Uberlin

I don't see it as being necessarily relationship related.

[Hey, now, take your pills And hey, now, make your breakfast Hey, now, comb your hair and off to work Crash land. No illusions. No collision. No intrusion My imagination runs away]

This is sort of what society expects now. Mundane and orderly, but we are always in conflict with that.

[I know, I know, I know what I am chasing I know, I know, I know, that this is changing me]

I know what I'm trying to achieve, but its changing me (like trying to get a promotion and having to become a different person to do it).

[I am flying on a star into a meteor tonight I am flying on a star, star, star... I will make it through the day And then the day becomes the night I will make it through the night]

Riding on a star is working to fulfill a dream, but "into a meteor", encountering resistance: being a contradiction. Even though I will collide, I will live on.

[Hey, now take the U-Bahn Five stops, change the station Hey, now, don't forget that change will save you Hey, now, count a thousand-million people, that's astounding Chasing through the city with their stars on bright]

Experience something new, and by doing so will keep you from being stagnate. Look around and there's many other people trying to live their dreams as well.

[I don't mind repeating I am not complete I have never been the gifted type]

I don't mind repeating could mean both I don't mind repeating what I say to people who need to hear it, but also repeating life lessons Both because I'm not complete (or completely done) I've never been the gifted type refers to being just a simple person, an average person.

[Hey man, tell me something? Are you off to somewhere? Do you want to go with me tonight?]

We all need companionship.

[Hey, now, take your pills And hey, now, make your breakfast Hey, now, comb your hair and off to work] He's coming out of a relationship, and life seems meaningless now. Sticking to the daily routine, he's not really living, but rather surviving, simply doing what is necessary.

[Crash land. No illusions. No collision. No intrusion My imagination runs away] He's at the emotional bottom. Even though he didn't actually crash, and life continues he feels hopeless and without imagination for better times. He's also probably not ready for a new relationship right now, or maybe he just doesn't think he 's able to have one.

[I know, I know, I know what I am chasing I know, I know, I know, that this is changing me I am flying on a star into a meteor tonight I am flying on a star, star, star...] So knowing that he's still coping with his loss and can't start a new relationship, he's just chasing for company, someone to pull 'm trough the darkness. He knows that using somebody like this will make him a different (colder) person though. And so it feels like he's "flying a star into a meteor". In other words taking huge risks and playing with his own heart.

[I will make it through the day And then the day becomes the night I will make it through the night] This has a double meaning in my opinion. The direct meaning, that he'll pull himself trough the day, doing his work, and he'll manage somehow. But then the lonely night starts. But he reassures himself, that he's capable of pulling trough that as well. The double meaning is, he'll make it trough playing the rebound. But then he's afraid these temporary fixes might back-fire. But the reassures himself he'll manage somehow.

[Hey, now take the U-Bahn Five stops, change the station] Go out randomly and see where fate takes you.

[Hey, now, don't forget that change will save you] You'll have to introduce something new into your life, so you won't be reminded of what you've lost.

[Hey, now, count a thousand-million people, that's astounding Chasing through the city with their stars on bright] You're not the only one going trough this. In fact at times it seems like the whole city is filled with people making do, all coping with their losses and all trying to substitute it with some sort of relationship.

[I don't mind repeating I am not complete] He doesn't mind having to start over building a new relationship. He needs someone in his life, so he'll have to.

[I have never been the gifted type] He's not the type of person to whom making relationships come natural, he has to figure everything out as he goes.

[Hey man, tell me something? Are you off to somewhere? Do you want to go with me tonight?] So he's reaching out, trying to connect with someone.

A simple, beautiful song of seduction. An everyday man finds wonder and freedom on the night streets of Berlin. He may also be on drugs.

I think if you consider the song as well as the music video, it could be about an ordinary man who is probably from a small town. But he has moved to a big city in the hopes of getting a better job as he finds the jobs available to him in his hometown to be unsatisfactory (The 'city of dreams' could be Berlin, in the case of the song or London, in the case of the music video). He is relatively new to this place and he does odd or low paying jobs just to get by. Everyday it's the same routine ("Hey now, take your pills and hey now, make your breakfast. Hey now, comb your hair and off to work").
When he's walking on the streets he sees all the crowds and it overwhelms him ("Hey now, count a thousand million people. That's astounding"). And he guesses that the people he sees working or walking to work are also chasing a dream like him ("Chasing through the city with their stars on bright"). At one point he yearns for a change in his routine ("Hey now, don't forget that change will save you"). By the way, he's saying all this to himself as he's probably alone. The verses seem to touch upon his relatively dreary conditions. But every time the chorus occurs, it radiates hope as the man is reminding himself again and again why he came to 'the city of dreams' in the first place ("I know, I know, I know what I am chasing." and "I will make it through the day and then the day becomes the night. I will make it through the night"). After the guitar rift he admits that he's not particularly gifted. He's not great at any skill or have any special talents. ("I don't mind repeating, I am not complete. I have never been the gifted type"). He's just doing whatever he can to survive, so he doesn't have to leave the city and return to his hometown. Now there is a man with him. He's either his friend or a stranger he met in a pub. The narrator wants to forget about his present condition and just have fun and enjoy whatever the city has to offer ("Hey man, tell me something. Are you off to somewhere? Do you want to go with me tonight?") And sometimes he thinks that his conditions aren't changing and he is as poor as he was when he first came. So now he walks the streets to feel as if he is chasing something or to feel as if he has a purpose he's trying to fulfill. Before he used to walk only to get fresh air ("I know, I know, I know that this is changing. We walk the streets to feel the ground I'm chasing. Uberlin"). That's my interpretation. Uberlin has been my favourite song for more than a year now and I think it will remain so. It is my teenage anthem and has given me a lot of hope, helped me cope with depression and made me look at things the way they are.

"Hey now, take your pills and Hey now, make your breakfast. Hey now, comb your hair and off to work. Crash land, no illusions, no collision, no intrusion. My imagination runs away.

I know, I know, I know what I am chasing. I know, I know, I know that this is changing me." "Hey now, don't forget that change will save you"

"I don't mind repeating, I am not complete. I have never been the gifted type. Hey, man, tell me something, are you off to somewhere? Do you want to go with me tonight?"

This song is probably exploring human trauma in the modern world, how it settles and affects our daily life... and that we continue to live and survive with these traumas... dealing with it through each of our own coping mechanism to survive..addictions, OCD, narcissism, workaholism, mental/physical illness... that deep within we are hollow and in constant struggle, and we are actually indeed chasing our authentic selves, our authentic joy, our authentic connection with nature, our authentic peace... to be cured from sufferings brought by the trauma...and it reminds us that change can save us....

Great song, great video.

Their lyrics become more clear as the years go by, but the depth remains the same, and it's really powerful. They're specifically talking about Germany, but it could refer to any place you go where it feels like there's no deep connection to be found: it's particularly clear in that European country (where so much has been lost)

To me the song is clearly about breaking out of the boring every day life.

"Hey now, take your pills and Hey now, make your breakfast Hey now, comb your hair and off to work Crash land, no illusions, no collision, no intrusion My imagination runs away!" In this part he´s talking about how things are the same every single day and there´s nothing exciting in his life.

"I know, I know, I know what I am chasing I know, I know, I know that this is changing me

I am flying on a star into a meteor tonight I am flying on a star, star, star I will make it through the day And then the day becomes the night I will make it through the night" -He´s dreaming about escaping from his life and chasing an adventure and something greater.