Sorrow ... Again

Twenty-one years, almost to the day, after the Ramstein air show tragedy that inspired the band's name two Belarusian pilots have died at a Polish air show. The anniversary of the Ramstein crash, which ended 71 lives and injured many other people, was on Friday.

[discuss]

LILT: Spring 1.0

It's a bit shaky, but it's a first draft:

Atop a tall bridge right up high
A man stands up feeling small
He stands there with his arms held wide
A mob forms below his pedestal
But I don't want to miss out either
I want to get in so much nearer
I get right up close to the scene
And scream

The man's wanting to climb back down
The people begin to really hate
They compress to a tight crowd
They don't want to let him escape
So he finds that he must return
And the mob then begins to stir
They want him to vent his spleen
And they scream

Fly
So I'm alright
Fly
For my delight
Fly from spite
Fly to the light
Fly

Now the man begins to weep
A cloud moves quietly in
He sees what he has now reaped
Before the sun it goes dim
I just want to be at the scene
The people start to surge and teem
And to look up into the evening
And they're screaming

Fly

They're screaming
Fly
So I'm alright
Fly
For my delight
Fly from spite
Fly to the light
Fly

A cloud moves quietly in
Before the sun it goes dim
But a thousand suns burn just for you
Behind him on the bridge I sneak
From behind I kick him in the back
I am his redemption
I scream at him

Fly

Fly
So I'm alright
Fly
For my delight
Fly from spite
Fly
For my delight

[lyrics][discuss]

Teutophilia

I know that a lot of Rammstein fans are Teutophiles. I'm not. I don't dislike anything German, really, but I've not generalised my liking for Rammstein their motherland. One product of Germany that I am a complete sucker for, however, is their cars. This is a life-long passion brought about by my morfar (maternal grandfather), who was a complete Mercedes-Benz fan. I drive a Golf and adore it. We also have a classic Mercedes-Benz coupe, and that's our baby. Because I know that a lot of Rammstein fans do generalise their passion for Rammstein to Germany and because I think it's very funky here is a clip on YoutTube that should satisfy both the revheads and the Teutophiles amongst you.

By the way, I'm about halfway through Spring. It won't get posted today, but perhaps tomorrow after work.

[discuss]

Spring Flopped

I had intended to finish draft one of Spring today, but I put in too much time promoting the petition and doing other necessary stuff, so it's not happened as planned. I'll hopefully find time for it tomorrow. I also want to look back over Eifersucht and see if it's something I can salvage, or if it's just not a good LILT song.

Now go and sign the petition!

[discuss]

Top Eleven Most Influential Industrial Metallers

I'm not sure if influential is the word I'd choose to describe Herr Lindemann, but apparently it's true!

The position of fourth is granted him based on his being such a testosterone-bomb and his smoothing the way for foreign-language artists in the US, but as far as I can see he's not that much of a bloke, and to be frank he's not smoothing the way for anyone but Rammstein. Yes, they have pretty solid success despite singing in German, but seriously, which foreign-language bands are finding following in Rammstein's footsteps easy? They're a tough act to follow.

Anyway, congratulations TL. You rock. Also, you're very, very manly.

[discuss]

The Letter

I love Rammstein. You may have noticed. It's something of a passion that I can't bear to relinquish. They lend me eloquence and inspiration, they fire me up and chill me out, and my muse is amongst them. There's an importance surrounding them that colours my life and my creativity.

Because of this I may get hammered by their powers that be. I've lent my name and my words to The Letter, you see...

Ah, what ever will become of me?

*smirk*

[discuss]

LILT: Stirb Nicht Vor Mir 3.0

I think I'm done. I reverted 'ere' to 'before' in his lines (bolded), because ere is just not something I'm used to hearing and it sounds wrong. Before has to be crammed a bit to fit, but if you pronounce the 'B' and 'F' on top of one another it works. I've also reverted the rhyming formula in the candlelit windows verse back to his:

The night gives birth to a child
Its only name is loneliness
It is still and very cold
I weep into the abyss

I don't know what you're called
But I know that you are real
I know that after all
Someone will love me

[He comes for me after dark
Words can't even begin
To express what's in my heart
I surrender and go with him]

[I don't know what he's called
I know that he must be real
This passion is my thrall
And to him I am sealed]

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die before me

[I don't know what you're called
I know that you are real]
Don't die
[Sometimes love is so cruel]
I'm waiting here
[This love I have to feel]
I'm waiting here

All the houses are snowed in
Candlelit windows warm with cheer
They lie in pairs within
And I
I'm waiting for you here

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die before me

[I don't know what you're called
I know that you are real]
Don't die
[This love may be my all]
I'm waiting here
[This love is all I feel]

Don't die before me

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Mein Herz Brennt 1.1

Come darling children, attend me
From 'neath your pillow my voice arrests
I've brought you all a special treat
I tore it out from deep in my chest

With this heart I have the power
Where your wee eyelids are concerned
I sing until the night's last hour
And glowing light on high returns
My heart burns

They come after you after dark
Demons and ghosts and the blackened fay
They creep out from the cellar shaft
And look under bedding where you all lay

Come darling children, attend me
From 'neath your pillow my voice bestirs
I've brought you all a special treat
The glowing light on high returns
My heart burns
My heart burns

They come after you after dark
And steal your heated little tears of pain
They wait until the moon awakes
And put them into my cold and twisted veins

Come darling children, attend me
From 'neath your pillow my voice recurs
I sing until the day relieves
The glowing light on high returns
My heart burns
My heart burns
My heart burns
My heart burns

[lyrics][discuss]

Metal Hammer Preview

There's a full track-listing album preview up on Metal Hammer, so check it out. There's plenty of information there, and it sounds very promising.

Yeah, yeah, tepid I know. I just woke up.

[discuss]

Rammstein-EU Fades to Black

The server is handing off a page which just says "Is this the end?" with a page title 'End?'. I wonder what External's up to.

