ABBA The Visitors 1981

 The Visitors

B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

I hear the door-bell ring and
Suddenly the panic takes me
The sound so ominously tearing through the silence
I cannot move, I'm standing
Numb and frozen
Among the things I love so dearly
The books, the paintings and the furniture
Help me

The signal's sounding once again
And someone tries the door-knob
None of my friends would be so stupidly impatient
And they don't dare to come here
Anymore now
But how I loved our secret meetings
We talked and talked in quiet voices
Smiling

Now I hear them moving
Muffled noises coming
Through the door I feel I'm
Crackin' up
Voices growing louder
Irritation building
And I'm close to fainting
Crackin' up
They must know by now I'm
In here trembling in a
Terror evergrowing
Crackin' up
My whole world is falling
Going crazy there is
No escaping now I'm
Crackin' up

These walls have witnessed all the
Anguish of humiliation
And seen the hope of freedom glow in shining faces
And now they've come to take me
Come to break me
And yet it isn't unexpected
I have been waiting for these visitors
Help me

Now I hear them moving
Muffled noises coming
Through the door I feel I'm
Crackin' up
Voices growing louder
Irritation building
And I'm close to fainting
Crackin' up
They must know by now I'm
In here trembling in a
Terror evergrowing
Crackin' up
My whole world is falling
Going crazy there is
No escaping now I'm
Crackin' up

I have been waiting for these visitors




 Head Over Heels
 
B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

I have a very good friend
The kind of girl who likes to follow a trend
She has a personal style
Some people like it, others tend to go wild
You hear her voice everywhere
Taking the chair
She's a leading lady
And with no trace of hesitation
She keeps going

Head over heels
Breaking her way
Pushing through unknown jungles everyday
She's a girl
With a taste
For the world
The world is like a playing-ground
Where she goes rushing
Head over heels
Setting the pace
Running the gauntlet in a whirl of lace
She's extreme
If you know
What I mean

Her man is one I admire
He's so courageous but he's constantly tired
Each time when he speaks his mind
She pats his head and says: That's all very fine
Exert that will of your own
When you're alone
Now we'd better hurry"
And with no trace of hesitation
She keeps on going

Head over heels
Breaking her way
Pushing through unknown jungles everyday
She's a girl
With a taste
For the world
The world is like a playing-ground
Where she goes rushing
Head over heels
Setting the pace
Running the gauntlet in a whirl of lace
She's extreme
If you know
What I mean

You hear her voice everywhere
Taking the chair
She's a leading lady
And with no trace of hesitation
She keeps on going

Head over heels
Breaking her way
Pushing through unknown jungles everyday
She's a girl
With a taste
For the world
The world is like a playing-ground
Where she goes rushing
Head over heels
Setting the pace
Running the gauntlet in a whirl of lace
She's extreme
If you know
What I mean

I think she's one of those who
Always likes to do whatever she feels
And she goes
Head over heels




 When All Is Said And Done
 
B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

Here's to us
One more toast
And then we'll pay the bill
Deep inside
Both us
Can feel the autumn chill
Birds of passage
You and me
We fly instinctively
When the summer's over
And the dark clouds hide the sun
Neither you nor I'm to blame
When all is said and done

In our lives
We have walked
Some strange and lonely treks
Slightly worn
But dignified
And not too old for sex
We're still striving
For the sky
No taste for humble pie
Thanks for all your generous love
And thanks for all the fun
Neither you nor I'm to blame
When all is said and done

It's so strange
When you're down
And lying on the floor
How you rise
Shake your head
Get up and ask for more
Clear-headed and open-eyed
With nothing left untried
Standing calmly at the crossroads
No desire to run
There's no hurry anymore
When all is said and done

Standing calmly at the crossroads
No desire to run
There's no hurry anymore
When all is said and done




 Soldiers
 
B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

Do I hear what I think I'm hearing?
Do I see the signs I think I see?
Or is this just a fantasy?
Is it true that the beast is waking?
Stirring in his restless sleep tonight
In the pale moonlight
In the grip of this cold December
You and I have reason to remember

