they say my final masterpiece
was this house upon the hill
high above the great and mighty river
my hand could not hold the brushes
yes i guess i lost my will
and you can´t keep painting paradise forever
oh forever

from the andes to niagara
to where we stand today
i drew the great creations of my master
´til the oil and the canvas
lord i threw them all away
and traded them for stone and brick and plaster
i traded them all for you

(winter wind blows and the river lies frozen at my feet)
i traded them all for you
(springtime come and the river wanna run above the street)

she came to me one night
while i was tossing in my dreams
she said she´d give my family protection
i recall the night i died
beneath her arches and her beams
i thanked her for the shelter and direction
i was lost until olana

(sun beat down on a summertime town -- he left me there)
i was lost until olana
(watching these hills turning gold for one more year)

oh i´ve been from jerusalem to rome
now i´m floating through these rooms tonight alone
and looking back on everything
all i ever wanted was a home

i was lost until olana
how sweet the sound
how sweet the sound

they say my final masterpiece
was this house upon the hill

chorus