It might simply be that his site maintenance page is a bit more dramatic than most.

Udate 20090820 1357hrs NZT: It's come back a couple of times. I'm not sure what the story is.

Updat 20090820 1826hrs: It does appear to only be a problem with indexing, but even that is intermittent. The inidividual forums are loading fine.

[discuss]

LILT: Heirate Mich 3.0

Some changes and promotion:

See him creeping round the churchyard
For a whole year he's been alone
His sorrow's blows have driven him mad
He sleeps each night by her headstone

There by the bell tower sleeps a stone
I alone can read its text
The fence is a red rooster's throne
He was once the live heart in your breast

On the paling fear is impaled
Now each night I dig down to see
To find and keep close what remains
Of the face that once smiled for me

I spend eternal night there with the bells
A lonely beast cowed in my private hell
I seek each new night, and day is my cell
You once again foil me so well

Come back to me

I dig with my bare hands deep down
To find that which I have most missed
The moon wears her most gorgeous gown
Your cold mouth begs to be kissed

I take you gently by the arm
Your skin parts like cobwebs tearing
And you are losing all your parts
As you elude me once again

I spend eternal night there with the bells
A lonely beast cowed in my private hell
I seek each new night, and day is my cell
You once again foil me so well

Come back to me

So I take to me all your remains
The night is hot and we are bare
The damned cock greets the dawn again
I leave him lying beheaded there

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Stirb Nicht Vor Mir 1.3

The night gives birth to a child
Its only name is loneliness
It is still and very cold
I weep into the abyss

I don't know what you're called
But I know that you are real
I know that after all
Someone will love me

[He comes for me after dark
Words can't even begin
To express what's in my heart
I surrender and go with him]

[I don't know what he's called
I know that he must be real
His presence is my thrall
And to him I am sealed]

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die ere me

[I don't know what you're called
I know that you are real]
Don't die
[Sometimes love is so cruel]
I'm waiting here
[This love I have to feel]
I'm waiting here

All the houses are snowed in
Windows are candlelit within
There they lie in pairs
And I
I'm waiting for you here

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die ere me

[I don't know what you're called
I know that you are real]
Don't die
[This love may be my all]
I'm waiting here
[This love is all I feel]

Don't die ere me

[lyrics][discuss]

Tomorrow?

The publicist has Tweeted the following:

sleep well comrades... and then tomorow... it is time to make it REAL!!!

Right, so tomorrow, being later on today here in New Zealand, something is going to happen, I guess. How very mysterious.

[discuss]

LILT: Stirb Nicht Vor Mir 1.2

I've begun work on the English lines. Early days:

The night gives birth to a child
Its only name is loneliness
It is still and very cold
I weep into the abyss

I don't know what you're called
But I know that you are real
I know that after all
Someone will love me

[He comes here after dark
Words can't even begin
To express what's in my heart
I surrender and go with him]

[I don't know what he's called
I know that he must be real
His presence is my thrall
And to him I am sealed]

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die before me

[I don't know what you're called
I know that you are real]
Don't die
[Sometimes love is so cruel]
I'm waiting here
[This love I have to feel]
I'm waiting here

All the houses are snowed in
Windows are candlelit within
There they lie in pairs
And I
I'm waiting for you here

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die ere me

[I don't know what you're called
I know that you are real]
Don't die
[Sometimes love is a call]
I'm waiting here
[Your love for me I feel]

Don't die ere me

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Heirate Mich 1.2

See him creeping round the churchyard
For a whole year he's been alone
His sorrow's blows have driven him mad
He sleeps each night by her headstone

There by the bell tower sleeps a stone
I alone can read its text
The fence is a red rooster's throne
He was once the live heart in your breast

On the paling fear is impaled
Now each night I dig down to see
To find and keep close what remains
Of the face that once smiled for me

I spend eternal night there with the bells
A lonely beast cowed in his private hell
I seek each new night, and day is my cell
You once again foil me so well

Come back to me

I dig with my bare hands deep down
To find that which I have most missed
The moon wears her most gorgeous gown
Your cold mouth begs to be kissed

I take you gently by the arm
Your skin parts like cobwebs tearing
And you are losing all your parts
As you escape me once again

I spend eternal night there with the bells
A lonely beast cowed in his private hell
I seek each new night, and day is my cell
You once again foil me so well

Come back to me

So I take to heart all your remains
The night is hot and we are bare
The damned cock greets morning again
I leave him lying beheaded there

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Heirate Mich 1.1

Moving forward, a bit:

See him creeping round the churchyard
For a whole year he's been alone
His sorrow's blows have driven him mad
He sleeps each night by her headstone

There by the bell tower sleeps a stone
I alone can read its text
The fence is a red rooster's throne
He was once the live heart in your breast

On the paling fear is impaled
Each night I now dig down to see
To find and hold close what remains
Of the face that once smiled for me

I spend eternal night there with the bells
A lonely beast cowered in his own hell
I seek each new night, and day is my cell
You once again foil me so well

Come back to me

With my bare hands I dig deep down
To find that which I have most missed
The moon wears her most gorgeous gown
Your cold mouth asks to be kissed

I take you gently by the arm
Your skin parts like cobwebs tearing
And you are losing all your parts
As you escape me once again

I spend eternal night there with the bells
A lonely beast cowered in his own hell
I seek each new night, and day is my cell
You once again foil me so well

Come back to me

So I take to heart all your remains
The night is hot and we are bare
The damned cock greets morning again
I leave him lying beheaded there

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Bück Dich 3.0

I think I nailed it first try:

Bend down, I command you
Avert your visage from me too
I've no interest in your mien
Bend down

A bipedal thing down on all fours
I take him out for a walk
We slowly move down the hallway
I am displeased

Now he comes reversing toward me
On the garter is stuck some honey
I am displeased, very displeased

Bend down
Bend down
Bend down
Bend down
Your damned face interests me not

The bipedal thing has bent down
And moved over to lit ground
I demonstrate what one can do
And I begin to cry then too

The biped stammers out a prayer
I feel worse because of his fear
He bends way down with some cracking
The tears run back up his back then

Bend down
Bend down
Bend down
Bend down

Bend down, I command you
Avert your visage from me too
I've no interest in your mien
Bend down once again

Bend down

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Asche Zu Asche 3.0

A warm body
A hot cross
A false verdict
A cold grave

Now I lie on the crossed tree
They hammer the nails into me
The fire then leaves the soul clean
So remains a mouthful of
Ashes

I shall return
In ten days' time
As your shadow
And I'll hunt you down

Then I will rise from the dead
And for mercy you will plead
And then I will kneel in your face
And stick my finger in the
Ashes

Ashes to ashes
And dust to dust

Promoted without change.

