In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Goering's on the phone to Freiburg
Says "Willie's done quite a job"
Hitler's on the phone from Berlin
Says "I'm gonna make you a star"
My Captain Von Ondine, here's your next patrol
A flight of English bombers across the canal
After twelve, they'll all be here
I think you know the job
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
In a G-load disaster from the rate of climb
Sometimes I'd faint and be lost to our side
But there's no reward for failure, but death
So watch me in the mirrors, keep me on the glide path
Get me through these radars, no I cannot fail
When my great silver slugs are eager to feed
I can't fail, no not now
When twenty five bombers wait ripe
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
Me-262 prince of turbojet, Junker's Jumo 004
Blasts from clustered R4M quartets in my snout
And see these English planes go burn
Now will you be my witness how red were the skies
When the fortresses flew, for the very last time
It was dark over Westphalia, in April of '45
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Junkers Jumo 004 (repeat many times)
Bombers at 12 o'clock high
Says "Willie's done quite a job"
Hitler's on the phone from Berlin
Says "I'm gonna make you a star"
My Captain Von Ondine, here's your next patrol
A flight of English bombers across the canal
After twelve, they'll all be here
I think you know the job
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
In a G-load disaster from the rate of climb
Sometimes I'd faint and be lost to our side
But there's no reward for failure, but death
So watch me in the mirrors, keep me on the glide path
Get me through these radars, no I cannot fail
When my great silver slugs are eager to feed
I can't fail, no not now
When twenty five bombers wait ripe
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
Me-262 prince of turbojet, Junker's Jumo 004
Blasts from clustered R4M quartets in my snout
And see these English planes go burn
Now will you be my witness how red were the skies
When the fortresses flew, for the very last time
It was dark over Westphalia, in April of '45
They hung there dependent from the sky
Like some heavy metal fruit
These bombers, ripened, ready to tilt
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Must they live that I might die
Must these Englishmen live that I might die
Junkers Jumo 004 (repeat many times)
Bombers at 12 o'clock high
Lyrics submitted by shut, edited by DanHilbert
ME 262 Lyrics as written by E Bloom Donald Roeser
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is obviously a song about the legendary Messerschmitt Me 262, the world's first operational turbojet fighter aircraft. It was powered by Junkers Jumo 004 engines and several two-seater "B" trainer variants of the Me 262 were adapted as night fighters. Serving with 10 Staffel, Nachtjagdgeschwader 11, Night Fighter Unit, near Berlin, these few aircraft (alongside several single seat examples) accounted for most of the 13 Mosquitoes lost over Berlin in the first three months of 1945. the two-seat trainer was largely unavailable many pilots had to do their first flight in a jet in a single seater without an instructor.
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My guess is that it refers to April 10, 1945, when 1,232 bombers (with about 800 escorts!) attacked targets in the Magdeburg and Berlin/Oranienburg area, and were hit by about 50 Me 262s. See goldengatewing.org/proptalk/speaker.cfm for an interesting story.<br /> <br /> That seems to fit better than the April 7 "Schulungslehrgang Elbe" mission.
It wouldn't be a suicide attack because the speaker plans on living through it. He says "Must these Englishmen live that I might die Must they live that I might die"
Meaning that he is considering the war merely as a self-survival thing. He's only killing the British because otherwise they will kill him.
I disagree, I think it is the last flight. He asks "must they live?", this doesn't say that he's determined to. I'm guessing that the last two chords going downwards indicate the plane crashing. I think he dead.
@andaloudog He doesn't ask, "Must they live?" He states, "Must they live that I might die," as in "If these Englishmen should live, I could die."
On April 7th 1945 60 Me-262's shot down 25 allied bombers over Westphalia without losing a single plane. (25 bombers wait ripe).
Typically, the jets would dive below the bomber formations, throttle down and make a high-G climb to lose speed before leveling off and firing their rockets. (G-load disaster from the rate of climb).
In 1945, a single squadron of 45 Me-262 fighters claimed 427 kills, 300 of which were heavy bombers. (...how red were the skies... it was dark over Westphalia)
That is one great WWII history lesson!
This was my first favorite BOC song, and remains in the top 5. I love the way the lyrics are tossed in there and the philosophical lyric "Must these Englishmen live that I might die?" Done live, there was always an extended period during the "marching and bombing" segment of the song where Buck just took off and did whatever came to mind. Truly a concert rock experience.
My only gripe with this otherwise amazing track is that Messerschmitt 262s did not fire R4M rockets from their "snout". Rockets were wing mounted, with the nose of the plane being fitted with Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 108 30mm cannon (although admittedly there were a quartet of these).
@PaulZero Perhaps the lyrics were written with a comma, as “Blasts from clustered R4M, quartets in my snout.” i.e., the pilot might be listing his weaponry, with the comma separating the rocket clusters and the cannons quartets.
I saw them play this July 14,2022 and Buck said it was "about the first fighter jet"