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Reise, Reise (English) Lyrics
Even on the waves there is fighting
Where fish and flesh are woven into sea
One stabs the lance into an army
Another throws it into the ocean
Ahoy
Arise, arise seaman arise
Each does it in his own way
One thrusts the spear into a man
Another then into the fish
Arise, arise seaman arise
And the waves cry softly
In their blood a spear is lodged
They bleed softly into the ocean
The lance must be drowned in flesh
Fish and man sink to the depths
Where the black soul dwells
there is no light on the horizon
Ahoy
Arise, arise seaman arise
Each does it in his own way
One thrusts the spear into a man
Another then into the fish
Arise, arise seaman arise
And the waves cry softly
In their blood a spear is lodged
They bleed softly into the ocean
Arise, arise seaman arise
And the waves cry softly
In their heart a spear is lodged
They bleed themselves dry on the shore
Where fish and flesh are woven into sea
One stabs the lance into an army
Another throws it into the ocean
Each does it in his own way
One thrusts the spear into a man
Another then into the fish
And the waves cry softly
In their blood a spear is lodged
They bleed softly into the ocean
Fish and man sink to the depths
Where the black soul dwells
there is no light on the horizon
Each does it in his own way
One thrusts the spear into a man
Another then into the fish
And the waves cry softly
In their blood a spear is lodged
They bleed softly into the ocean
And the waves cry softly
In their heart a spear is lodged
They bleed themselves dry on the shore
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Well, as a DEP recruit in the U.S. Navy (don't hate me) I find this song quite inspiring, the song more or less calls seamen the soldiers of the sea, regardless of whether or not they kill man or fish. It speaks of the impact of war, and each seamen (or sailor, same difference) must learn to deal with such things. It also speaks how, if it could, the ocean itself would cry for those fallen, on every side
One must realize that a vast portion on Rammstein’s lyrics are a wordplay to begin with – take the whole concept of ”Du Hast” as an example and ice the cake with ”Mein Teil”. ‘Reise Reise’ is definitely a naval wake up call. But to cut to the chase: am I the only one seeing the connection between this song and the CLASSIC Wolfgang Petersen movie ‘Das Boot’, which by the way is pretty much a staple in contemporary German culture (and you don’t have to German to know that)? That, and ‘Moby Dick’? Naval, see? It’s all about the hubris and nemesis, in war or in peace, and the struggle within - Ahab's obsession.
I'm not sure why "Reise" is translated as "arise", since the word is the imperative form of "reisen", which means "to travel". So, shouldn't it be "Travel, travel, seaman, travel"?
@paphan it should be “journey, journey, seaman/sailer journey”
@paphan it should be “journey, journey, seaman/sailer journey”
here is a very good explanation for the choice of words: Though written as a noun, "Reise" is obviously used as a verb in the song. The phrase "Reise, Reise" is used by seamen as a wake-up call and finds its roots in the Middle High German verb "risen", which meant "to rise" (to which it is obviously related as well). This verb has since died out in New High German, though the noun was retained and came to mean "journey" or "voyage". The verb "reisen" was rederived from the noun "Reise", but now means "to journey" or "to travel". It seems the old meaning has been preserved in this phrase in the seaman's language.
ja, genau. this is an awesome song, a very good start to an awesome album. totally badass.
I guess there's a deeper meaning to it, but there are a lot of intentional sexual references, too. As usual in Rammstein lyrics ;-). Here's what i mean:
"One thrusts the spear into a man Another then into the fish" ...could be refering to homo- and heterosexuality (in this order) as you COULD see "fish" as a metaphor for women in this song
"In their blood a spear is lodged" can be translated "In HER blood a spear is lodged" as well ...I guess you get the idea what this could mean
"The lance must be drowned in flesh Fish and man sink to the depths" ...could refer to the feeling of getting lost in sexuality
"Arise, arise seaman arise Each does it in his own way One thrusts the spear into a man Another then into the fish"
Some men are soldiers, others are fisherman. I think this is what these lines are saying (although, there is an obvious sexual connotation here too...although that could just be an immature observation...). It seems to me this song is saying everyone kills, just in different ways ("The lance must be drowned in flesh ").
"Fish and man sink to the depths Where the black soul dwells there is no light on the horizon"
Maybe this is saying that everyone dies. But it seems to be more critical...This song coud be considered an argument against eating meat...It also seems to be a negative view on war ("Even on the waves there is fighting /Where fish and flesh are woven into sea...In their blood a spear is lodged/They bleed softly into the ocean") Ah, I don't know. Could be all of that...or none of that. ^^;
Oh, and concerning the last two lines: "In their heart a spear is lodged /They bleed themselves dry on the shore". This seems to be saying that they bring thier wounds back with them, and it "bleeds them dry". Much like the psychological and emotional aftermath of war.
Awsome song, for some reason I just can't help but feel that this song was inspired by a traditional seafaring ballad rather than something that Rammstein wrote on their own.
maybe i was just hearing what i wanted though