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Halleluja 3.0

Promoted, minus the esoteric part and with further development:

Deeply feeling and so pious
On his wall Our Lord is nailed
He wipes the defects from the Bible
He gives Communion without fail

He loves all the choir boys
Their pure souls so crystal clear
But the tenor gives him pause
So he has to keep him near
On the nightstand, not a sound
Our Lord's image
Is turned slowly 'round

When the church clock strikes the hour
[Hallelujah]
He folds his hands and knees in prayer
[Hallelujah]
He is a single parson
[Hallelujah]
Neighbourly love is in his lesson
[Hallelujah]

The youth is allowed to stay
Sin nests at half his height
Reverend Father kneels to pray
To music and candlelight

When the church clock strikes the hour
[Hallelujah]
He folds his hands and knees in prayer
[Hallelujah]
He is a single parson
[Hallelujah]
Neighbourly love is in his lesson
[Hallelujah]

When the church clock strikes the hour
[Hallelujah]
He folds his hands and knees in prayer
[Hallelujah]
He is a true Christian
[Hallelujah]
Charity no mystery to him
[Hallelujah]
Turn slowly around
Turn around

[lyrics][discuss]

Ginger on Rammstein

Any Rammstein fan should enjoy this (from here):

Who would be your dream festival headliner?

Rammstein everytime. They're the only band in the world that deserve the accolade of headliners and know what to do as headliners and know what to do to entertain every single person, especially the ones that don't like them. I've purposefully stood next to journalists at a Rammstein gig who went just to poo-poo the whole thing and I said I'm going to sit here with you and I'm going to watch your face when they go on and fire starts flying around and they just convert them. Rammstein are the ultimate headliner.

[discuss]

Pussy: It's About Fucking

Here are more ruminations about the Metal Hammer interview (71.17 MB), plus my thoughts about the preview from the other day:

There are some elements of Rammstein's music that are essential. Whatever else they weave in there has to be humour, darkness, violence, sex, pain, truth, irreverance, profanity, scale, and a little more humour, just to be sure.

The track-list so far includes 'Pussy'. It's no huge revelation that this song is (to drop in an RZK quote) "about fucking". The profound and deeply felt lines "You've got a pussy/I've got a dick/So what's the problem?/Let's do it quick!" are a clue as to the direction they've taken with this song. Odds are there's a bit of harsh truth, a smidge of irreverence, and a crumb of profanity in there, as well as the humour. There may even be pain and violence. It wouldn't be the first time. Is Pussy the new Küss Mich (Fellfrosch) or another Rein Raus?

Rammlied is another one. This one is titled as it means to go on, I understand. It's a Rammstein song, about Rammstein, and in true Rammstein style. Epic? It has to be, or it's not a Rammlied at all, is it? It would just mean they've lied.

See what I did there?

Speaking of epic, what was that remark the interviewer made about Rammstein trying to 'tone down the epic'? Will they try and move away from being German, male, and musicians too? She reckoned Richard had made that remark, but if he did he must have been a long time between cigarettes or something, because that just doesn't make any sense. Epic is the only size they fit into, so to do anything small-scale has to be a cute little byline, such as Ein Lied, not a compositional policy. You couldn't get Lindemann into Flake's shorts, so why would you try? (ouch)

Waidmanns Heil is another title, and this song is apparently a march. The title is a traditional huntsman's greeting, I understand, and there are horns involved. It would seem that the lyrics are full of sexual innuendo too. Well, that'd be a turn-up for the books; Rammstein tackling the erotic. Say it isn't so.

It sounds like Ich Tu Dir Weh is going to be a Till Lindemann special. I expect lots of tongue, sneering, and gesticulation to accompany this one live. S&M, B&D, T&F...

That last is Till and Flake, in case you're wondering. I wonder what new torture they'll devise for him this time around. He's such a hero. Some of that shit has got to hurt.

B******? No fucking idea. Sorry. I'm just going to assume it's epic for now. Yes, epic. You know, the hallmark of a Rammstein song.

Haifisch, shark...a harp? What? No cello?!

Mehr sounds like it's going to be EPIC. Note the caps. That's epic, only more so. This one has me impatient again, because it sounds like a doozie.

Wiener Blut, which is, I am informed, both a waltz and an operetta by Strauss, as well as a Falco album, is about Fritzl. Confused? Don't be. Like Mein Teil the Fritzl story is ideal Rammfodder. Richard pointed out that Rammstein is the one band qualified to mark the incident in their work, so they're obliged to do so. Rammstein aren't the sort of lads to shirk their duty!

I do like that Falco reference though. Whether or not Rammstein had that in mind it's a lovely oddity. Falco, a seriously shiny flash-in-the-pan from the 80s (at least in the English-speaking market) was incredibly funky, camp man, who took us all by storm with 'Rock Me Amadeus', then simply vanished. You couldn't find a more irrelevant tangent for a song about Fritzl.

I'll tell you what though, the whole 19th century Viennese ball-room scene would make a wicked video. Wrong period, but otherwise reminiscent of DRSG98.

