Lyrics Night Chorus - John Adams

Night Chorus

Is not the night restless for them?
Smoke detectors and burglar alarms
Go off without reason, the taped voice
Unwinds in the widow’s backyard
No one bothers to look up from his work
Elijah will return, the Jews believe
The Antichrist condemn, the Messiah
Judge;
the dead, the wicked and the good
Will be distinguished, the world consume
And be renewed.
Even the man
Who lies awake in dread will be distinguished
The lights of the world burn around the clock
He guesses how much is lost
Dwellers in Paradise look at each other
As one looks at the planets in the sky
And a man may say something
In ignorance, please God, and be saved
Or, equally, be damned.
Even he
Rejoices;
and is in his element
I am afraid for myself, for myself, for myself