“Reincarnation makes life funny, sister, Let me tell you why…”
Remember that time in 1728
Worked your hands to bloody stumps, dawn to dark and late
Forty years you suffered just to own that plot of land
Then you died of the flu with dirt still on your hands
All that sufferin’ for nothing —
Nothing but the wisdoms you hold
Remember when you were the butcher’s wife in old Marseille?
Five beautiful children, then the king came one day
Took ’em all for his army, every single one
Left you dyin’ all alone when your workin’ days were done
All those dreams came to nothing —
Nothing but the wisdoms you hold
‘Cause you can’t take the land, can’t take the gold
Can’t take the house, can’t take what you sold
Can’t take your children, can’t take your name
But the meanings you make — that’s all you keep
The love, the loss, lessons learned so deep
The wisdoms you hold — is what you came for
Remember the Great War? The plague swept the world?
Remember the Empires and atrocities unfurled?
All that pain and gore, kingdoms rise and fall
A hundred lifetimes later, you can’t recall it all
‘Cause you can’t take the land, can’t take the gold
Can’t take your mask, can’t take your pride
The moments that broke you, made you
Your old soul wise and beautiful
The wisdom and the karma you hold…
What the chickens and the goat taught
The oak tree and your lover, told
Courage and duty, made you wise
Why so attached — to things that dont last?
Every life the mask falls away
You check out empty-handed
But richer than when you came…
‘Cause you can’t take the land, can’t take the gold
Can’t take your mask, can’t take your pride
The moments that broke you, made the soul wise
The meanings you make — is all that remains
The wisdoms you hold — is what you came for
So maybe lighten up a little, memories fade
The character, the mask falls away
But the soul things you earned?
That’s yours forever…