Buy Rammstein song “Mutter” on Amazon
| Die Tränen greiser kinderschaar | The tears of senile childs |
| ich zieh sie auf ein weisses Haar | i put them on a white hair |
| werf in die Luft die nasse Kette | throw it in the air, the wet chain |
| und wünsch mir das ich eine Mutter hätte | and wish i had a mother |
| keine Sonne die mir scheint | no sun that shines to me |
| keine Brust hat Milch geweint | no breast cries milk to me |
| in meiner Kehle steckt ein Schlauch | in my throat there is a tube |
| hab keinen Nabel auf dem Bauch | have no navel on my belly |
| Mutter … Mutter | Mother … Mother |
| Mutter … Mutter | Mother … Mother |
| Ich durfte keine Nippel lecken | i could not lick the nipples |
| und keine falte zum verstecken | and no fold to hide inside |
| niemand gab mir einen Namen | no one gives me a name |
| gezeugt in Hass und ohne Samen | made in hate and without sperm |
| der Mutter die mich nie geboren | to the mother that never born me |
| hab ich heute Nacht geschworen | i swear this night |
| ich werd dir eine Krankheit schenken | i will give you a disease |
| und sie danach im Fluß versenken | and after that i will sink it in the river |
| Mutter .. Mutter | Mother … Mother |
| Mutter .. Mutter | Mother … Mother |
| Mutter .. Mutter | Mother … Mother |
| Mutter .. Mutter | Mother … Mother |
| In ihren Lungen wohnt ein Aal | in her lungs there lives an eel |
| auf meiner Stirn ein Muttermahl | on my face there is a birthmark |
| entferne es mit Messers Kuß | remove it with the kiss of the knife |
| auch wenn ich daran sterben muß | also if i die of it |
| Mutter … Mutter … Mutter … Mutter !! | Mother … Mother … Mother .. Mother !! |
| In ihren Lungen wohnt ein Aal | in her lungs there lives an eel |
| auf meiner Stirn ein Muttermahl | on my face there is a birthmark |
| entferne es mit Messers Kuß | remove it with the kiss of the knife |
| auch wenn ich verbluten muß | also if i bleed out |
| Mutter | Mother |
| Ohh … gib mir Kraft | Ohh … give me strength |
| Mutter | Mother |
| Ohh … gib mir Kraft | Ohh … give me strength |
| Mutter … Mutter | Mother … Mother |
| Ohh … gib mir Kraft | Ohh … give me strength |
| Mutter … Mutter | Mother … Mother |
This song is about a man who never had a mother because he was born from an experiment. The man in the song seeks revenge against the mother that never gave birth to him, while at the same time expressing love for the same mother, exposing the duality in some mother-son relationships in which hate and love exist in parallel to each other.
This song is about abortion: The life not known not given but taken away by the mother.The birthmark on the face is the mark left by forceps used to remove the fetus from the mother during an abortion!
The birthmark on the head must surely relate to the mark on the aborted child’s head when it was taken from its mothers womb with forceps.No navel means umbilical cord was still attached and then thrown into a river to be rid of!This mark of shame and of being discarded is wanting to be cut away even if it means ultimate death anyway!
This song is about abortion!I am convinced!
Muttermahl, wouldn’t be better to change translate to birthmark instead of mothersigne ( which doesn’t mean anything )
“i could not lik the nipples” , lick !!!
Thank you, we have corrected the translation.
I think birthmark is not a correct word to translate “Muttermal” in this song. “Muttermal” in German means the mark comes from mother, and I tend to interpret it as the facial features of that child, who undoubtedly has a mother that shares the similar face with him.
If “made… without sperm” isn’t in the lyrics, I can swear that the song is about an aborted baby.
without sperm could also be rlated to the absence of a father,
After all this is the beauty of music!
Reading through the comments…and personally agree that the song is about someone struggling without a mother figure, be it because their mother is present but not fullfilling their role, or because the mother was never present (died, lost or perhaps the child taken away). Either way it suggests the unfortunate circumstance of not having a mother.
