Lee Hazlewood with Amiina: Hilli (At The Top Of The World)
At the top of the world there’s an island
A place where the sun never shines
But the people don’t care
Because the snow over there
Is so bright they nearly go blind.
They live at the foot of a mountain
Where the flowers last hardly a day
But they live off the land,
Lend each other a hand
On this island where night is their day.
They’d have punished me if I dared tell you,
And if I asked them they’d say they don’t know,
But what keeps them healthy
Even though they’re not wealthy
On this magical island… is snow.
The flakes as they fall look like candy
Children rush out when it snows for a treat
Then they open their mouths
And gulp down the flakes
Because nothing on earth tastes so sweet.
But then one dark day
Smoke blew in their way
And the temperatures got higher
On the horizon they saw fire
And the waters did rise
As the snow started melting away.
And the people weren’t tearful
Not fearful or scared
Because the secret was out there,
At last,
The secret was shared.
They watched as the ice turned to water
And streamed down into the sea
And lit up the ocean
And crept in slow motion
Towards a world that they never did see
And people in lands round the planet
Were in shock as the light came to shore
And lit up their beaches
And even their teachers
Couldn’t say what the bright light was for.
It flowed upstream through the mountains
Burst out through their fountains
Breaking all life’s natural laws
‘Til it lit up the planet
And all who lived on it
Were touched by this magical force.
And they looked all around
At the sky, at the ground
And they realised the damage they’d done
As they started to cry
Their tears filled the sky
And black storm clouds gathered above
And then the heavens opened
And the rain came to show them
That their world needs a little more love.
At the top of the world there’s an island
A place where the sun never shines
But the people don’t care
Because the snow over there
Is so bright that the sun’s in their mind.