Rammstein Sehnsucht lyric with English translation

Lass mich deine Träne reiten
übers Kinn nach Afrika
wieder in den Schoß der Löwin
wo ich einst zuhause war
Zwischen deine langen Beinen
such den Schnee vom letzten Jahr
doch es ist kein Schnee mehr da

Lass mich deine Träne reiten
über Wolken ohne Glück
der große Vogel schiebt den Kopf
sanft in sein Versteck zurück
Zwischen deine langen Beinen
such den Sand vom letzten Jahr
doch es ist kein Sand mehr da

Sehnsucht versteckt
sich wie ein Insekt
im Schlafe merkst du nicht
dass es dich sticht
glücklich werd ich nirgendwo
der Finger rutscht nach Mexiko
doch er versinkt im Ozean
Sehnsucht ist so grausam
Let me ride your tear
over the chin to Africa
again in the lap of the lioness
where I once was at home
Between your long legs
I search for last year's snow
but there is no more snow here

Let me ride your tear
over clouds without luck
the big bird pushes his head
gently into his hideout
Between your long legs
I search for last year's sand
but there is no more sand here

Longing hides
like an insect
while asleep you don't notice
that it stings you
lucky, I will go nowhere
the finger slips to Mexico
but it sinks in the ocean
longing is so cruel

This song is about sexual desire and the disappointment from them not being fulfilled. It has many sexual references in the lines, such as: “Der Finger rutscht nach Mexiko, doch er versinkt im Ozean | The finger slips to Mexico, but it sinks in the ocean,” obviously referring to fingering.

While playing Sehnsucht at Live aus Berlin, Till Lindemann hits himself in the head with his microphone repeatedly and throughout the rest of the concert can be seen bleeding from his hairline.

18 COMMENTS

  1. I see sehnsucht as having many meanings. I am neither a German or an English native, but still fluent in both languages. I see it going deeper and deeper. Imagine an iceberg. At the top of the Iceberg it’s about being taken hostage in Nazi Germany. The ones in search of sand are hostages from Africa and the ones searching for snow being hostages from northern Europe (Russia, Scandinavia). With longing being for the motherland.
    ᅠᅠᅠ The second level is longing being for actual sex. Missing his old partner in bed. Nothing more, just that. Maybe having a wet dream.
    ᅠᅠᅠ The next level is throwing in the deep. I randomly had a couple of thoughts while listening to the song and did actually put a few together. Even i got surprised at how the heck i ended up with this. Just a heads up, it’s pretty graphic and could even be traumatizing for some. Some may find it extremely perverted.
    ᅠᅠᅠ That view of mine represents a man craving for sex so bad that he decides to have some with his mom while she sleeps. Why his mother you may ask? Well, the word “Schoß” could mean both lap and womb. “Wieder in den Schoss der Löwin, wo ich einst zuhause war” as in him picturing his mother’s womb where he was once at home, as being a baby in it. Sounds wild, but it does line up. “Sehsucht versteckt wie ein insekt” meaning that he gets under the covers like an insect, without the mother even batting an eye.
    “Im schlafe merkst du nicht, dass es dich sticht”, easy to get it, as she isn’t feeling him f*cking her while she sleeps. “Glücklich werd ich nirgendwo” meaning that he doesn’t have to go on the hunt to find a girlfriend to have sex with when he could just get it from his mother. “Der Finger rutscht nach Mexiko” comes from a german saying “Finger in Po, Mexiko”. I don’t know where that saying originates from, but it lines up. Meaning that he is also fingering her anus. “Sehnsucht is so grausam” meaning that the lust is so cruel it makes him do such things, like a really strong drug.
    ᅠᅠᅠ “Lass mich deine Träne reiten”, translated to “Let me ride your tears”. At one point the mother wakes up and starts crying after realizing what is happening, but her crying doesn’t make him stop. Already said what “Wieder in den Schoss der Löwin, wo ich einst zuhause war”. “Zwischen diene langen Beine such den Sand vom letzten jahr, doch es ist kein Sand mehr da.” now it’s not about any sand or snow. It’s about the vagina’s self lubrication. As you may know the female genetalia gets wet when aroused. Well, you can’t get aroused with the thought that your own son is railing you and fingering your asshole. That’s why the narrator says there is no sand. “Über wolken ohne Glück” meaning he is going at it so hard that it gets her over the clouds without having to be lucky. Not having to be lucky as in that she doesn’t need to wait for the perfect partner who knows how to get her there. Over the clouds also means that his level of arousal is over the clouds (meaning high af). And he gets to orgasm inside being the meaning of the next line: “Der growße Vogel schiebt den Kopf sanft in sein versteck zurück”. Translated: “The big bird gets his head back into the hideout”. The big bird being his dick. And the whole represents getting soft after having an orgasm and the penis head getting back under the foreskin.
    ᅠᅠᅠ As i said, i randomly enden up with this while thinking about what else could the lyrics mean. Maybe my mind is being extremely creative. Anyway that’s one way i look at the lyrics of the song.