I really enjoyed the interview with RZK. He seems like a very sweet chap, who could talk the arse off a donkey, but in the most entertaining and charming way. I'd like to get him alone for a coffee one day. I bet it'd be a very good way to wile away an afternoon, if not a whole day. He's also very easy on the eyes.

P.S. No comment re. LIFAD.

[discuss]

Ungarnished Meat

What a sensitive creature Richard Z. Kruspe is! Have you heard the Metal Hammer interview (71.17 MB) yet? It's 34.40 minutes into that podcast MP3 and it runs for around 30 minutes. It's a good interview. RZK is, as ever, very ego-centric, but not in a bad way. His perspective is coloured by emotion at every step. He's a bit of a chick, I guess.

Some interesting ideas arose in the interview. One is that Rammstein are unselfconscious. The interviewer theorised that this might stem from the low level of airtime that the band's music gets, and Richard, after collecting his thoughts opines that it comes from being East German, which does make solid sense. The idea of developing a body of work without worrying about airtime is a good one, and I guess the strength I see in Rammstein's music, of being utterly shameless, unselfconscious, and tackling their subject matter without fear comes from the lack of inhibition that comes with such a perspective. If you're not worried about radio-play or MTV then you're not going to curb your natural inclinations.

I'm going to listen to the interview again and post more about it, as RZK is a chatty chap with a naturally frank manner, so there's a lot to digest, but for now I'll leave it.

The title of this post is from RZK's description of the album: a steak without all condiments and sides.

[discuss]

Tube Poked

Universal Music have shut down the YouTube channel where I sourced most of my music links, so a huge number if them will no longer load. Bear with me, while I work out what to do.

[discuss]

Update: I've elected to purge all the links to YTs of Rammstein work from the site.

Official Blog Content

The title says it all really. Here's the link. Note the images on the right as well...

[discuss]

Update: I've added the feed for the blog to my ever-growing sidebar.

Profane Profundity

The Gauntlet has posted the Terrorizer preview of the new album (eight tracks). It sounds like we're in for a treat. Someone recently complained of the shallowness of the track title 'Pussy' (track titles have been out and about for a little while now), but it sounds like the name is entirely appropriate, given the English lyrics cited:

"You've got a pussy/I've got a dick/So what's the problem?/Let's do it quick!"

Classy! No, I think that one might be aptly named.

The three remaining tracks aren't all dark horses. The leaked one is, of course, amongst them. This leaves two to tantalise us with their...dark-horsiness*.

It would seem, from the nine tracks that have one way or another made themselves heard, that Rammstein are not selling out, dumbing down, or otherwise being pussies all of a sudden. I've read complaints that their more recent albums (all pretty old now) were softer than the early stuff, more poppy, heading for more lightweight sounds, etc. The preview would indicate that this trend is not being continued, if it's there at all. I personally think eclecticism and evolution are important the Rammstein product, so I'm happy to go with the flow, but for those who fell for the band because of their early sound this is good news.

The preview also tells us that the same courage the band have always shown where getting their teeth into the dark side is concerned is alive and well. Most importantly of all, for me, their sense of humour is running at the fore. I now want the damned album more than ever.

* I just made that word up. I don't think I can claim poetic licence, so I'll just go with 'I don't give a shit'.

[discuss]

Cynicism

I'm an idealist in a lot of ways, but I also have a cynical streak. That's come out in the way I look at the promotional stuff coming out for LIFAD. The magazine ad says this:

Schönes Fräulein lust auf Mehr

Which seems to mean 'a beautiful woman desires more'. I take that to imply that hot chicks are more demanding. Make sense? Okay, now consider the Tweet from LIFAD:

Kein Werk ist zu niedrig, das aus Liebe getan wird.

So 'no work is too low, that is undertaken out of love'? In the context of the ad it sounds to me like some hot chick saying 'there should be nothing he won't do for me'.

Another interpretation is that beautiful women have stronger desires and that anything is worth it for love. I don't see it. Am I too jaded?

[discuss]

LIFAD

The site that I suspect is up to promote the first single (the leaked one), or possibly the album, if it's to be called Liebe ist für alle da for that single, has links to Twitter and Facebook pages. Those of you following the LILTwitter already know about the Twitter page, I guess :)

The publicist hired for the band over the coming months is earning her keep.

There's a lot of news circulating, but the possible October release date for the album is the most interesting to me. That's what I wait for. The single isn't such a big deal, since I don't buy singles. I want the whole story, so I have to anticipate the album and contain myself for two months.

[discuss]

Rocktober?

Is this news for real? I have no idea, but I imagine that if the article about Flake that's being linked all over the place hasn't been modified by now it's probably genuine. That gives me a fairly major happy.

Relevant bit (courtesy of Google translator):

Christian "Flake" Lorenz and his colleagues from the band Rammstein have his work on her new album finished. In October, it is on the market, then the band goes on tour.

[discuss]

LILT: Alter Mann 3.0

One word changed and LILT promoted:

He's waiting for the midday wind
The weary waves sprawl on the sand
Every day the old man will
Smooth the water with his fan

I throw a stone in just for fun
The still water wakens and moves
A jaded look from the old one
As once again he sweeps it smooth

The old man trembles as he smokes
His pipe in the white sand
The water and I both know
Why he needs to keep his fan

Like a volcano foresight sleeps
I waver then ask instead
With bowed head he seems to weep
He tells me before his death

The water is your mirror now
You'll see when it's smoothed clear of all waves
If the fairy tale is yours
And you'll cry out loud to be saved

The fan is clutched close to his heart
As the rigor holds his hand
They have to prise his grip apart
The fan stays back on the sand

Each day I cry to be saved
I call out to the old man
I stay out in the midday wind
And then I read from the fan

The water is your mirror now
You'll see when it's smoothed clear of all waves
If the fairy tale is yours
And you'll cry out loud to be saved

[lyrics][discuss]

Grinding to a Halt

I fear I'm coming to a gentle stop. I need more material. This new album is going to be pretty essential to the enjoyment I get out of adapting these songs, as the remaining songs off the first five albums aren't the best material for my style of adaption. There are a few I just won't tackle, and others I am thinking I'll never do justice to. Eifersucht is a good example of what I'd probably turn out first shot on many of the songs that are left. It's a bit sad really.

