Alice in Dreamland

words by Alara Rogers, music by Yoko Nagamori-- adapted/filked from "Alice" by Yoko Nakagawa

Cover me with jewels, rose and sapphire hue
Give me precious things, none compares to you
I have many friends, important to me
But none of them mean what you mean, you see

So I can say this properly, so I can say this perfectly
I'm writing you a letter so you can understand me
But I don't know where to start

When did I stop being content with just a dream?
When did I pin my hopes on realer things?
I'd fall asleep amid mountains of lace
Always then to dream of you
In hopes someday it would all
Be true

Picture this: a dream of a Victorian scene
I'm in petticoats, blowing in the wind
You ride up, a white-horsed prince drawing near
Here and gone again-- the image disappears

Oh, Alice, lost, is singing a lonely song, she's singing
The voice of the nightingale and roses red as blood
With bitter thorns twined round her heart

Someday soon we two will meet again
Will you still recognize me then, my friend?
I'm not the girl that you played with as a boy
Just as you have become a man
I have grown into a
Woman

Will you awake, and awaken me as well?
Break out and break me out of our shells?
If I told you that I loved you this way
Would you hold out your hand today?
Or would you turn and walk
Away?

Notes: I did a translation of the Yoko Nagamori song "Alice" (which was released in 1987 or thereabouts, and apparently is no longer available anywhere) in about 1990. Japanese is very different from English, and it's almost impossible to create a translation that you can actually sing. So after the translation I picked up bits and pieces of the themes and imagery in the song, and wrote my own lyrics for the music. This is not an accurate translation -- this is not even close to an accurate rendition of the original song -- it is an original work. But I can't take credit for the lyrics without crediting the original inspiration.