Seemann (English)

For me, it's about offering someone help, to be there for him/her in a time of need.

The helper beckons him/her into his/her own boat, which might be a safer boat or merely for the fact that he/she can't deal with the upcoming storm (problems in life etc) alone. It could also mean that the person offering help says "come to me, I offer you the possibility of rest during which I will take care of things for you, just to get some pressure off you". So, also offering some time to rest in order to regain powers. Furthermore, the helper warns the one in need of help of the forthcoming storm which, by the looks of it, may be too overwhelming and there will be nobody there to help when things get a little harsh. The helper suggests through a rhetoric question that there is no escape from the problems, the one in need can't evade them wherever he/she may go. I dunno what 'wind of autumn' means, sorry, but its position in the entire allegory suggests that it's some sort of energy (like hope) that will keep things going and moving, most likely towards a positive outcome.

Thanks to my subjective approach and my laziness to think about it more thoroughly, I can't figure out the meaning of autumn, mother being cussed or whatever. sigh

to me this song is about the voyage of life, and how people fear being alone and need a companion to accompany them.

It's pretty clear to me that it's about the death of a man's girlfriend. Both of them look at life as being a slow death, with death being so very far away that neither of them will seize the moment while they can (the sea being boundless, time stands still)...When it becomes clear she doesn't have much time left ("EVENING light chases the shadows away", "It becomes autumn") she starts withdrawing into herself over her impending death (standing next to the lantern alone crying). His fear of her impending death drives him to do something ("yearning becomes the helmsman") and he appeals to her by saying he was the best boyfriend she could find, though not her dream boyfriend (hence the angry/unsure "doch" about him being the best sailor), and certainly not enough of a boyfriend to distract her from her sadness. He's angry that she has second thoughts because he's already devoted his years to her (as they are both old at this point). She's jealous about how many mourned for her mother's passing, while few will mourn hers. When she dies, he's left alone, sad, and still he won't make an effort to live the remainder of his life differently (time standing still again). He's stuck being morose over her death.

The song is about getting old and dying.

to me this song is about the voyage of life, and how people fear being alone and need a companion to accompany them.

to me this is based on the ancient greek myth of how you had to cross the river to get into hades' underworld when you died

This one is a noggin-scratcher to me.... For some reason I see an old sailor.... sad that he is so alone.... and like... keeping someone captive in his boat and being abusive yet... wanting to be comforted..... I think I'm the only one that thinks that but oh well....

There are several meanings:

1. This sailor is a soldier who pities the crew of a sinking ship (perhaps he destroyed it). He wants to help them, but in the end he can't forgive himself for his "murder".

2. It's about a broken relationship. If you read the lyric, the details should be obvious.

3. It's about a person who lost someone, who was a sailor. In german you would say: "Er ist auf See geblieben." That means that the person died, because his ship sank or he drowned. The protagonist doesn't want to accept his/her death and waits at the lantern for his/her friedn to come back.

Surely, there are several more meanings ... just wanna to give you a little push - this one of the most emotional songs i've ever heard.

There is one verse missing after "...stiffens the sails":

"Now you are standing by the lantern / With tears in your face / Daylight is slanting / autumn winds sweep the streets clear".

The verse "Komm in mein Boot der beste Seemann war doch ich" is not easy to translate.

"Doch" is a word of enforcement: If you say "yes" & the other person then says "no", but you keep insisting, then you'd say "Doch!" (instead of English "And I still say Yes!").

So you might translate it as either of these: "Come into my boat. I was the best helmsmen, after all." (That's probably the one I'd go for.) "Come into my boat. Haven't I been the best helmsmen?" "Since I was the best helmsmen, why don't you come into my boat?"

I don't know what to make of this song about the lonely helmsman. duff might be on to something, with all these mentions of autumn...

I think this song is about a mixture between both Duff and Balkazar's 3rd menaing. I think this song is about someone who is crossing the river to the underworld who died at a very young age or before thier time, like a child, and cannot come to terms with thier death or even understand it, (Possibly doesn't even relize that they ahve died) and the Helsman who is steering the raft or boat into the underworld feels sorry and sympathetic for whoever has died. And then once the Helsman has delivered the person into the underworld they feel alone and cold and cannot forgive themselves leaving the person in the underworld once they have crossed the river. Definatly one of my favorite Rammstein songs.