Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne

[Verse 1]
On the western edge of Germany where the Emperor lived and died
The tower bells cut through the quiet of the early evening sky
They say his body's buried here and I could see the bones
But I've had enough of castles, they're just cold and made of stone
And I'm out here on my own trying to keep this thing on track
Everyday I quit this job, by night I take it back
I've just got a few more minutes in this tiny room offstagе
Before it's me and thе ghost of Charlemagne

[Verse 2]
And I'll sneak out through the back after the after-party starts
I'll be too tired after two sets to be safe near any bar
And all these surface conversations in a language not my own
Reminds me how far away I am from any home
Although tonight out there I felt close to the flame
By morning I'll be hauling luggage through the rain
And though it's rental cars and chain motels, cafés with clever names
Some nights it's me and the ghost of Charlemagne

[Bridge]
We all want to leave behind
A thing that says that we were here before we die
Something more than just a castle in the air
So we dare

[Piano Solo]

[Verse 3]
You know that moment when the dreamer meets the dream and it's a lie
After years of climbing up, I see it's just the same damned sky
And the clouds that kings have pondered, yeah, they look a lot like mine
I dream because I know that I'm running out of time
And we’re all carpenters, hammering at nails
Building arks, chasing after whales
Tilting at windmills and hunting the grail
These little rhymes and relics, may they live beyond my name
'Cause in the end they're all that will remain
Of me and the ghost of Charlemagne