Der Schattenhändler (The Shadow Dealer)
The Shadow Dealer is a ballad woven in layered echoes, shifting between English and German to create a rhythm that carries its weight throughout. It unfolds like a folk tale, moving steadily without repetition, every verse carrying the weight of the story forward.
It begins not with fire or steel, but with silence, illusion, and stolen grace—a figure who leaves no scars but still manages to crumble everything he touches. The imagery builds with each verse, tightening the grip of his quiet deception until the ghosts arrive.
The Bridge
The ghosts—the unseen witnesses—do not forget, do not fade. Their whispers press close, a reckoning gathering in the shadows.
Final Verse - Irish Blessing Cadence
Spoken like truth rather than condemnation:
"Let him sink beneath the weight, let him drown within his hand."
It doesn’t curse. It doesn’t rage. It simply allows consequence to arrive.
Closing Lines
These lines don’t linger in the wreckage. They lift upward, beyond the grasp of shadows.
I am still brainstorming music ideas.
Next is improving me saying the words, recording and adding imagery.
Der Schattenhändler (The Shadow Dealer) - Full Ballad
Prologue - English & German
English: He does not strike with sword or fire, but with a lie that breathes, with hands that take.
German: Er schlägt nicht mit Schwert oder Flammen, sondern mit einer Lüge, die lebt, mit Händen, die rauben.
English: He does not haunt with shadows deep, but with silence spun, with stolen grace.
German: Er jagt nicht mit dunklen Schatten, sondern mit gesponnener Stille, mit geraubter Schönheit.
English: Yet every step he leaves behind turns love to ash, turns light to dust.
German: Doch jede Spur, die er verlässt, macht Liebe zu Asche, macht Licht zu Staub.
Verse 1 - English
He moves where truth and silence blend, never feared, never shunned, but felt too late. His voice is gold, his words are light, but what he touches loses weight.
Verse 2 - German
Er schleicht, wo Wahrheit und Stille ruh’n, nie gejagt, nie gemieden—doch gefühlt zu spät. Sein Mund aus Gold, sein Wort aus Licht, doch was er berührt, verliert sein Gewicht.
Verse 3 - English
No scars, no shattered form to bear, no jagged mark, no blade unkind. Yet all he claims as his to keep will rot, will crumble, will turn blind.
Verse 4 - German
Kein Zeichen trägt er auf der Haut, kein Schnitt, kein Mal, kein Flammenarm. Doch jede Spur, die er erschafft, macht Wärme kalt, macht Freude arm.
Bridge - English & German
English: His kingdom built on stolen stone, but sacred love was never his.
German: Sein Reich erbaut aus fremder Zeit, doch heilige Liebe war nie für ihn bestimmt.
And still, the ghosts do not slumber, nor do they drift away— they circle, whispering, pressing close, never forgetting his name.
Final Verse - English
Let him sink beneath the weight, let him drown within his hand. For what was meant to rise in light was never shaped by his command.
Final Verse - German
Er soll versinken in seiner Last, verloren in seiner Hand. Denn was bestimmt war, Licht zu sein, lag niemals in seinem Land.
Closing Lines - English & German
English: Though shadows stretch and voices fade, we will rise, untouched, unstained.
German: Auch wenn die Schatten weiterziehen, wir werden aufsteigen—unberührt, unbefleckt.
