The Road to My Self

On the road to my Self,
I often got lost,
the pounding I received hurt a lot.

On the road to my Self,
I frequently stood shivering outside,
and watched the cosy fire places of others.

And sometimes tears streamed down my face,
and carrying on was hard,
but one thing I knew for sure,
I will never give up even if it gets a lot worse,
I would only lose my own respect.
And I will get up even if I have stumbled,
I will overcome, I know, it's inside of me.

On the road to my Self,
I wandered through Heaven and hell,
realizing that true freedom is somewhere in-between.

On the road to my Self,
I often bumped into myself,
sometimes no longer recognizing myself anymore.

To be free often means to be alone.
I met many on this road but rarely a friend.
No, I will never give up even if it gets a lot worse,
otherwise I would only lose my own respect.
And I will get up even if I have stumbled,
I will overcome, I know, it's inside of me.

(Peter Maffay, Auf dem Weg zu Mir; my translation)