  2. “sehnsucht versteckt” means “longing stings” not “longing hides” The next line is “sich wie ein insekt” which means “like an insect”

    • Eh, no. “Verstecken” means “to hide”, “verstecken sich” means “to hide itself”. But with or without “sich”, there is no way for “verstecken” to mean “to sting”.

  3. MEXIKO?? I might know what ‘ozean’ represents but wth means mexico in that context?
    auf deutsch verstehe ich es ebenso wenig. die englische Übersetzung scheint leider 1:1 versucht worden zu sein, und ist nur halb zu sehen.
    (btw.the englisch lyrics are only visible half sided)
    [android 4.4.2]

    • Stell Dir den ganzen Kontinent Amerika auf der Landkarte, also Nord-, Mittel- und Südamerika als eine bsw. weibliche Person vor. Kanada wäre dann etwa der Kopf, USA auf Brust-und Bauchhöhe und Mexico wäre dann eine Öffnung im Intimbereich vermutlich die hintere …und der Ozean vermutlich vorne… oder der Golf von Mexico 🙂 also so assoziiere ich es als deutscher…:-)

      Imagine the whole continent America on the map, ie North, Central and South America as a BSW. female person before. Canada would be about the head, USA on thoracic and abdominal height and Mexico would be an opening in the genital area is probably the rear … and the ocean front … probably or the Gulf of Mexico so 🙂 so I associate it as a German … 🙂

    • “The finger slips to Mexico” is from a German phrase “Finger im Po, Mexico!” (Finger in the butt, Mexico!). I don’t know where this is originally coming from but it is a common funny phrase in Germany for Butt fingering. So, when your Finger reaches for “Mexico” but only makes it into the ocean, one can figure out where the finger goes to. And yes, the whole song is full of sexual innuendos and not really about love.

  4. All I can say is that Till is a big guy, clearly has some issues and is not the sort of guy you would like to fuck with. no wonder he can’t get/keep a woman lol

  5. You all are being weird now. This song is about longing, love and just a bit about sex. Is there a rule that every single Rammstein song has to be purely about sex and sexual fantasies ? Yeah probably it refers sex with ‘zwischen deinen langen Beinen’ but that should be all. Fingering, not being into sex etc dont sound logical.

    I would say they break up for some reason, and then they decide to be together again. But nothing is the same anymore. So he gets into a depression and wants to leave the country he lives because it reminds him of the memories.

    • Yeah just forget about the repeated “let me ride your tear” and the mention of how the bird “pushes its head into the nest between your long legs” and the “the finger slips to mexico” YEAH JUST A BIT-

  6. If the snow referred to in the first verse refers to feminine lubrication, what does the sand in the second verse refer to?

    Perhaps the first verse is longing for the early days of a relationship, where they were both interested in sex; and the second verse is referring to the later days, where his partner was sexually dry (both literally and metaphorically). If this is the case, I notice that he is looking for “the sand from last year”, meaning he still longed for his partner even if she wasn’t interested in sex.

  7. A case could also be made that the “hiding desire” represents a nocturnal erection, and the sting you don’t feel during the night represents a wet dream (which many men experience from time to time if they have been unable to attain sexual release for some time).

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