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| Wenn Schwesterlein zur Arbeit muss | When Sissy has to work, |
| Schließt mich im Zimmer ein | she locks me in the room |
| Hat eine Puppe mir geschenkt | She’s given me a doll, |
| Dann bin ich nicht allein | then I’m not alone |
| Wenn Schwesterlein zur Arbeit muss | When Sissy has to work, |
| Fährt sie nicht mit der Bahn | she doesn’t take the train |
| Ihr Schaffensplatz ist gar nicht weit | Her workspace isn’t far away, |
| Ist gleich im Zimmer nebenan | it’s right in the room next door |
| Am Himmel dunkle Wolken ziehen | In the sky, dark clouds gather |
| Ich nehme artig meine Medizin | I take my medicine nicely |
| Und warte hier im Daunenbett | And wait here in the down bed |
| Bis die Sonne untergeht | Till the sun goes down |
| Sie kommen und sie gehen | They come and they go |
| Und manchmal auch zu zweit | And sometimes also as couples |
| Die späten Vögel singen | The late birds sing |
| Und die Schwester schreit | And my sister screams |
| Am Himmel dunkle Wolken ziehen | In the sky, dark clouds gather |
| Ich nehme artig meine Medizin | I take my medicine nicely |
| Und warte hier im Daunenbett | And wait here in the down bed |
| Bis die Sonne untergeht | Till the sun goes down |
| Und dann reiß’ ich der Puppe den Kopf ab | And then I rip the doll’s head off |
| Dann reiß’ ich der Puppe den Kopf ab | Then I rip the doll’s head off |
| Ja, ich beiß’ der Puppe den Hals ab | Yes, I bite the doll’s neck off |
| Es geht mir nicht gut | I’m not doing well |
| Ich reiß’ der Puppe den Kopf ab | I rip the doll’s head off |
| Ja, ich reiß’ der Puppe den Kopf ab | Yes, I rip the doll’s head off |
| Und dann beiß’ ich der Puppe den Hals ab | And then I bite the doll’s neck off |
| Es geht mir nicht gut … nein | I’m not feeling well…no |
| Dam-dam | Dam-dam |
| Wenn Schwesterlein der Arbeit frönt | When Sissy is indulging in the work, |
| Das Licht im Fenster rot | the light in the window is red. |
| Ich sehe zu durchs Schlüsselloch | I look through the keyhole |
| Und einer schlug sie tot | and someone struck her dead |
| Und jetzt reiß’ ich der Puppe den Kopf ab | And now I rip the doll’s head off |
| Ja, ich reiß’ der Puppe den Kopf ab | Yes, I rip the doll’s head off |
| Und dann beiß’ ich der Puppe den Hals ab | And then I bite the doll’s neck off |
| Jetzt geht es mir gut … ja | Now I’m fine…yes |
| Ich reiße der Puppe den Kopf ab | I rip the doll’s head off |
| Ja, ich reiß’ der Puppe den Kopf ab | Yes, I rip the doll’s head off |
| Und jetzt beiß’ ich der Puppe den Hals ab | And now I bite the doll’s neck off |
| Es geht mir sehr gut … ja | I’m doing very well…yes |
| Dam-dam | Dam-dam |
| Lyric © Rammstein | Translation © Affenknecht.com |
Translation Notes:
Lyrically and musically, this song, in our humble opinion, is one of Rammstein’s finest work. For fans who are familiar with lead singer, Till Lindemann’s poetry, they will recognize some of these lyrics already. “Puppe” is loosely based on Lindemann’s poem, “Wenn Mutti spät zur Arbeit geht” or “When Mommy Goes Off Late to Work,” from his 2013 collection titled “In stillen Nächten.”
“Puppe” is delivered as a first-person narrative, by a child whose sister works as a prostitute and witnesses her murder at the hands, it seems, of either a client or perhaps a pimp, which differs somewhat from the poem where the prostitute is the child’s mother. The song is altogether creepy and dark from beginning to end, but fans are instantly drawn, shocked even, at Lindemann’s sudden vocal dive into the very depths of that darkness as he screams:
Und dann reiß’ ich der Puppe den Kopf ab
Dann reiß’ ich der Puppe den Kopf ab
Ja, ich beiß’ der Puppe den Hals ab
Es geht mir nicht gut
Ich reiß’ der Puppe den Kopf ab
Ja, ich reiß’ ich der Puppe den Kopf ab
Und dann beiß’ ich der Puppe den Hals ab
Es geht mir nicht gut … nein!
The music alone is enough to drag us into a deep depression, and that is before we even dig into the lyrics. Fans who have even a basic understanding of German will totally comprehend the story. For those who don’t understand the language, all you get is the darkness of the music and the urgency of Lindemann’s vocals without getting the complete meaning of the song.
“Puppe” is its very own brand of darkness, sadness, anger, fear, and mental anguish that only Rammstein and Till Lindemann can deliver with a gut-wrenching brutal rawness one can find in other classics such as “Stein um Stein” and “Mutter” and that is simply unmatched in the music industry.
I think song is about a child whose sister is forced to be a prostitute ‘zur Arbeit muss’
In the first verse the child is mdeicated to stop them from getting upset from thier sisters screams or the child is mentally ill and is given a doll to not be alone
but the child becomes hysterical and rips up the doll (could it also be that they were starving? ich beiß’ der Puppe den Hals ab)
the child watches through the keyhole and sees their sister is murdered and kills her murderer in the same manner as they ripped up their doll but this time they enjoy it descend into madness – Lindemann’s voice in the first chorus is almost crying but in the second he is just screaming, while still desperate it does not appear to be in the same manner as the first