Here's Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) my annual spoken word contribution to Adam Ings' Bibby Factors Christmas music compilation - audio version here.
I had the idea of filtering a typical experience at Birmingham's German Christmas Market through Kraftwerk's The Hall of Mirrors - so the following works better if you read it in the meter of the song. Possibly also in a slightly blank, robotic tone of voice, although your mileage may vary.
The last chorus in particular only really works if you assume it's being declaimed in a very Mitteleuropa accent.
And if Ralf or Florian by some strange twist of fate are reading this, all I can say is that I'm very, very sorry.
The young man stepped into the Christmas market
Where he discovered a reflection of himself
Dressed in a Christmas pudding jumper
Hat and ears like he was cosplaying an elf
Said his double "Change your ways and fast"
"For I am the spirit of the Weihnachtsmarkt."
"Yeah, you'd better change your ways and fast.
For I am the spirit of the Weihnachtsmarkt"
His doppelganger led him through the market
A panopticon of robotic St Nicks
As they moved past the booths and the parties
He found it harder to be detatched
To be i-ron-ic.
They shot the breeze over sausages and Glühwein
Under the lights of the golden carousel
Looked at rock salt lamps, dream-catchers and crystals
A descent into some yoghurt-weaving hell
Asked our Scrooge "is it me or is it that"
"No one with any taste would buy this tat?"
"Is it just me or is that
No-one with any taste would buy this tat?"
But suddenly he fell in love with Christmas
He understood the Weihnachtsphantom's pitch
The creepy Santa automata turned heartwarming
To step into Xmas, you must embrace the kitsch
So he made up the partygoer he wanted to be
And changed into a festive personality
And even our humbugger
Has been changed for good in the Weihnachtsmarkt
Yes, even our narrator
Has been changed for good in the Weihnachtsmarkt
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