Guten Nacht   I'll be dead before dawn      Kind, mein Sohn   I'll be dead before dawn      And though your eyes appear wry and withdrawn   I'll be dead before dawn   I'll be dead before dawn      Father! Father I fear for the night   when the Erl King comes to collect us.   Father! Father! I fear for my soul as you should      Father Father make sense of the night   Let's turn back our horse   and flee from this unsightly terror,   that is trembling through these woods      My son you must be pacified   these scenes of dreams are only imagination   My son, you must be satisfied   I'll keep you safe from fancy apparitions      My dear young son, with eyes so wild   Be still my son, you waggish child.   I'll hold your head and keep you warm   There's nothing here to harm you.      Child you're beautiful   come lie with the Erl King   Child you're beautiful   come quiet, come willing      The gifts I could give to you   The wind and the wild river spring   Child you're beautiful   come lie with the Erl King   Child you're beautiful   come quiet, come willing      Father! Father can't you hear his cries?   The Erl King comes to collect us!   Father! Father I fear for my soul   as you should   Father! Father! Make sense of the night   Let's turn back our horse   and flee from this unsightly terror   that is trembling through these woods.      My dear young one I hear it clear   a hooing owl burrows near   No Tophet trolls or urchin fear   There's nothing here to harm you.      Child you're beautiful   come lie with the Erl King   Child, you're beautiful    come quiet, come willing      The gifts I could give to you,   the wind and the wild river spring   child you're beautiful   come quiet, come willing.      Father gallops frantically,   trembling with dread   For when he reached the weeping hearth   The child was dead.