I'm going to do my absolute best to nail the songs I've begun, and see if I can't wring some gold out of some of the left-over songs, but until I get 2009's offering and translations of it my project is going come to a stand-still.

Don't get me wrong. Some of the songs I haven't picked up yet are my favourites. They just don't seem to lend themselves to LILTing terribly well. I will simply refrain from working on a song I don't feel I can do justice to. I may even retract Eifersucht if I find I can't drastically improve it soon.

[discuss]

LILT: Eifersucht 1.0

Rhythmically this adaption is a complete cluster-fuck. It's a start though:

Am I fairer
Butcher my fine aspect
Am I stronger
Try to break my neck
Am I brighter
Kill me and eat my brain
I've got your wife
You'll have to wholly eat me up
Wholly eat me up

Am I more truthful
Bite my tongue right off
Am I richer
Try and take it all
Am I more daring
Kill me and eat my heart
I've got your wife
You'll have to wholly eat me up
Wholly eat me up
But clean the plate right up

Cooking in jealousy...

Have I got smooth skin
Rip it off my face
Have I got clearer eyes
Take from me light
My soul is truly pure
Burn it up in the flames
I do have your wife
You will have to eat me up
Wholly eat me up
But clean the plate right up

Cooking in jealousy...

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Asche Zu Asche 1.0

A warm body
A hot cross
A false verdict
A cold grave

Now I lie on the crossed tree
They hammer the nails into me
The fire then leaves the soul clean
So remains a mouthful of
Ashes

I shall return
In ten days' time
As your shadow
And I'll hunt you down

Then I will rise from the dead
And for mercy you will plead
And then I will kneel in your face
And stick my finger in the ashes

Ashes to ashes
And dust to dust

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Bück Dich 1.0

Rhythmically this only works with a certain slangy sloppiness in places, but my Muse appears to have been sparking this morning, as much of it works right off the bat:

Bend down, I command you
Avert your visage from me too
I've no interest in your mien
Bend down

A bipedal thing down on all fours
I take him out for a walk
We slowly move down the hallway
I am displeased

Now he comes reversing toward me
On the garter is stuck some honey
I am displeased, very displeased

Bend down
Bend down
Bend down
Bend down
Your damned face interests me not

The bipedal thing has bent down
And moved over to lit ground
I demonstrate what one can do
And I begin to cry then too

The biped stammers out a prayer
I feel worse because of his fear
He bends way down with some cracking
The tears run back up his back then

Bend down
Bend down
Bend down
Bend down

Bend down, I command you
Avert your visage from me too
I've no interest in your mien
Bend down once again

Bend down

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Halleluja 1.3

I'm not sure if this is a step forward or back. The chorus has been blasted, and a few less dramatic changes have also been made. The chorus might have to be reverted, because though it works better rhythmically it is a bit odd:

Deeply feeling and so pious
On his wall Our Lord is nailed
He wipes the defects from the Bible
He gives Communion without fail

He loves all the choir boys
With their souls so crystal clear
But the tenor gives him pause
So he has to keep him near
On the nightstand, not a sound
Our Lord's image
Is turned slowly 'round

When the church clock strikes the hour
[Hallelujah]
He folds his hands and knees in prayer
[Hallelujah]
He is a single cleric
[Hallelujah]
Neighbourly love is esoteric
[Hallelujah]

The youth is allowed to stay
Sin nests at half his height
Reverend Father kneels to pray
To music and candlelight

When the church clock strikes the hour
[Hallelujah]
He folds his hands and knees in prayer
[Hallelujah]
He is a single cleric
[Hallelujah]
Neighbourly love is esoteric
[Hallelujah]

When the church clock strikes the hour
[Hallelujah]
He folds his hands and knees in prayer
[Hallelujah]
He is a true Christian
[Hallelujah]
Charity no mystery to him
[Hallelujah]
Turn slowly around
Turn around

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Stirb Nicht Vor Mir 1.1

I've got a bit poetic, replacing before with 'ere'. It's pretty old school, but works, I think. I've also made some other minor changes:

The night gives birth to a child
Its only name is loneliness
It is still and very cold
I weep into the abyss
I don't know what you're called
But I know that you are real
I know that after all
Someone will love me

[He comes to me every night
No words are left to say
With his hands around my neck
I close my eyes and pass away]

[I don't know who he is
In my dreams he does exist
His passion is a kiss
And I can not resist]

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die ere me

[I don't know who you are
I know that you exist]
Don't die
[Sometimes love seems so far]
I'm waiting here
[Your love I can't dismiss]
I'm waiting here

All the houses are snowed in
Windows are candlelit within
There they lie in pairs
And I
I'm waiting for you here

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die ere me

[I don't know who you are
I know that you exist]
Don't die
[Sometimes love seems so far]
I'm waiting here
[Your love I can't dismiss]

Don't die ere me

I'm still looking seriously at reworking the English parts, as they still don't measure up for me, but that can wait.

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Adios 3.0

Another one-word change, and promotion:

He lies the needle along the vein
And bids that the music come in
Between his neck and his elbow
The melody moves gently through the bones

Go! Go! Go!
Bop bop shu bop

And then as he closes his eyes
In his calm blood battle will rise
An army marching through his bowel
The warming in his entrails comes on slow

Go! Go! Go!
Bop bop shu bop

Nix is for you
Nix was for you
Nix left for you
Forever

He moves the needle out of his vein
The melody leaves through his skin
The strings burn him with their shrieks
Harp chords cut into his flesh
He has opened wide his eyes
But still he does not arise

Nix is for you
Nix was for you
Nix left for you
Forever

[lyrics][discuss]

Feed Me

I've added two feeds on the second sidebar down. The first is Herzeleid, and the second is The Gauntlet. They're both sites that I think should interest most of the people who read this site, so do check them out.

