Wir waren namenlos Und ohne Lieder Recht wortlos Waren wir nie wieder Etwas sanglos Sind wir immer noch Dafür nicht klanglos Man hört uns doch Nach einem Windstoss Ging ein Sturm los Einfach beispiellos Es wurde Zeit Los Sie waren sprachlos So sehr schockiert Und sehr ratlos Was war passiert Etwas fassungslos Und garantiert Verständnislos Das wird zensiert Sie sagten grundlos Schade um die Noten So schamlos Das gehört verboten Es ist geistlos Was sie da probieren So geschmacklos Wie sie musizieren Ist es hoffnungslos Sinnlos Hilflos Sie sind gottlos Wir waren namenlos Wir haben einen Namen Waren wortlos Die Worte kamen Etwas sanglos Sind wir immer noch Dafür nicht klanglos Das hÃört man doch Wir sind nicht fehlerlos Nur etwas haltlos Ihr werdet lautlos Uns nie los Wir waren los |
We were nameless and without songs We were never again really wordless Still we are a little songless Yet we're not toneless You can hear us After a gust of wind began a storm Simply matchless It was time -less They were speechless So totally shocked And totally powerless What happened Somewhat composureless and surely understandingless That will be censored They said groundless Too bad about the music So shameless That should be forbidden It's witless what they're trying there So tasteless how they're making music Is it hopeless Senseless Helpless They are godless We were nameless We have a name We were wordless The words came Still we are a little songless Yet we're not toneless You do hear it We aren't flawless Just a bit anchorless You will become soundless You'll never get rid of us We were less |
Los features acoustic guitars, a bluesy electric guitar solo, and a harmonica. The rather curious lyrics may describe the experience of Rammstein as a musical group, and contain some interesting plays on words, such as “…sie sind gott…LOS!” (“they are god…less.”)
I have a copy of a electric version of this song with n entirely new bridge. I’m not fluent in German, so I have no idea what Till is singing other than a few words. Does anyone else have this?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ1XVLnhadQ&list=RDdQ1XVLnhadQ&start_radio=1&t=6
The song is about how the band perceives itself and the reaction it has received over the years.
They started out without any of their own material, slowly developed their sound and because sucessful.
How they came from being nobodies to a major musical entity. They do not plan to go anywhere. Well at least when that song was written.
I meant “became” successful.
fassungslos is not composureless (actually composure-less)… it’s the same as speechless, its is shocked, perplexed, stunned.
But speechless (spracheloss) is besides also shocked , stunned and perplexed: dumbfounded, mute. So more the emphasis towards the unable to speak because of physical reasons and fassungslos more of psychological reasons. This is how I understand it anyway.
we were lost/-less
“You will become soundless” – can also mean that maybe some people stopped listening to Rammstein because of the controversy of the shooting; and “You’ll never get rid of us” – they gave Rammstein a bad reputation and Rammstein are sometimes still mentioned and blamed when a school shooting occurs.
I think the song was written about the kids from the Columbine massacre. They listened to Rammstein and some people claim Rammstein’s music had influence on their actions. One of the kids claimed to be god… Here’s a picture of a note he wrote, that’s the first thing he wrote and there are bits of Rammstein’s lyrics there too http://acolumbinesite.com/yearbook/rebsig.gif
So, “they are God” – the kid thought he was God; “they are godless” – they have no morals because they shot the other kids. The rest of the song is about how they were nameless, kids that no one cared about and after the shooting they became known by the public. The first part of the song would be on how the kids may have thought to do that because of the songs, but if they thought that the songs were telling them to do it, they didn’t understood the meaning of the lyrics “Still we are a little songless” (they didn’t get the lyrics’ meaning in spite of hearing the music and quoting it).
“Yet we’re not toneless
You can hear us
After a gust of wind
began a storm
Simply matchless
It was time” – this refers to when they went to do the shooting and how everyone payed attention to them because of that.
“They were speechless
So totally shocked” – the reaction of the people to the shooting.
“Too bad about the music
So tasteless
How they’re making music” – Till is saying that people who think the songs told them to do that are giving a bad name to music.
“You will become soundless
You’ll never get rid of us” – they killed the people, so the people became “soundless” and they made history with the shooting, “you’ll never get rid of us”.
I think this interpretation really makes sense.
I think this song is about the people criticizing the band.
Thanks Maria! That helps a lot. I think it’s better to have more than one translation. I thought yours seemed to make more sense in a lot of places.
The second verse is clearly about critics who have called their music obscene and blamed it for violence. But I have a much better understanding of the “sie sind gott…los” line now. Before I though Till was just saying it himself, but now I’m sure he’s paraphrasing his critics from “Sie sagten grundlos” all the way through “gotloss”. So, he’s saying they said the band is godless, but he’s kind of saying the band IS god.
We had no names
and no songs
Totally speechless
we haven’t been since
a bit off-key
we still are
yet not sound-less
everyone can hear us
after a blast of wind
a storm broke loose
It was about time (just in time)
Go !
They were speechless
Very shocked
And very desperate
What happened
a little clueless
and for sure
unappriciative
therefore they censored
they said, without reason
shame about the music
so shameless
it should be illegal
there’s no soul
in what they’re trying
very tasteless
they way they conduct music
it’s hopeless
useless
desperate
they are god
Go!
We had no names
we have one now
we we’re speechless
the words started flooding
a bit off key
that, we still are
but not soundless,
one can hear us no matter what
we are no angels
just a bit controversial
you’ll be still
and we’ll be here forever.
Go !
Just a try, no harm intended.
I thinks you are correct there, the translation is being looked from the wrong angle.
To begin with Es wurde Zeit and then after a pause he says Los, so indeed its not timeless because thats 1 word in German (zeitlos). As you (sort of, I think 🙂 )correctly translated ‘ It was time. (pause) Go! ‘
it’s a play on words, it’s just a dramatic pause ICH BIN GOTT…LOS (I am god…less)
Like “Aha you thought I was gonna say that but I said this instead”
Actually I think “Gott… los” is one of the few where “-less”
(“godless”, “gone from God”) is the correct translation 🙂
oFzo, you right here, this is a classic meaning of double interpretations for this song, Los, by it self is used as a command for Go!, from what my family has said. And this meaning can be used where there is a pause between the word and los. Thus Sie sind gott los = They are god less or They are god Go! … at least from my understanding
In my opinion there’s more to “los” than just “-less”.
Yes, many German words ending with “-los” would end with “less” when translated to English.
However, although my understanding of German is far from perfect I’m rather sure “los” also means something along the lines of “Go!” or “loose”, “free”.
That way “Wir waren los” becomes something like “We went for it” or “we were set free”, etc.
also agreed on this one . They look at it from the wrong perspective. In my opinion to it’s los = Go maybe free, not sure. But the not from the less perspective.
I found this on you tube. I think it's cool!
This is one their best acoustic songs!!
Next to Wilder Wein!!
i love Rammstein