Soldiers write the songs that
Soldiers sing the songs that
You and I don't sing
They blow their horns and march along
They drum their drums and look so strong
You'd think that nothing in the world
Was wrong
Soldiers write the songs that
Soldiers sing the songs that
You and I won't sing
Let's not look the other way
Taking a chance
'Cause if the bugler starts to play
We too must dance

What's that sound?
What's that dreadful rumble?
Won't somebody tell me what I hear
In the distance but drawing near?
Is it only a storm approaching?
All that thunder and the blinding light
In the winter night
In the grip of this cold December
You and I have reason to remember

Soldiers write the songs that
Soldiers sing the songs that
You and I don't sing
They blow their horns and march along
They drum their drums and look so strong
You'd think that nothing in the world
Was wrong
Soldiers write the songs that
Soldiers sing the songs that
You and I won't sing
Let's not look the other way
Taking a chance
'Cause if the bugler starts to play
We too must dance

Soldiers write the songs that
Soldiers sing the songs that
You and I won't sing
Let's not look the other way
Taking a chance
'Cause if the bugler starts to play
We too must dance




 I Let The Music Speak

B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

I'm hearing images
I'm seeing songs
No poet has ever painted
Voices call out to me
Straight to my heart
So strange
Yet we're so well acquainted
I let the music speak
With no restrains
I let my feelings take over
Carry my soul away
Into the world
Where beauty meets
The darkness of the day

Where my mind is like an open window
Where the high and healing winds blow
From my shallow sleep the sounds awake me
I let them take me

better wake me
and I'm glad you let 'em take me
Let it be a joke
Let it be a smile
Let it be a farce
If it makes me laugh
For a little while
Let it be a tear
Let it be a sigh
Coming from a heart
Speaking to a heart
Let it be a cry

Some streets are emptiness
Dry leaves of autumn
Rustling down an old alley
And in the dead of night
I find myself
A blind man
In some ancient valley
I let the music speak
Leading me gently
Urging me like a lover
Leading me on the way
Into a place
Where beauty will
Defeat the darkest day

Where I'm one with every grand illusion
No disturbance, no intrusion
Where I let the wistful sounds seduce me
I let them use me
an illusion
no disturbance
no intrusion

Let it be a joke
Let it be a smile
Let it be a farce
If it makes me laugh
For a little while
Let it be a tear
Let it be a sigh
Coming from a heart
Speaking to a heart
Let it be a cry
Let it be a tear
Let it be a sigh
Coming from a heart
Speaking to a heart
Let it be a cry

Let it be the joy of each new sunrise
Or the moment when a day dies
I surrender without reservation
No explanations
No questions why
I take it to me
And let it flow through me
Yes, I let the music speak
I let the music speak




 One Of Us
 
B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

They passed me by
All of those great romances
You were, I felt
Robbing me
Of my rightful chances
My picture clear
Everything seemed so easy
And so I dealt you the blow
One of us had to go
Now it's different
I want you to know

One of us is crying
One of us is lying
In her lonely bed
Staring at the ceiling
Wishing she was somewhere else instead no one else is achin' with a heart that's breakin'
One of us is lonely
One of us is only
Waiting for a call
Sorry for herself
Feeling stupid
Feeling small
Wishing she had never left at all

I saw myself
As a concealed attraction
I felt you kept me away
From the heat and the action
Just like a child
Stubborn and misconceiving
That's how I started the show
One of us had to go
Now I've changed
And I want you to know

One of us is crying
One of us is lying
In her lonely bed
Staring at the ceiling
Wishing she was somewhere else instead no one else is achin' with a heart that's breakin'
One of us is lonely
One of us is only
Waiting for a call
Sorry for herself
Feeling stupid
Feeling small
Wishing she had never left at all
Never left at all