As a side-note, the TwitterFeed site has posted SNVM to the LILTwitter completely out of order, so I suspect we may see some odd catch-up posts in there. Sorry if this is confusing. I'm not sure how TwitterFeed works, but it's obviously being a bit random with Twitter under load.

[discuss]

LILT: Heirate Mich 1.0

It's a great song. Nobody will ever accuse Rammstein of taking their subject matter too seriously, but this one is particularly irreverent. It's also damned tricky to rework. I've got the basics down, but I don't know that it'll ever flow as it should. The last verse is particularly ugly and the purists won't like the changed refrain, so forgive me:

See him creeping round the churchyard
For a whole year he's been alone
His sorrow's blows have driven him mad
He sleeps each night by her headstone

There by the bell tower sleeps a stone
I alone can read its text
The fence is the red rooster's throne
He was once the live heart in your breast

On the fence the fear is impaled
Each night I now dig down to see
To find and keep close what remains
Of the face that once smiled for me

I spend eternal night there by the bells
A lonely beast cowered in his own hell
I seek each new night, the day is my cell
You once again foil me so well

Come back to me

With my bare hands I dig deep down
To find that which I have most missed
The moon wears her most gorgeous gown
Your cold mouth asks to be kissed

I take you gently by the arm
Your skin tears like tissue then
And you are losing all your parts
As you escape me once again

I spend eternal night there by the bells
A lonely beast cowered in his own hell
I seek each new night, the day is my cell
You once again foil me so well

Come back to me

So I take to heart all your remains
The night is hot and we are bare
The damned cock greets morning again
I leave him lying beheaded there

[lyrics][discuss]

Sheiße!

Herzeleid now has a dedicated German Language forum. For any Rammstein fan wanting to further or even begin their German language journey this is damned cool. It's cool for anyone at all, but particularly cool for Rammstein fans, given the context.

The Herzeleid community includes native, highly adept, and novice German-speakers, and everything in between, and already discussion in this brand-spanking-new forum has yielded some really helpful posts.

In case you're wondering about the title of this post (and my sanity) the forum is called 'Sheiße!' I do not in fact suffer from Tourette's.

[discuss]

Heirate Mich? Rette Mich!

I've begun work on Heirate Mich, because it's a great song, and it has my favourite guitar solo in the whole, wide world in it. I may have bitten off more than I can chew though. The cadence in some of the verse is insane. It's like verbal lace.

I imagine Lindemann put a fair bit of time into nailing those lines down, because he sings it fast enough to cause me problems, and enunciates every syllable. Smart-arse.

I will have to impose my own cadence on a fair amount of this song, I reckon, which is really annoying. I get a lot of satisfaction from matching his rhythms as closely as possible, so marching to my own drummer is not ideal. Sodding, bloody, German, bloody clever-clogs.

[discuss]

Twitter DoS

This is just an update on the issues with my feed and Twitter. Twitter is still under attack and TwitterFeed has been asked to ramp back their connections to the Twitter API. As a result my TwitterFeed account is only connecting every two hours. I see one post has got through to Twitter since I last checked, but it's obviously still pretty munted.

[discuss]

Twatted

I have no idea if I joined Twitter and TwitterFeed on a bad day, or if they're just not talking to each other at the moment, but my feed isn't getting posted to the Twitter account. I'm going to post the later stuff to Twitter manually, and I guess I'll have to put up with duplicates later. Bear with me!

Update: It appears to be Twitter. I can't post to it manually either. From Twitter status page:

We are defending against a denial-of-service attack, and will update status again shortly.

Update: the site is back up, but we are continuing to defend against and recover from this attack.

Update (9:46a): As we recover, users will experience some longer load times and slowness. This includes timeouts to API clients. We’re working to get back to 100% as quickly as we can.

[discuss]

LILT: Mein Herz Brennt 1.0

A shaky start, but I'm enjoying the song:

Come darling children, attend me
From 'neath your pillow my voice's coming
I've brought you all a special treat
I tore it out from my own bosom

With this heart I have the power
Where your eyelids are concerned
I sing until the night's last hour
And glowing light on high returns
My heart burns

They come to you after dark
Demons and ghosts and the black fay
They creep out from the cellar shaft
And look under bedding where you are laid

Come darling children, attend me
From 'neath your pillow my voice comes
I've brought you all a special treat
The glowing light on high returns
My heart burns
My heart burns

They come to you after dark
And steal all of your small and heated tears
They wait until the moon awakes
And put them into my cold and twisted veins

Come darling children, attend me
From 'neath your pillow my voice comes
I sing until the day relieves
The glowing light on high returns
My heart burns
My heart burns
My heart burns
My heart burns

[lyrics][discuss]

Sounds Like Concrete

While my skepticism was based on rational processes I'm happy to say I was wrong. The Gauntlet has posted to Herzeleid's boards with this:

Sorry, I haven't stopped by here recently. Wasn't there a news section? Anyways, I have confirmed many times via multiple sources that Rammstein has infact signed a distro deal with Vagrant Records. The news was first broke here
http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/307/16542/Rammstein-signs-with-Vagrant-Records.html

Anyways, to make sure it wasn't a mispost like a few months ago, I spoke with management (Pilgrim), Vagrant, and PR. All confirmed and said in the next week or so to expect more news, including release dates, songs titles, album cover, etc. an online publicist has been retained for a few months so it is close and they wouldn't have hired her unless they had lots of news to send out.

As have have in the past, I will post things both on my site and here, but will also comment here and do my best to track down responses from the powers that are working the album. Stay tuned, the hour is upon us.

