dream of a better time

I feel enraged, there's no release
Constant pressure and agony
You want to rise? First learn to lie
You be the fox with a mask of a lion
Systems failing all around
You have no friends, you are alone
Leave me be, I can take no more
I'll set a fire and lock the door

Starlight born to a father of shame
The fox and the lion
Choose now the path which will be your guide
There's no room for mercy

Shamed and kicked in the mud, we look to the sun and dream of better times
Persistence, acceptance of loss is our creed..
But never we forget

We have ascended to great renown
A kingdom that's respected by the seeds we've sewn
Fight wars for money and all the perks
This time it just so happens to be the French we fight

And then dark news came from the east
The Swedish armies from the north

No, no, no!
There's only one way out
That's to avenge myself upon the Swedes
Both noble and the plain, we'll kill them all
We'll purge this land of filth and bring them to the fall

This cruel betrayal, it feels the same as the thirty years of terror which left a vile stain
Never again will this come to pass
We fly for Brandenburg for vengeance now at last

They flew like specters in the night
With hearts so heavy for the dawn

No, no, no!
There's only one way out
The fox will go to war with wolves who have no doubt that we are weaker still, and stand but little chance
But now our hearts are made of fire and blood is on our minds

Silent in the rain, our passage through the night
We swept them from the stage
Brandenburg left vacant in their flight
Their expectations blocked by the marshlands not in sight

Silence at Fehrbellin
Echoes of family long gone by
Silence at Fehrbellin
Green fields shimmer with their blood

Despite an overwhelming tide
The rage of shame cast fear aside

Blood, blood, blood!
We have them on the run
I am the father, Friedrich Wilhelm
The fleeing Swedes were butchered by peasants and by all
The memory of shame is sometimes quite unfair

Life in this cage, it seems I am condemned to see right through the bars of freedom out beyond
That is the punishment, to see what you can't have
And learn obedience, to kneel as you still stand

Friedrich, dear
My love, be calm
You'll find your path in time before too long

I fear his hand
The shame carries on
A tyrant for a guide
Release is on my mind

No songs of birds, no warm embrace
Nothing more valuable than a friendly face
Only my sister and Hans von Katte
There's no escape, make the best of what you have

You're wasting time, you worthless boy
My plans for you won't be destroyed

I fear his plans
Confined to fortress walls
The shame he puts on me
Release is on my mind

Friedrich, boy
All will be well
A chance of release from all this hell

Fight, flight, or die
I'll vanish into the night
No choice but to risk my life
My tyrant, my father and this strife

Lost in this haze, I swim in the mist for days at a time
You come to a point where one must act on his words
A broken resolve, a path carved into the mountain's heart
One last escape, the only light in this darkness

Into the unknown, my spirit has flown
It's time now to follow
The wraith of my dreams tears apart at the seams
With the sight of my captor

No escape
In the sapphire starlight
It's my trial of fears
Come with me to the shadows
As hell appears

And so I'm discovered, my father's rage inflamed and provoked
They call me a traitor
It's not betrayal to run from your pain, but certainly shameful
And so I sit and await my trial
They've taken my friends away, extinguished their chances of happy lives

I'm dead on my feet; they sit in their seats and pierce me with dead eyes
They question my pride, they threaten my life
My future is uncertain

Austria's plans will soon come to light
A happenstance benefit now that is ripe
You've offered your future as king of this realm
Reverse what you plea as the moon turns to stone

- Where are you taking him? Leave him alone
Dear Friedrich, I must say goodbye
It's time for my star now to fade in the night
Be strong and don't break your own will
- A brave man who kneels there with tears in his eyes
The sword in the sun wants to fall
My head to the bars so I can't look away
By god I will make you all pay!

No escape
In the sapphire sunbeams
Piercing through to my cell
Come with me to the shadows
As hell appears

I am swimming in anger
I will make them all burn
Not for this flash in the pan, but the whole damn situation

My time has come, it's time to rise to my destiny and
Prove competence, I'm not the same and I won't be like you
A crown made of steel collecting dust in the light of the morning
Beams of twilight, a solemn oath that I swear to my people

Unter diesem leichten-Stein
Ruh ich Pein ohn' alle Pein
Und erwarte mit den Meinen
Selig fuer Gott zu erscheinen

Wir sind wieder geboren - Der Philosoph Koenig
Ein Land, das hoeher steigt - Launischen, aber stark
Frage der Sexualität - Es ist mir egal
Wir sind immer bei dir - Der Zorn ich bringe
We are now reborn - Philosopher King
A land rising higher - Capricious but strong
Subject to the people - And nothing else matters
We are always by you - The wrath that I bring

I am a mirror; reflect personas of those around me
A creature who lies, who doesn't dare to be what nature designed
But with this new position, a seat upon the Prussian throne
I'll lead my men through fields where Austria's fate is sewn

Forsake what is ours, I'll tell you all right now
This is the man who will avenge me
Vienna, never to be trusted - Father, I'll carry on and fight for rightful gain