Staring at the ceiling
Wishing she was somewhere else instead no one else is achin' with a heart that's breakin'
One of us is lonely
One of us is only
Waiting for a call
Sorry for herself
Feeling stupid
Feeling small
Wishing




 Two For The Price Of One

B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

He had what you might call a trivial occupation
He cleaned the platforms of the local railway station
With no romance in his life
Sometimes he wished he had a wife

He read the matrimonial advertising pages
The cries for help from different people different ages
But they had nothing to say nothing to say
At least not until the day 'til that day
When something special he read
This is what it said

If you dream of the girl for you
Then call us and get
Two for the price of one
We're the answer if you feel blue
So call us and get
Two for the price of one

If you dream of the girl for you if you are dreaming of the one which will be right for you
Then call us and get why don't you call us and you'll get two
Two for the price of one
We're the answer if you feel blue we may be the answer to your problem - if by chance you feel blue
So call us and get why don't you call us and you'll get two
Two for the price of one

He called the number and a voice said
Alice Whiting
The voice was husky and it sounded quite exciting
He was amazed at his luck
The purest streak of gold he'd struck

He said I read your ad it sounded rather thrilling
I think a meeting could be mutually fulfilling
Why don't we meet for a chat? meet for a chat
The three of us in my flat in my flat
I can't forget what I read
This is what it said

If you dream of the girl for you
Then call us and get
Two for the price of one
We're the answer if you feel blue
So call us and get
Two for the price of one

If you dream of the girl for you if you are dreaming of the one which will be right for you
Then call us and get why don't you call us and you'll get two
Two for the price of one
We're the answer if you feel blue we may be the answer to your problem - if by chance you feel blue
So call us and get why don't you call us and you'll get two
Two for the price of one

She said, I'm sure we must be perfect for each other
And if you doubt it, you'll be certain when you meet my mother




 Slipping Through My Fingers
 
B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

Schoolbag in hand
She leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye
With an absent-minded smile
I watch her go
With a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm loosing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sleep in our eyes
Her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake
I let precious time go by
Then when she's gone
There's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt
I can't deny
What happened to the wonderful adventures
The places I had planned for us to go slipping through my fingers all the time
Well some of that we did
But most we didn't
And why I just don't know

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture
And save it from the funny tricks of time slipping through my fingers

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Schoolbag in hand
She leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile




Long awaited darkness falls
Casting shadows on the walls
In the twilight hour I am alone
Sitting near the fireplace
Dying embers warm my face
In this peaceful solitude
All the outside world subdued
Everything comes back to me again
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room

Half awake and half in dreams
Seeing long forgotten scenes
So the present runs into the past
Now and then become entwined
Playing games within my mind
Like the embers as they die
Love was one prolonged goodbye
And it all comes back to me tonight
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room

I close my eyes
And my twilight images go by
All too soon
Like an angel passing through my room




 Should I Laugh Or Should I Cry

B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

He
Stands
Towering over me beside my bed
Losing his head
Tells
Me
I must take him seriously
Droning on the usual way
He's such a clever guy
And I wonder
Should I laugh or cry?

He's he's
Dressed dressed
In the striped pyjamas that I bought
Trousers too short
Gives gives
Me me
Of his small philosophy
Carries on the way he does
And me, I get so tired
And I wonder
Should I laugh or cry?

High and mighty his banner flies
A fool's pride in his eyes
Standing there on his toes to grow in size all I see is
All I see is a big balloon big balloon
Halfway up to the moon halfway to the moon
He's wrapped up in the warm and safe cocoon
Of an eternal lie
So should I laugh or cry?

Strange strange
How how
Dangerously indifferent I have grown
Cold as a stone
No no
More more
Pain where there was pain before
Far away he rambles on
I feel my throat go dry
And I wonder
Should I laugh or cry?

High and mighty his banner flies
A fool's pride in his eyes
Standing there on his toes to grow in size all I see is
All I see is a big balloon big balloon
Halfway up to the moon halfway to the moon
He's wrapped up in the warm and safe cocoon
Of an eternal lie
So should I laugh so should I laugh
Or cry?