That's a bit more like it! That sort of citation should have been in the original article.

Further to that he/she/it says:

A distro deal is just using a labels distribution network and manufacturing to get a CD in stores. Instead of Vagrant Records handling the album, press, licensing, etc, they just take the finished album and get it into stores. Chances are, if you go into your local CD shop and don't see albums by Alexisonfire, Senses Fail, and Thrice, you won't find Rammstein there either. I am assuming the band has their own label at this point, most likely setup with their management as they still need a label.

[discuss]

Vapour or Concrete?

Around 17 hours ago The Gauntlet posted a news item about Rammstein signing with Vagrant for their US distro. I've been dubious about it, as there has been no citation of a release from either Rammstein/Pilgrim or Vagrant.

Now a second English language posting has popped up in the last half hour on Metal Underground. Still no citation from either party, and no definite source, though MU says the announcement has come from the band.

It could be that this is a case of horrendously amateurish journalism or a very bad/non-existent press kit. Surely if Pilgrim or Vagrant have released this information they sent out comment from the involved parties and information? It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.

The only other information we really get from either article is that there will be eleven tracks on the new album, and anyone who knows Rammstein's past albums could have worked out that wee pearl.

We'll see I guess. I'm still skeptical...

[discuss]

Burning Hearts & Creepy Sandmen

I've begun work on Mein Herz Brennt, and I haven't got the faintest idea what Till's doing there. It's very creepy in a very dark and gleeful way, and I'm liking it, but I'm not sure what all the imagery and allusions pertain to. I'm not sure if there's some nasty paedophilic message in there, or if it's simply about what it seems to be about: darkness, fear, and the unknown goings on when we're not 'there' in the physical world. Or perhaps it's all about something else altogether.

I'm sure other people have ideas. Feel free to share them (link below).

[discuss]

LILT Tweets

I'm a slave to technology. As though RSS feeds and site subscriptions are inadequate in this e-tastic time LILT has now got a Twitter account, which feeds directly from the site. It's terribly camp and horribly trendy, but I'm doing it anyway. I like foodling, and Twitter seems suitable foodly.

[discuss]

Dreamscapes & Mind-Fucks

I had a dream last night. It's incredible how the mind is able to make dreamland weirdness perfectly acceptable and plausible...for the most part:

In my dream I was in a Russian town. There were a few things that were skew-whiff. Firstly, the town looked distinctly Western European. It looked nothing like the pictures I've seen of Russia. I've never been to Russia, but I was familiar with it and absolutely at home there. Half the population appeared to be of African descent. Everyone was speaking English. Now, all of those aspects of the dream (as reality goes) are very odd, but in my dream they were all 'right'. There was nothing that made me think 'this is wrong'. Fine, that's how dreams work.

Further, Rammstein were in this town to announce their Russian tour dates to the world. That's daft, but in my dream it seemed utterly feasible and I didn't remark it. Fine. It's a dream, so that's okay.

After the announcement and press questions the band were ushered off the stage set up in the square, and disappeared, then out of nowhere Herr Lindemann was standing right in front of me. That's okay. It's a dream, so the idea of one of the stars of the show just wandering in the crowd makes sense. Not a problem.

He took me to a pub on the outskirts of the town and we sat down with beers, and talked, and that wasn't strange at all. Good.

What really destroyed the illusion of normality was his sudden, late-in-the-piece smile. His teeth were wrong. It completely tilted my world (no pun intended). I was creepy as hell and turned a perfectly good dream into a shit-churning nightmare. I woke up adrenalised and highly disturbed.

Why?

Dreams are self-smoothing. They heal their own tears and twists. The weirdness and surreal elements are rendered normal and banal. The teeth being wrong completely threw me for a loop though. Is it because teeth are such a fundamental part of our facial vocabulary? Why didn't my brain filter that into the realm of the ordinary? I have no idea, but it was a complete mind-fuck, and I don't care to repeat that.

[discuss]

LILT: Alter Mann 1.2

Already the chorus is gutted:

He's waiting for the midday wind
The weary waves sprawl on the sand
Every day the old man will
Smooth the water with his fan

I throw a stone in just for fun
The still water awakes and moves
A jaded look from the old one
As once again he sweeps it smooth

The old man trembles as he smokes
His pipe in the white sand
The water and I both know
Why he needs to keep his fan

Like a volcano foresight sleeps
I waver then ask instead
With bowed head he seems to weep
He tells me before his death

The water is your mirror now
You'll see when it's smoothed clear of all waves
If the fairy tale is yours
And you'll cry out loud to be saved

The fan is clutched close to his heart
As the rigor holds his hand
They have to prise his grip apart
The fan stays back on the sand

Each day I cry to be saved
I call out to the old man
I stay out in the midday wind
And then I read from the fan

The water is your mirror now
You'll see when it's smoothed clear of all waves
If the fairy tale is yours
And you'll cry out loud to be saved

I'll keep honing it.

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Alter Mann 1.1

I have the basis for the chorus in now:

He's waiting for the midday wind
The weary waves sprawl on the sand
Every day the old man will
Smooth the water with his fan

I throw a stone in just for fun
The still water uncurls and moves
A jaded look from the old one
As once again he sweeps it smooth

The old man trembles as he smokes
His pipe in the white sand
The water and I both know
Why he needs to have his fan

Like a volcano foresight sleeps
I waver then ask instead
With bowed head he seems to weep
He tells me before his death

The water is your mirror now
When it's smoothed out you will see
If the fairy tale is yours
And you'll cry out for a reprieve

The fan is clutched close to his heart
As the rigor holds his hand
They have to prise his grip apart
The fan stays back on the sand

Each day I cry to be saved
I call out to the old man
I stay out in the midday wind
And then I read from the fan

The water is your mirror now
When it's smoothed out you will see
If the fairy tale is yours
And you'll cry out for a reprieve

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Adios 1.2

A one word change:

He lies the needle along the vein
And bids that the music come in
Between his neck and his elbow
The melody moves gently through the bones

Go! Go! Go!
Bop bop shu bop

And then as he closes his eyes
In his blood battle will rise
An army marching through his bowel
The warming in his entrails comes on slow

Go! Go! Go!
Bop bop shu bop

Nix is for you
Nix was for you
Nix left for you
Forever

He moves the needle out of his vein
The melody leaves through his skin
The strings burn him with their shrieks
Harp chords cut into his flesh
He has opened wide his eyes
But still he does not arise

Nix is for you
Nix was for you
Nix left for you
Forever

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Stirb Nicht Vor Mir 1.0

I tackled this one solely based on the unreleased demo version, which rocks, but have adapted the Rosenrot version, which I'm not so keen on. I don't know if this makes sense, but I didn't want to be working on the demo, as I'm not sure if it's legitimately released or not.

