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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.
Hi!
I see it that way that the first person is in a mental hospital and Schwester refers to sister as a mental nurse? And she is working to the next room. Could that be the case? And the nurse is killed by another patient…
Thanks for bringing this interesting alternative explanation!
Ja, ich reiß’ ich der Puppe den Kopf ab
remove the second “ich”
On quiet nights (In stillen nächten) has the poem When Mommy goes off late to work. Someone has issues… and he made it into a song, beautifully dark…
Based on the translation, not sure the original, “I take my medicine nicely”… I think is talking about hugging the Puppe or similar. It is a way to release the emotions, the medicine from sister to stay calm. But then it turns into violence at the end because it is also in sync with the child emotions.
this sinister track seems to tell the story of a child and their doll (or puppet – Puppe). But in true Rammstein style, scratch the surface and a much murkier world lies beneath.
Puppe’s lyrics make reference to our child protagonist being locked in a room while their “little sister” – the use of “little” in this case being used to emphasise that the sister is still a child herself – travels to “work”, not by train but simply into the room next door. The reference is fairly oblique at first, with unusual language like ‘Schaffensplatz’ hinting towards the German word for ‘prostituting yourself’. But by the time we get to the final verse, references to the ‘red light’ in the sister’s bedroom make clear the song deals with the violent world of child prostitution and trafficking.
The child’s voice is kept deliberately innocent and naive throughout the first few verses – they “take their medication like they’re supposed to” as they helplessly wonder why they’ve been locked up and what’s going on in the room next door. But as the sister screams from the next room (‘Schwester schreit’), this voice gradually becomes more urgent and direct, as in the chorus, when the child frenziedly tears their doll’s head off and goes on to “bite its neck off”.
The helpless confusion is overtaken by violent desperation which climaxes in the final verse, when the child sneaks from its room and witnesses the sister being beaten to death by a punter. In a final act of furious revenge, the lyrics suggest the child kills the sister’s murderer (the Puppe in this final verse a metaphor for the sister’s killer), and the child – who has complained of feeling unwell earlier in the song – feels much better now the perpetrator is dead.
This is the most violent sounding vocals i’ve ever heard from Till. It gives me the shivers. He’s not even screaming the lyrics. It’s like he’s ripping them out of himself.
To me, that it starts with “I’m not doing well” and ends with “I’m doing very well…yes” sounds like normalizing violence to me. A child that grows in very difficult circumstances, with his sister prostituting herself in the next room, eventually being killed as he was watching (which means it was rather normal for the kid to watch his sister “working”), releasing fear and anger through ripping a doll’s head off… Coupled with the absolutely visceral vocals sounds like insanity to me. The makings of a violent killer in adulthood. A very powerful song.
Just a thought, but could this be the inner dialogue of the same person. A hooker that closes away her inner true self when she is working? It would seem to make more sense to me that way.
After reading everyone’s comments, I think it’s a younger sister that Till is playing. Who is scared and enraged on what her sister is doing and being subjected to. So she does the only thing to release her emotions on something she can control. She takes it out on her doll. The violence to her doll eventually makes her feel better, hence her descending into madness.
Es geht mir nicht gut in context here means I am not feeling well (check text being in bed taking pills etc.) if you would talk eg about job loss or money shortage it would mean I am not doing well
Es geht mir nicht gut
Means I’m not doing well, but why in the next group of says I’m not feeling well? Can it mean either or is it incorrect?
This…needs an official video ASAP
It could be the actual sister of the character singing who is a prostitute. He lives in the same place, takes his medicine. One day he gets crazier, ‘reiße der puppe den kopf ab’ and realized it’s not a puppet but his prostitute-sister. Because who else if not unidentified? (‘Einer schlug sie tot’)
“Puppe” actually means “Doll”. So yes it could be about a hooker on the red light district
This song is about a hooker. “Wenn Schwesterlein der Arbeit frönt, das Licht im Fenster rot – when sissy is indulging in her work, the light in the window is red.” The red may be referring to the red light district. “Wenn Schwesterlein zur Arbeit muss, schließt mich im Zimmer ein – when sissy has to work, she locks me in the room.” His sister locks him away to keep him out the way whilst she works.
its Leaked 🙁