A Bad Harvest (Live)

And who are you to chide
Almighty God in Heaven?
Is it his fault you fill
My empty womb with seed?
You go about in silence
Sullen and begrudging, half the time
And what is my crime?
You want to punish me when all i've done
Is make a child with you?
We made these lives together
Bodies face to face
You seem to think that I'm to blame
When things go wrong it's all my fault
You are so unfair!

Karl Oskar
How can you think you are to blame?
You know I hold the children dear
But I can't help it. I still worry that
The crop may fail again
Kristina
Do you love me as you did?
Karl Oskar
I always have, I really do
Kristina
Are you saying that to please me?
Karl Oskar
I'd never dare to lie to you.

Kristina
That is true, you're always honest
I'm just being vain and jumpy
I don't ever mean to blame you.

Karl Oskar
Dear Kristina, how you worry
We will always be together
No-one else we can rely on
Kristina
Do you want me just as much…?
(Karl Oskar whispers in her ear)

Kristina
Goodness, that's the second time you
Speak of love in one single day
It feels good to hear you say it
Was it just because we quarrelled?
Karl Oskar
I'm too simple to deceive you
Kristina
Let's say I believe you!

Anna
Look here, papa, I just found it
Is it dead? It isn't moving
Will I die like this poor bunny?

Karl Oskar
I'm afraid we all die sometime
Anna
Maybe we'll all die tomorrow?
Kristina
It will be a day still distant
Karl Oskar
She's smart, that child, beyond her tender years
Our Anna is a most remarkable girl.

Kristina
She watches you, she always follows you
And you're so proud
Karl Oskar
But what's her future to be?

Last year there were rainstorms
They drowned the harvest
This year it's drier than hell
We cry out for water!

What now of your Saviour?
Why do we hunger?
Are we just dirt in His hands
Just lambs to His slaughter?

Come look at the harvest
See what i've got here
These straws, these hairs of a cat
Come count them for yourself
We've got your precious Lord to thank for that!

Kristina
Watch what you're saying!
Karl Oskar
I throw this back in His face
Let's see how He likes it!
Kristina
God help you for those words, Karl Oskar!
Karl Oskar
The barn! It's on fire!

Neighbours
Now everywhere we look it's dark
And we have seen the signs of
Coming danger, omens of despair
Across the land all winter long
The signs were deadly
All of spring was dry as tinder, cold as sin.

And then the driest yet of thirty summers
No sign of rain, the earth is gasping in the heat
The grass in the meadows turns pale and sickly
And as the grass falls away, so too
Does the livestock.

The hills and the valleys turned dark and tawny
Foretelling what was to come: disaster and famine
What good is our labour, our toil and trouble?
They're good for nothing
Our Lord has given us nothing!

Kristina
So proud and so haughty are you, Karl Oskar
I don't know one who compares
It seems you think that you can curse at God
And then just forget it!
Now we are punished
You threw it back in His face
He taught you a lesson
Well, how do you like it?