Rammstein - Deutschland - Meaning of the song
The first single off Rammstein's seventh album is a reflection on Germany's history of conflict. The song finds Till Lindemann speaking of his love/hate relationship with Germany as he considers his country's divisive history. At one point, we see some of the band members dressed in concentration camp uniforms from the Holocaust with nooses around their necks. As the video progresses, the prisoners surround a group of Nazi guards (one of them played by guitarist Richard Kruspe) and shoot them in the face from point blank range. The scene sparked criticism - the German government's commissioner for anti-semitism, Felix Klein, called the visual "a tasteless exploitation of artistic freedom."
“Deutschland’s” music video went viral before it was even fully released due to depictions of the Holocaust, with the hasty generalization being that the artists were supporting Nazism. However, when studying the lyrics of the song and the video in its entirety, it can be seen that such is clearly not the case. Rather they were criticizing the murderous reign of the Nazis, indeed depicting themselves as victims of it.
The Rammstein album topped the charts in 14 different countries including the band's native Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Poland and Canada. The record also made history in the UK with a #3 debut, the highest ranking a German-speaking artist has ever reached in the albums charts there.
Deutschland - Lyrics
Du
(Du hast, du hast, du hast, du hast)
Hast viel geweint
(Geweint, geweint, geweint, geweint)
Im Geist getrennt
(Getrennt, getrennt, getrennt, getrennt)
Im Herz vereint
(Vereint, vereint, vereint, vereint)
Wir
(Wir sind, wir sind, wir sind, wir sind)
Sind schon sehr lang zusammen
(Ihr seid, ihr seid, ihr seid, ihr seid)
Dein Atem kalt
(So kalt, so kalt, so kalt, so kalt)
Das Herz in Flammen
(So heiß, so heiß, so heiß, so heiß)
Du
(Du kannst, du kannst, du kannst, du kannst)
Ich
(Ich weiß, ich weiß, ich weiß, ich weiß)
Wir
(Wir sind, wir sind, wir sind, wir sind)
Ihr
(Ihr bleibt, ihr bleibt, ihr bleibt, ihr bleibt)
(Deutschland)
Mein Herz in Flammen
Will dich lieben und verdammen
(Deutschland)
Dein Atem kalt
So jung und doch so alt
(Deutschland)
Ich
(Du hast, du hast, du hast, du hast)
Ich will dich nie verlassen
(Du weinst, du weinst, du weinst, du weinst)
Man kann dich lieben
(Du liebst, du liebst, du liebst, du liebst)
Und will dich hassen
(Du hasst, du hasst, du hasst, du hasst)
Überheblich, überlegen
Übernehmen, übergeben
Überraschen, überfallen
Deutschland, Deutschland über allen
(Deutschland)
Mein Herz in Flammen
Will dich lieben und verdammen
(Deutschland)
Dein Atem kalt
So jung und doch so alt
(Deutschland)
Deine Liebe
Ist Fluch und Segen
(Deutschland)
Meine Liebe kann ich dir nicht geben
(Deutschland)
(Du)
(Ich)
(Wir)
(Ihr)
(Du)
Übermächtig, überflüssig
(Ich)
Übermenschen, überdrüssig
(Wir)
Wer hoch steigt, der wird tief fallen
(Ihr)
Deutschland, Deutschland über allen
(Deutschland)
Dein Herz in Flammen
Will dich lieben und verdammen
(Deutschland)
Mein Atem kalt
So jung und doch so alt
(Deutschland)
Deine Liebe
Ist Fluch und Segen
(Deutschland)
Meine Liebe kann ich dir nicht geben
(Deutschland)
[English translation:]
You
(You have, you have, you have, you have)
Cried a lot
(Cried, cried, cried, cried)
Separated in spirit
(Separated, separated, separated, separated)
United in heart
(United, united, united, united)
We
(We are, we are, we are, we are, we are)
Are together already for very long
(You're all, you're all, you're all, you're all)
Your breath cold
(So cold, so cold, so cold, so cold)
The heart in flames
(So hot, so hot, so hot, so hot)
You
(You can, you can, you can, you can)
I
(I know, I know, I know, I know)
We
(We are, we are, we are, we are, we are)
You all
(You all stay, you all stay, you all stay, you all stay)
(Germany)
My heart in flames
Want to love you and to condemn you
(Germany)
Your breath cold
So young and yet so old
(Germany)
I
(You have, you have, you have, you have)
I never want to leave you
(You cry, you cry, you cry, you cry)
One can love you
(You love, you love, you love, you love)
And want to hate you
(You hate, you hate, you hate, you hate)
Arrogant, superior
Taking over, handing over
Surprise, attack
Germany, Germany above all
(Germany)
My heart in flames
Want to love you and to condemn you
(Germany)
Your breath cold
So young and yet so old
(Germany)
Your love
Is curse and blessing
(Germany)
My love I cannot give to you
(Germany)
(You)
(I)
(We)
(You all)
(You)
Overpowering, superfluous
(I)
Superhumans, tired)
(We)
Whoever rises high falls hard
(You all)
Germany, Germany above all
(Germany)
Your heart in flames
Want to love you and to condemn you
(Germany)
My breath cold
So young and yet so old
(Germany)
Your love
Is curse and blessing
(Germany)
My love I cannot give to you
(Germany)
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