The Young Man Who Used to Be Me [German translation]

When I was a young man the skies were so clear

The sun always shone and we walked without fear

All of the houses were new and we were the chosen few.

Youth was the engine of change, we were told,

To work with your hands was good for your soul.

They pitched us their latest great scheme 

And we all bought into the dream.

Then one day I looked out my window.

I knew then nothing would hold me

And I had to leave the young man that used to be me.

The years brought surprises, fortune and fame.

A house on the hill and a change in my name.

Dreaming of what I might find 

I left all my old clothes behind.

Then one day I looked in my mirror

And I saw someone that scared me

A person so blinded by greed he just couldn't see.

And I can't believe that young man used to be me.

Now I respond to a different command

I no longer wipe the dirt from my hands.

All of the houses are gone 

and we dance to a different drum.

The beggars still beg at the end of our street

But now when we pass our eyes fail to meet.

Where do the poor people go? 

Nobody wants to know.

One day I'll look out my window

And Ill see hell with your heaven

And I will return to the way my life used to be

And I will return to the way my life used to be