Alfian Sa'at - The Interrogation Room lyrics

The Interrogation Room I imagine they took you to a room. You were led to a chair And there might have been a table. There was a pen scathing Or a tape recorder spool twisting Your words back on itself. "Are you a Marxist? Which hand would you use To hold the Constitution? Do you talk in your sleep? Which of the stars Of the national flag Represents d**h? What kinds of friends Have shared your cigarettes Or rolled over in bed Stretching his or her hand To find you absent, And believed that You had been taken away?" You swallowed your trembling With the help Of a cup of coffee They had placed In your trusting hands You finally cleared your throat As if pushed Onto a funeral podium To deliver a eulogy For a man you did not know. What is a word? A needle's ballet Stitching the chasm Between a yes and a no.