Facing myself again, displeasure with what I see
Study, ignore the scars
And part your blows with those who seek your head

In these days the fuse is burning
Slow decay of peacetime
To the south a beast of vengeance
Near to the east is the hungry wolf

I puff my pipe in the sunset and feel the warmth it provides
A chilling breeze like an omen of wintertime tells me we're near the fall

This war of partition, like wolves at the slaughter
Ripping limb from limb in a frenzy
Flesh and bone pulled apart
You see the odds stacked against you, this time there's no way out
Prussia's rise to higher standing will fucking burn to a backwater state

No! As days go by, I feel the weight of man's design
A plan to win, to keep our heads above the tide
To take it all one day at at time

Let there be light
Let there be nothing
To shield the blood from heaven
Es werde licht
Es werde nichts
Um das Blut vom Himmel abschirmen

For years we've suffered
For years we've sacrificed our sons and brothers to defend our very being

Nobody hears the cries of the common man who gives his life and suffers hell to come

Fire! We will push on, through smoke and chaos swirling 'round our horses' feet

No! This can't be right
We'll guide the fight from safety here at this climax

And so they're broken, but reunited
Shattering all that gave them hell, we're fleeing on the run

Nothing for me, I plunge my sword into the ground and make a stand
Even if I die, I'll fight alone

You see the masses, don't lose your mind
We have to flee into the fray, into the womb of everything we love

Despite my loyalty and everything I've given
The battle's lost and hope is fading like a dream

This is not a simple tale - We are heavy hearted souls
When one speaks to you of death - Our flesh is of the earth
Never trust the words they say - Not just paintings on the wall
Lest you speak unto a soldier - Not just stories that you hear

And we stand naked, so exposed
Constant fire, never safe - Bullets kill the men beside me
Valor here means just not running - All is gray, I have to run
Quell your fears, we have to stand - Keep formation, no matter what
Raise your muskets, unleash hell!

Madness thrives in empty hearts
I will overcome my grief and carry on
And fuel the furnace of hearts

Prussians all together as one
United underneath the flag you mended
Russians furious and still divided
Elizabeth soon will die in rotten linen - Struggle in a storm to catch your breath
Courage never goes unrewarded

Seven years we've fought and failed to win - And seven more will come to pass if you don't learn to yield
Never will Austria forget its pains - Never will you forget the Iron Kingdom's wrath

A soldier sacrifices for the common good his health and limbs, his strength and life
He has the right to claim some benefits for those he fought and died for
His pains and screams, his blood and sweat
There is no higher price

As the raven flies
A tear into my eye
Weathered the storm and wait upon the dawn
To puff my pipe again and have another drink
Duality of man will be the wraith that haunts our race

The sun sets on the field
And darkness is my shield
A bullet in my back, and shrapnel's turned my ankle black
Every step I take advances forth my dying state
I hear their screams of agony; their tortured souls will soon be free

You're struggling through the night
You're searching for the light
You're swimming in a sea of fire
Moonlight reflects the blood
The battle's lost, not won
I'm swimming in a sea of fire

Crawling over corpses, I hear the thunder of their horses
Cossacks killing wounded men, I hear their pleas time and again
I'm on my journey through the dark, my pain and tears may not leave a mark
I see the campfires up ahead, I thought for sure that I'd be dead

A quest for safe haven, a quest to live again
I'm swimming through a sea of fire

Promise you will come back to me
Swear now, say you will agree - Terror, I may never make it back
Moments that I live for all the while
Heartache, worth it just to see your smile - I hear them coming, I fear they will attack

A hundred yards away, the Cossacks come your way
You're fleeing from a sea of fire
They stop and then dismount
My time has now run out
I'm sinking in a sea of fire

Wrinkles on a young face, he went into the light
He saw the truth which meant a weight that no one can bear
No god, no higher meaning
I stress we are alone
But worry not my dear, for death will bring your sweet release

To be the wraith who wanders endlessly through space
When crowns are shattered, I will have faith
Until that day, my friends, I'll step off to the side
When crowns are shattered, I will come back to you

Set a fire, lock the door
We are together to burn forever
Feel the flames kiss your feet
Bound together to writhe forever more

Despite waves of sorrow, one must hold onto them
Through war and times of hunger, hold onto them
How curious is mankind, our capabilities to cheat and kill each other; kindness and charity

I am the guardian to the Prussian claim to life
When crowns are shattered, we'll be complete
There is no line which separates yourself from me
When crowns are shattered, we will ascend

Thus we rose to guard all German states alike
When crowns are shattered, I will have faith
And so must all men be who wish to see a change
When crowns are shattered, there's no excuse

Entzunde ein Feuer, verschliess die Tuer
Wir sind zusammen um fuer immer zu brennen

Here upon this armchair I reflect upon my life
Did I do everything I dreamt of, or did I waste my time?

I smile to myself and think of all I've done
This is a death which I can live with

I rest my weary eyes and sleep...