Given the themes and influences Rammstein stay true to and given the lyrics were shown to Till’s mother who approved… and given that songs and poems are often written about the strife of others, (and i aknowledge this is me guessing) it’s most likely this was another beautifully written tribute to one of the darker human experiences and/or tragedies that inspire metal bands of this calibre.The absence of a parent, violence and experimentation on human can all be found in the immagery…. so perhaps there was indeed a specific case or incident this is about or perhaps a number of them, either way, the lyrics do speak broadly to the general abandonment or absence of a mother. The blurred line between monster and man is also a very common theme with Rammstein lyrics, the natural opposing the tainted. As always there is a sense of forboding yet maniacal warning of the consequences such trajedies hold for us.
In any case I am always so grateful toward metal bands like these pushing these levels of darkness into the public eye, making it’s expression more acceptable and less feared. We all know some kind of darkness, Rammstein recreates it so we can just shout, scream, enjoy, cry, release or whatever anyone needs.
Someone needs to fix the grammar on the english translation. I get that its literally but look at the spelling! Lik is supposed to be LIKE, I should be capitalized, etc.
And it is not “lik” it is Lick but we are not perfect
This song is very Dark!
Plenty of typos and errors in the translation… I fixed it
The tears of senile children
I put them on a white hair
Throw the wet chain in the air
And wish that I had a mother
No sun shines for me
No breast had cried milk
A tube sticks in my throat
I have no navel on my belly
Mother … Mother
Mother … Mother
I was not allowed to lick any nipple
And no fold to hide in
No one gave me a name
Conceived in haste and without semen
To the mother who never bore me
Have I sworn tonight
I will give her a disease
And after that sink her in the river
Mother … Mother
Mother … Mother
An eel lives in her lungs
On my forehead, a birthmark
Remove it with knife’s kiss
Even if I must die from it
Mother … Mother … Mother .. Mother !!
An eel lives in her lungs
On my forehead, a birthmark
Remove it with knife’s kiss
Also when I have to bleed
Mother
Ohh … give me strength
Mother
Ohh … give me strength
Mother … Mother
Ohh … give me strength
Mother … Mother
I would hate to see “Messers küsse” changed at all except to be directly translated verbatim. I think we can all understand the image Till intends, the “kiss” of the knife. A slice, soon done but full of meaning. English IS a Germanic language and Till is a poet…
It is less important for every single line to scan than for his meaning and imagery to be preserved.
There is an error in the translation.
It is “gezeugt in HasS und ohne Samen”.
It should be “gezeugt in HasT und ohne Samen”
Not born in hate (which is not writte hass), but “born in hurry”
Uhm…
Metaphorical.
and/Or something had to rhyme with “Muttermal”
Not sure.
@Whitejax
That’s a nice translation but you seem to have the same problem I do. Being a musician, when I translates R+ lyrics, I try to keep the phrasing AND the meaning.
From your translation:
Kiss the blade, cut it away
Should I not live another day
Yes, it fit the phrasing but not really the meaning. I’m am still working on this and ‘Sonne’ (“das Gleichgewicht wird zum Verlusst”-still eludes me). But I think you lose something here.
I would go with something like:
“I’ll cut out with a knife
Even if it ends my life”
See to me that has more emotional power and that’s pretty much the reason musicians write lyrics. To vent something emotional. You lose the word “Kuß” but, in the English speaking world, it still works because the the idea of cutting something out of you own body is gruesome enough.
Thoughts?
i think you are right
There are tow types of translation, literal and poetic, I believe the site provides literal, which is the case in most translations. Literal translations provide the reader to derive a meaning of their own rather than what the song/poem meant to the translator.
@Whitejax
That’s a nice translation but you seem to have the same problem I do. Being a musician, when I translates R+ lyrics, I try to keep the phrasing AND the meaning.
From your translation:
Kiss the blade, cut it away
Should I not live another day
Yes, it fit the phrasing but not really the meaning. I’m am still working on this and ‘Sonne’ (“das Gleichgewicht wird zum Verlusst”-still eludes me). But I think you lose something here.
I would go with something like:
“I’ll cut out with a knife
Even if it ends my life”
See to me that has more emotional power and that’s pretty much the reason musicians write lyrics. To vent something emotional. You lose the word “Kuß” but, in the English speaking world, it still work because the the idea of cutting something out of you own body is gruesome enough.
Thoughts?
i think u r right
The only line I don’t not understand is the meaning of “In ihren Lungen wohnt ein Aal” (An eel lives in her lungs). I know many Rammstein lyrics and phrases are specifically German so I was wondering if there’s a cultural reference lost on the rest of the world. Kinda of like a “Got a hitch in his get along” thing.