Borje Babel
Book I - Genesis · Track 3 · Parashat Noach (Genesis 11:1–9)
Borje Babel means "Tower of Babel" in Persian (Farsi). The original story is known as an infamous illustration of humankind's ego and inherent desire to defeat G-d. However, when reading the story on my own... I was surprised to see it was a tiny (seemingly insignificant) story squeezed between two large events. And in fact... there was no mention of anyone building the tower with the intention of invading heaven and overthrowing G-d. In fact, the page before was a simple story about the survivors of a flood, starving, suffering, and struggling to till the earth for food. In context, it got me thinking... if I survived a traumatic flood that destroyed the life I knew, I too might be inclined to build a tower - because that's what trauma does to the soul; it embeds anxious anticipation for the next flood to come. I turned the Tower of Babel into a place/person of refuge, rather than an edifice of ego, spoken of as a person we find protection and escapism in when the cruelty of the world pushes us to run. This personified tower is just a hollow body that begins to crumble when words reveal that there is no true peace that can be found in hiding. In reference of the Tower of Babel story being a possible anecdote for how the languages of the world were created, the bridge is written and sung in a string of 13 languages gradually begging to be protected and understood.. but instead gets the listener and protagonist caught in an echo of babble.
Lyrics, Transliteration, Translation
VERSE 1
It started with one tongue
One brain of unified thought
Wanderer from the west
Settled in her hubris
Bricks burning white-hot
Almost as hot as my head
Stack’em up to the sun
And clip the wing of icarus..
PRE-CHORUS 1
You and I, were led by desire
Tell me who?
Who chases heaven but those who are desperate to run?
CHORUS
I survived a flood again
Now I’ll build a tower
Pouring all my hopes and dreams in
توی برج بابل
VERSE 2
At first it was all fun
Soft lies mending my heart
All the words we confess
Drain the water from my chest
Up this high all the threats fall
Silent in your arms
Walls are meant to protect
While talk crumbles the foundation
PRE-CHORUS 2
Who said I, I fled like a child?
Well it’s true
‘Cause who chases heaven but kids who are desperate for love?
CHORUS 2
I survived a flood again
Now I’ll build a tower
Pouring all my hopes and dreams in
توی برج بابل
بعد از سیل
پناهم باش
هیچ زبونی برام رهایی نمیاره
the words you curse send me up further - in
توی برج بابل
BRIDGE
Vang je me op
bevor ich falle
Nunca me deixe ir
내 사랑
yana bir
კიდევ ერთი ნაბიჯი
Éramo accussì vicini
Ke kai ma lalo
悲しみの海
I begged you for something else to believe
Tu me portes en haut
لأقع في الصدى
של כל הבבל שלך
(هیچ زبونی برام رهایی نمیاره)
the words you curse send me up further - in
tooye borje ba-
VERSE 1
It started with one tongue
One brain of unified thought
Wanderer from the west
Settled in her hubris
Bricks burning white-hot
Almost as hot as my head
Stack’em up to the sun
And clip the wing of icarus..
PRE-CHORUS 1
You and I, were led by desire
Tell me who?
Who chases heaven but those who are desperate to run?
CHORUS
I survived a flood again
Now I’ll build a tower
Pouring all my hopes and dreams in
Tooye Borje Babel
VERSE 2
At first it was all fun
Soft lies mending my heart
All the words we confess
Drain the water from my chest
Up this high all the threats fall
Silent in your arms
Walls are meant to protect
While talk crumbles the foundation
PRE-CHORUS 2
Who said I, I fled like a child?
Well it’s true
‘Cause who chases heaven but kids who are desperate for love?
CHORUS 2
I survived a flood again
Now I’ll build a tower
Pouring all my hopes and dreams in
Tooye Borje Babel
Bad az seyl
Panāham bāsh
Hich zabuni, barām rahāyi nemiāre
the words you curse send me up further - inTooye Borje Babel
BRIDGE
'fāng ye me op
bevor ich falle
Nunca me deyshi ir
Nae Sarang
yana bir
Kidev, erti nabiji
Éramo accussì vicin
Ke kai ma lalo
Kanashimi no umi
I begged you for something else to believe
Tu me port on oh
Li aqāfi asādā
Shel kol ha-bavel shelkha
Hich zabuni, barām rahāyi nemiāre
the words you curse send me up further - in
tooye borje ba-
VERSE 1
It started with one tongue
One brain of unified thought
Wanderer from the west
Settled in her hubris
Bricks burning white-hot
Almost as hot as my head
Stack’em up to the sun
And clip the wing of icarus..
PRE-CHORUS 1
You and I, were led by desire
Tell me who?
Who chases heaven but those who are desperate to run?
CHORUS
I survived a flood again
Now I’ll build a tower
Pouring all my hopes and dreams in (inside the Tower of Babel)
VERSE 2
At first it was all fun
Soft lies mending my heart
All the words we confess
Drain the water from my chest
Up this high all the threats fall
Silent in your arms
Walls are meant to protect
While talk crumbles the foundation
PRE-CHORUS 2
Who said I, I fled like a child?
Well it’s true
‘Cause who chases heaven but kids who are desperate for love?
CHORUS 2
I survived a flood again
Now I’ll build a tower
Pouring all my hopes and dreams in (inside the Tower of Babel)
(after the flood, be my refuge)
(no language, can bring deliverance/release/freedom to me)
The words you curse send me up further - in (inside the Tower of Babel)
BRIDGE
Will you catch be (Dutch)
Berfore I fall? (Greman)
Never let me go, (Portuguese)
My Love (Korean)
Another one (Uzbek)
One more step (Georgian)
We were so close... (Neopolitan)
The sea below... (Hawaiian)
A sea of sadness (Japanese)
I begged you for something else to believe
You carried me up (French)
Just to fall for the echo (Arabic)
Of all your nonsense/babble (Hebrew)
(no language, can bring deliverance/release/freedom to me)
The words you curse send me up further - in (inside the Tower of Babel)
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