Bei Ilse und Willi auf'm Land

A handful of kids in the little kitchen,
Laughing and yelling, and brother-in-law Robert's quips,
Grandma on the windowsill, the dog snoozes in the basket,
Ulla sets the kitchen table, it’s all going around again.
Coffee on the stove and roast in the oven,
No place in the world I’d rather be right now, I swear!
Feet under the table, fork in hand
At Ilse and Willi's in the country!

Papers piling up on my desk in front of me,
High time I at least sort them out.
Do I start from the back or the front?
Doesn’t matter, I’ve lost track long ago.
I move them from one side to the other,
It’s amazing how tirelessly I work,
Until all the junk blurs before my eyes
And a picture appears that makes me feel good:

Frankfurt South highway interchange, cars bumper to bumper,
For two hours I’ve felt us putting down roots.
Nice to hear on the radio now:
"We recommend avoiding the traffic jam ahead."
Gummy bears, chips, and cookies all gone,
Thermos empty, and my ass is sore,
I know the newspaper by heart, my stomach’s growling,
And now Peter Alexander is singing, and I have to go too.

Since this morning, without interruption,
I’m dying of boredom in this meeting,
And while trying to mumble "How interesting,"
I’ve already fallen forward onto the table twice.
I can’t blink anymore, I can’t think anymore,
Can’t even play battleship with my table neighbors.
Now I speak up: "I want out of here,
Who among the gentlemen will give me a piggyback ride home?"