 The Day Before You Came

B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

I must have left my house at eight
Because I always do
My train I'm certain left the station
Just when it was due
I must have read the morning paper
Going into town
And having gotten through the editorial
No doubt I must have frowned
I must have made my desk around
A quarter after nine
With letters to be read
And heaps of papers waiting to be signed
I must have gone to lunch
At half past twelve or so
The usual place, the usual bunch
And still on top of this
I'm pretty sure it must have rained
The day before you came

I must have lit my seventh cigarette
At half past two
And at the time I never even
Noticed I was blue
I must have kept on dragging through
The business of the day
Without really knowing anything
I hid a part of me away
At five I must have left
There's no exception to the rule
A matter of routine
I've done it ever since I finished school
The train back home again
Undoubtedly I must have read
The evening paper then
Oh yes, I'm sure my life
Was well within its usual frame
The day before you came

I must have opened my front door
At eight o'clock or so
And stopped along the way to buy some
Chinese food to go
I'm sure I had my dinner watching
Something on TV
There's not, I think, a single episode of Dallas
That I didn't see
I must have gone to bed
Around a quarter after ten
I need a lot of sleep
And so I like to be in bed by then
I must have read a while
The latest one by Marilyn French
Or something in that style
It's funny but I had
No sense of living without aim
The day before you came

And turning out the light
I must have yawned and cuddled up
For yet another night
And rattling on the roof
I must have heard the sound of rain
The day before you came




 Under Attack

B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

Don't know how to take it
Don't know where to go
My resistance running low
And every day the hold is getting tighter
And it troubles me so

You know that I'm nobody's fool
I'm nobody's fool and
Yet it's clear to me
I don't have a strategy
It's just like taking candy from a baby
And I think I must be

Under attack I'm being
I'm being taken I'm being taken
About to crack
Defences breaking
Won't somebody please have a heart? won't somebody have a heart
Come and rescue me now
'Cause I'm falling apart

Under attack I'm taking
I'm taking cover I'm taking cover
He's on my track
My chasing lover
Thinking nothing can stop him now thinking nothing can stop him now
Should I want to
I'm not sure I would know how

This is getting crazy
I should tell him so
Really let my anger show
Persuade him that the answer to his questions
Is a definite "no"

I'm kind of flattered I suppose
Guess I'm kind of flattered
But I'm scared as well
Something like a magic spell
I hardly dare to think of what would happen
Where I'd be if I fell

Under attack I'm being
I'm being taken I'm being taken
About to crack
Defences breaking
Won't somebody please have a heart? won't somebody have a heart
Come and rescue me now
'Cause I'm falling apart

Under attack I'm taking
I'm taking cover I'm taking cover
He's on my track
My chasing lover
Thinking nothing can stop him now thinking nothing can stop me now
Should I want to
I'm not sure I would know how




 You Owe Me One

B. Andersson, B. Ulvaeus

Now there's a shadow falling
Over our faces
Doubt
Forever
In our hearts
And in a while we'll start to
Pick up the traces
We
Won't
Find the missing parts
Buy me a ticket I'll go to the Bahamas aah
I need a rest from our petty little dramas aah
Yes, I really do

Aha, hmm now look what you've done
Look what you've done
I'm missing all the fun I miss all the fun
Baby, you owe me one
Aha, hmm it's my turn to run
My turn to run
A chance to feel the sun and sit in the sun
Baby, you owe me one

I wasn't ready for this
Kind of intrusion
I
Was
Taken by surprise
Now both of us are in a
State of confusion
Hesitation
In our eyes
Something unwanted has entered our existence aah
I think it's better to view it from a distance aah
Yes, I really do

Aha, hmm now look what you've done
Look what you've done
I'm missing all the fun I miss all the fun
Baby, you owe me one
Aha, hmm it's my turn to run
My turn to run
A chance to feel the sun and sit in the sun
Baby, you owe me one