Kan Izzaman (Time was)

Time was

when a shop stood drowned in shade

when we girls and boys came to play by water.

And drunken John

sat on and on

behind the shop. He sang

and the neighbors' girl

grew sad

don't you forget me

don't you forget me

and remember

drunken John.

We roamed the neighborhood

with the birds

we flew toward the shop

with piles of roses

and drunken John

kept busy drawing on the walls

the picture of the neighbors' girl.

The neighbors' daughter is pretty

She eloped on the night of a feast

The shop came down

and a new house went up

in its place

and still

on the walls of oblivion

drunken John draws

the picture of the neighbors' daughter