[Verse 1:]
Damn, how I hate rush hour;
the claustrophobia panic, the sweat and the babies crying
The delays; where does our tax money go?
And do guys like that always have to have their feet on seats?
Can't he see how that elderly lady wants to sit?
Totally rude, but it's not hard to guess
that there was a war in his country and he was persecuted,
so that's why he came here to be an abscess on our society
He takes up both a job and space1
I don't fucking work and pay tax to provide for riff-raff like that
Just look how cocky he looks
He's probably a criminal and drives an illegal cab every weekend
I've got to get out, it's too hot in here
Too many people, feels like I've stood here for an hour
And why is he looking at me like that?
Perhaps he's planning to follow me and rob me
He's probably doing drugs and beats his kids,
forces his wife to wear a veil, that's what they do in Islam
But all aren't like that, indeed,
like the marketing manager at the office, Dejan,
he's bright, but can be rather indecisive
But the guy at the convenience store, he's damn nice
That's right, I mustn't forget to buy milk
Is he still sitting there? What a crude jerk
He's been sitting there staring at me all the trip long
It's the same thing every day, I'll take the bus next time
[Chorus:]
If you had known me, you would never have judged me
If I had helped you, you would never have forgotten me
If you had taken the time, you might have understood
If I had dared, perhaps we would have talked
If we only had had more time, I might have stood next to you
If we had got to know each other, we wouldn't have been so afraid of others
[Verse 2:]
Damn, how I hate rush hour:
It takes at least an hour for me to get home from the factory
You have to take a replacement bus the last part
The trains are always broken, I'm tired of this crap
Just look at the guy at the door who's staring this way
All too important to let anyone pass
I bet he's incredibly rich and drives a Saab,
plays golf and gets drunk every day
While I have to toil and be degraded,
make a meager minimum wage in order for him to avoid tax
I can see that he thinks he's better than everyone else
I know his type, because my boss is the same
He's surely a racist, he's looking at me in a bad way
I work extra on the weekends while he's sitting in his villa
I hate these trains, they take too long
and you only get dirty looks from the people next to you
Is he still standing there, staring?
I wonder what he thinks;
that all foreigners just fight and steal?
Well, I know a couple of Swedes who are pretty nice
He who stands next to me at the assembly line, Stellan2
He's bright, but rather sanctimonious3
But Arne at the post office, he's damn nice
That's right, I have to go pay the electricity bill
That guy seems to be a horrible man, indeed
He's been standing there staring at me all the trip long
It's the same thing every day, I'll take the bus next time
[Chorus:]
If you had known me, you would never have judged me
If I had helped you, you would never have forgotten me
If you had taken the time, you might have understood
If I had dared, perhaps we would have talked
If we only had had more time, I might have stood next to you
If we had got to know each other, we wouldn't have been so afraid of others
1. Or "a seat", depending on what it refers to; it's a kind of a double entendre.2. Or lit. "He who stands at the assembly line next to me, Stellan". I interpreted the way I think it is meant.3. Or "hypocritical".