They hug each other tightly
A mixture of flesh so rich these days
Where the sea meets the land
She will tell him the truth

But her words eat the wind
Where the sea ends
She stops shaking her hand
And kisses him on the forehead

She carries the night in the breast
And knows that she must spend
She lays the head in his lap
And asks for a last kiss

And then he kissed her
Where the sea ends
Her lips are weak and pale
And her eyes become wet

And then he kissed her
Where the sea ends
Her lips are weak and pale
And her eyes become wet

And then he kissed her
Where the sea ends
Her lips are weak and pale
And her eyes become wet

The last kiss
Is so long
The last kiss
He no longer remembers


Lyrics submitted by John M

Nebel (English) song meanings
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20 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment
    Yes, it is a bad translation. Wait, ex that. A horrible translation. Doesn't anyone know German anymore? I shall be of service and give you the correct translation. Changes from the first translation are in brackets: “[They stand with their arms wrapped around each other] A mixture of flesh, so rich in days. Where the sea [touches] the land She [wants to] tell him the truth But [the wind eats her words] Where the sea ends She [holds his hand, trembling] And kisses him on the forehead She carries the [evening] in her breast And knows that she must [wither away] She lays [her] head in his lap And asks for [one] last kiss And then he kissed her Where the sea ends Her lips, weak and pale And his eyes tear up The last kiss [Was so long ago] The last kiss [He doesn’t remember it anymore]” The song is, as said by other reviewers, about two lovers during the final hours of the female. The setting is most likely a beach, due to the references to the sea. This encounter that we are given is the last that they shall spend together, and the entire song reflects on the final few minutes or so. The woman is most likely dying of, as others have said before, breast cancer. The reference of “she holds the evening in her breast” seems to support this postulation. The most commonly misunderstood lyrics are the last. The last kiss, we are told, was so long ago, that the man doesn’t even remember it anymore. He did not lose his memory because the kiss was so long, nor does he forget his pain. It was merely a long time ago, and he forgets it now. I hope this clears some things up.
    TheExileon November 07, 2004   Link
  • +4
    General Comment
    For me this is the most beautiful song by Rammstein. Nebel, mist, is a metaphor for memories, which fade away. I agree with xnightxrainx that it is not that the man in the song forgot her or forgot his love to her, he just can not remember what it felt like when he kissed her, can't remember the taste of her lips. First he lost her, now he's losing the memories of her and this is a tragedy for him, coz if the memories go, he loses her completely...
    yan4ikon April 23, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    I think this song is intentionally left unclear. She wants to tell something, but we'll never know what it is. And also his memories are fading, making everything even more obscure. And, well, mist is also insubstantial and quickly fades away. And I think THAT's what the song is about at it's core: Reflecting about how the past fades away as the memories become unclear and things that once were very important start to cease existing.
    Neithanon August 11, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    It's pretty obvious what it's about i think. It seems to be about an old couple in which the woman is dying, and this is her goodbye. They're on a beach somewhere and have their last kiss (amazing how simple it can be and yet so poetic and pretty the song makes it). But now it's been so long since then and the man doesn't remember it anymore. At first I thought this meant he had forgotten her, which it could be, but that's a pessimistic way to look at it. A more positive way (yet still sad) is that he can't remember what the kiss felt like sort of. But the idea is he still loves and remembers her. It could be either I guess, the song doesn't really clarify. But this is definitely my favorite song by Rammstein and one of my favorite songs in general, it's so pretty!
    xnightxrainxon March 02, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    this is a really good song by r+ i think its about a woman with breast cancer breaking up her relationship because she doesnt want her man to see her in pain, and the man accepts this and has moved on and forgotten about her
    duffon March 27, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    this is definitely the *classiest* rammstein song. a personal favorite. but yeah. no debate here, the chick's dyin' and it sucks. the but, in the end, he no longer remembers implies to me that the last kiss was passionate enough to make him temporarily forget his sorrow. unless this is a bad translation.
    miceymanon June 20, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    This song sounds so beautiful in German, it wouldn't really work in English. I think the song is about a couple that had been together a long time. (rich in days) But what does "She wants to tell him the truth But the wind eats her words" mean? Maybe she wanted to tell him that she was going to die but couldn't bring herself to tell him?
    Horsepower844182on July 10, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    @horsepower844182 "She wants to tell him the truth But the wind eats her words" This one is _really_ hard to explain. First of all, the german word "fressen" doesn't mean "to eat", but "to devour". It is correct that she wants to tell him and in some way she does - but for an unknown reason he does not hear / understand it. Perhaps the best translation would be: "but the wind takes away her words" Still, it doesn't fit 100 percent.
    Balkazaron July 24, 2005   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning
    Wow, it has been a long time since I listened to these guys, I was a major fan when Mutter came out, although I did not understand what most of the songs were about back in what, 2001? I write in July 2010, about ten years later. So yeah I have begun listening to them again, and apart from some bizarre shock-rock antics, these guys are masters of the dark satirical message. Dark sarcastic humor, I don't mean they are satanists! In other words, they proudly say in Till's uber-strong voice that shit is not exactly okay for we people. Lol, I missed Rammstein, cool, smart and sarcastic. MEANING: I forgot about this song and recently looked up the translation from German to English. I think that when a lot of you are saying "it is about a woman about to die from cancer/some disease" you may indeed be correct, but I thought of another meaning. I think it might be suggesting the end of the world. Mother Earth is dying, and her partner, the humans if you will, can sense something is wrong but are not precisely sure what it is. It is a nostalgic song about the epic romance of our experiences whilst here on this planet. The earth is generous, patient, tolerant, and we destroy it. It is silent, silently taking our abuse. The earth would like to say so but is afraid to upset us. Although now it is indeed hinting, no? And yet we know it, and we get the "last kiss", but something is blocked in us. The world leaders full of greed and hate are taking us all down, and it is our fault too for letting them. Most of us just coast along, thinking someone else will fix it. Maybe the song is not about this, and is not this complicated, but, maybe it just is. Listen to it again after you finish reading my comment if you like, and with the possibility that it is about a far more tragic thing then we initially thought. I wonder if Mutter is somehow the same, about the earth? Probably. If someone has said so, pardon my laziness in not reading each and every comment. Anyhow, even though a lot of us will graduate this earth and move on to another experience, (and some will not and have to keep coming back to similar places until they get it ;) ) still we will not forget what our experiences have been. I think "Mist" just might be a little more mystical, great poems become great songs and have multi-dimensional meanings :)
    LibraMusica777on July 13, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Mist
    TheExileon May 21, 2005   Link

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