Lyrics

Kristoffer Raasted

Introduction:

Thematically preoccupied with a 7 month backpacking journey in South East Asia in six countries aged 8, in 96/97, Kristoffer Raasted has written songs for his first full-length studio album. Overarching themes such as tourism, memories and airplane travel are examined with a starting point in childhood impressions. With contributions from the artist’s sister on backing vocals and his parents on traverse flute on an instrumental, the making of the album has been an auto-theoretical and collaborative process.

Jakarta

Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?
Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?

The humid heat in the
doorway of the airplane
hit me like a wall in the
face like a membrane
I walked down the stairs
down towards the runway
I felt sweaty and warm
under my T-shirt in a fun way

Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?
Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?

Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?
Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?

We woke up in the middle
of the night with a jet-lag
there was a lizard that ran across
the ceiling called a cêcak
we went out in the streets
to get some late food
some fried eggs from a street
food vendor put us in a good mood

Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?
Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?

Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?
Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?

Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?
Are we going to Jakarta?
All the way to Jakarta?

Kuala Lumpur

We took the elevator going up
to the penthouse floor
a souvenir shop was appearing
framed by the opening doors
among the items on the tables and shelves
was a scorpion cast in glass
the panoramic nighttime view
of the metropole felt high class

 

City lights
In the humid night

During the day we would
spend some time
hanging out in our hotel room
my parents washed
our clothes in the sink
swept the floor
with a handmade broom
going out for an evening walk
in a park with benches,
lamp posts and trees
some special crisps with a toy inside
made me feel good, right at ease

 

City lights
In the humid nights

Bangkok

 

There was a tiny TV set
in the hotel lobby radio
a lot of kitschy stuff was placed
on the counter it was time to go

 

The fish on the river bank
had lungs and breathed the air on land

I sunk in knee deep
my sandal was lost in the slimy sand

 

Going out to the evening show
It doesn’t start ‘till the sun gets low
The golden fingered dancers’
Choreography flows so elegantly

 

Going out to the evening show
Doesn’t start ‘till the sun gets low
A golden fingered choreography

 

A dusty wooden screen
separated the street from the interior
from the outside looking in again
once again I felt superior

 

The fish on the river bank
had lungs and breathed the air on land

I sunk in knee deep
my sandal was lost in the slimy sand

 

Going out to the evening show
It doesn’t start ‘till the sun gets low
The golden fingered dancers’
Choreography flows so elegantly

 

Going out to the evening show
Doesn’t start ‘till the sun gets low
A golden fingered choreography

Singapore

 

You could take the cable car
to the side with the aquarium
we went to a large-scale concert
later at a stadium

my sister fell asleep on a plastic seat
towards the very end
we went to pick our camera up
from some people in a stagehand tent

 

If you threw a piece of trash on
the street you could get a fine
my parents got me a stingray
teddy bear, the best friend of mine
on the bus we were magnifying
the screens of our new game boys
I was wearing a plastic watch
that transformed into a jet plane toy

 

Downtown walking round
on the sidewalks at the end of the day

hmm-hm

walking round on the sidewalks
at the end of the day

 

State city high-rise
Skyline views and bus rides
Through the streets of Singapore

 

You could take the cable car
to the side with the aquarium
we went to a large-scale concert
later at a stadium

my sister fell asleep on a plastic seat
towards the very end
we went to pick our camera up
from some people in a stagehand tent

 

Downtown walking round

on the sidewalks at the end of the day

hmm-hm

walking round on the sidewalks
at the end of the day

 

State city high-rise
Skyline views and bus rides
Through the streets of Singapore

 

State city high-rise
Skyline views and bus rides
Through the streets of Singapore

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City traffic
Ho Chi Minh City traffic
Ho Chi Minh City traffic

 

From our room on the first floor
we looked down at the intersection
the lanes of mopeds and bicycles
with traffic flowing in all directions
four people riding on a motorbike
someone with a pile of cardboard boxes

we skipped ropes

with some kids in front of the building

 

Ho Chi Minh City traffic
Ho Chi Minh City traffic
Ho Chi Minh City traffic

 

Bespoke linen suits
tailored in the marketplace
frozen yogurt in a see through
medicine glass
walking around
between all the people
in the market street

 

Ho Chi Minh City traffic
Ho Chi Minh City traffic
Ho Chi Minh City traffic
Ho Chi Minh City traffic

Kathmandu

 

Tikka Powder festival
An endless celebration
Tiny pigments
Go into my hair

 

Powder covers everything
in many clear bright colors,
thrown by strangers passing by
a fingerprint, a handful
impossible to get it off
the colored tikka powder
the taste of lentils in my mouth
the mountains in the distance

 

Celebrative festivities,
Festival in the city
Celebrative festivities

 

Tikka Powder festival
An endless celebration
Tiny pigments
Go into my hair

 

Walking in the dusty streets
between the wooden buildings
the princess never touched the ground
she’s living in a palace
cattle blocking the traffic
between the roads and buildings
ascetic standing on one foot
on a lonely pilar

 

Celebrative festivities
Festival in the city
Celebrative festivities

 

Tikka Powder festival,
An endless celebration

 

Tiny pigments
Go into my hair