Pendelparanoia [English translation]

[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".

• Artist:Timbuktu
• Album:T2: Kontrakultur (2000)