[Verse 1]
Qatar dust on my shoes
London rain in my sleeve
Lagos market in my ears
And all three pulled me in
I passed a Buddha’s calm face
Then a church bell, then a call
A mosque door in the noon heat
Opened wide and humbled all
[Pre-Chorus]
Palace walls kept their silence
Emperor names in stone
I stood where power got old
And my own voice turned to bone
[Chorus]
What is life for?
Tell me, tell me
What is life for?
I keep asking
What is life for?
In every doorway
What is life for?
And who am I
[Verse 2]
A woman weighed out peppers
A child laughed through the crowd
A tea glass flashed in the sunlight
Like a small hard piece of cloud
I watched faces meet my face
Some were kind, some shut tight
Some gave me a whole new story
In one glance across the light
[Pre-Chorus]
Palace walls kept their silence
Emperor names in stone
I stood where power got old
And my own voice turned to bone
[Chorus]
What is life for?
Tell me, tell me
What is life for?
I keep asking
What is life for?
In every doorway
What is life for?
And who am I
[Bridge]
Maybe wonder is the answer
Not the map, not the name
Maybe every sacred door
Leaves me changed the same
From Doha to London
To Lagos by the sea
I came home with a question
And it followed me
[Chorus]
What is life for?
Tell me, tell me
What is life for?
I keep asking
What is life for?
In every doorway
What is life for?
And who am I