Född fri [English translation]

I found the bird by the well on the yard

A roaring winters evening

It laid there on the ground with broken wings

and eyes glazed with fear

I closed my hands gently around its body

and bought it into my house

It ate and drank and it slept all night

in front of the fire place until the flame burned out

At dawn I was awoken by the bird climbing up onto my chest

It sat there and sang the most delightful tones

with its clean and crystal clear voice

and the tones filled my desolate house

to the most distant nooks and crannies

The song made me happy and my mind was bright

because I knew that we were two

I brought my bird a golden cage

and sat it in the middle of my table

It was there when I wrote, it was there when I ate

and it was also there when I slept

I talked to the bird, I played for the bird

and it became like a dear old friend

and in my moments of sadness and despair

it sang me to happiness again

With the bird in the house my loneliness was over

and soon I felt full of life again

So I threw a party and I offered a dance

and friends filled my home

we sat up all night and talked about memories

sometimes until it was light

and the bird sat with us, however late it was

until it fell asleep in its cage

The months came and went

and soon the summer had blitzed the winter

and the bird became quieter with every day

until it finally lost its voice

It sat in its cage and looked out of the window

towards a sky so leaden and grey

and in october I understood at last

How it sat there and looked

towards the sky you could see them fly in part

on the way to his real home

They went on instinct, they followed those laws

Nature so wisely have decided

I looked at my bird, who sat there on the table

So restricted, sad and quiet

So I opened the window and I opened the cage

and I saw how my bird flew out

Spring is drawing in, soon the trees will start budding

Now the darkness and coldness is gone

I walk around my garden and look towards the sky

because I know they will soon come here

and I think just one of them is going to do an extra sweep over my home

If only to show their appreciation to live in freedom again

Well, I think just one of them is going to do an extra sweep over my home

If only to show their appreciation to live in freedom again

• Artist:Björn Afzelius
• Album:Tankar vid 50 (1997)