The English lyrics (in square brackets) aren't what I consider ideal, but I'm not reworking them at this point, so I've bolded the German lyrics I've adapted:

The night gives birth to a child
Its natural name is loneliness
It is still and very cold
I weep into the abyss
I don't know what you're called
But I know that you are real
I know that after all
Someone will love me

[He comes to me every night
No words are left to say
With his hands around my neck
I close my eyes and pass away]

[I don't know who he is
In my dreams he does exist
His passion is a kiss
And I can not resist]

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die b'fore me

[I don't know who you are
I know that you exist]
Don't die
[Sometimes love seems so far]
I'm waiting here
[Your love I can't dismiss]
I'm waiting here

All the houses are snowed in
With their windows candlelit
There they lie in pairs
And I
I'm waiting for you here

I'm waiting here
[Don't die before I do]
I'm waiting here
Don't die b'fore me

[I don't know who you are
I know that you exist]
Don't die
[Sometimes love seems so far]
I'm waiting here
[Your love I can't dismiss]

Don't die b'fore me

I may take on the English lyrics at some stage, but for now this LILT is all about the German verses.

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Adios 1.1

He lies the needle along the vein
And bids that the music come in
Between his neck and his elbow
The melody moves gently through the bones

Go! Go! Go!
Bop bop shu bop

And then as he closes his eyes
In his blood battle will arise
An army marching through his bowel
The warming in his entrails comes on slow

Go! Go! Go!
Bop bop shu bop

Nix is for you
Nix was for you
Nix left for you
Forever

He moves the needle out of his vein
The melody leaves through his skin
The strings burn him with their shrieks
Harp chords cut into his flesh
He has opened wide his eyes
But still he does not arise

Nix is for you
Nix was for you
Nix left for you
Forever

There's some bad English in there now, but I'm taking poetic licence to make this work better, so tough!

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Alter Mann 1.0

The chorus is still in German, as I haven't tackled it yet. It's going to take some doing:

He's waiting for the midday wind
The weary waves sprawl on the sand
Every day the old man will
Smooth the water with his fan

I throw a stone in just for fun
The still water uncurls and moves
A jaded look from the old one
As once again he sweeps it smooth

The old man shakes as he smokes
His pipe in the white sand
The water and I both know
Why he needs to have his fan

Like a volcano foresight sleeps
I waver then ask instead
With bowed head he seems to weep
He tells me before his death

Das Wasser soll dein Spiegel sein
erst wenn es glatt ist, wirst du sehen
wieviel Märchen dir noch bleibt
und um Erlösung wirst du flehen

The fan is clutched close to his heart
As the rigor holds his hand
They have to prise his grip apart
The fan stays back on the sand

Each day I cry to be saved
I call out to the old man
I stay out in the midday wind
And then I read from the fan

Das Wasser soll dein Spiegel sein
erst wenn es glatt ist, wirst du sehen
wieviel Märchen dir noch bleibt
und um Erlösung wirst du flehen

[lyrics][discuss]

Alter Mann - A Departure

I've begun reworking Alter Mann (Old Man), which is a real departure from most of Rammstein's work. It uses very gentle imagery, and is fairly philosophical, despite the driving riff. After the less subtle songs, like Zerstören, Weißes Fleisch, and even the charming Mann Gegen Mann it's like drinking clean, cool, fresh water.

That said, it's not easy. The imagery and texture is very specific, and it's got a strong cadence, so I'm having to work hard to match the German lyrics and puzzle my own words in with the music. It's going to take me a while to get it right.

It seems like a story about the impetuosity, courage, and arrogance of youth, the clarity that comes with experience and wisdom, and the inability of elders to teach youngsters what they learned over their years of life. I don't think our elders can shorten the learning curve for the upstarts. The kids have to go through the same process over their entire lives, taking knocks and being utterly daft (and oblivious), to come to nearly the same place, or perhaps somewhere much, much worse. That doesn't mean the elders won't try and share their wisdom. It just means they'll end up repeating themselves...and perhaps mourning.

Head, meet wall.

Yes, it's a lovely song. I envisage a really old man, tirelessly teaching the same lessons over and over again, to a young man who is oblivious to the treasure he's being offered, until the old man dies. It's a really strong image, drawn in countless movies. In Hollywoodland the kid eventually twigs that there's something to this crap the old fart's spouting, but I don't think that's always the case in reality, and that's why there's a wistfulness about these lyrics.

There's also something sinister there though. I'm not sure I'll ever understand it fully, but I'm hoping it refers to the sins as well as the youthful errors need to be learned from and avoided. Whether we learn to avoid evil from our elders, or through our own experience of it and the damage it does to us, is something to consider.

Lindemann always weaves in shadows and pain, probably because of the musical style of Rammstein as much as his own personal inclinations, and this song isn't all faded sepia and blossom petals as a result. As with all good art there's darkness to contrast to the glowing highlights.

Our elders die before we learn to value all the wisdom and history they have stored inside them. We waste years and then suddenly they're gone, and all their wonderful, priceless memories with them. Sometimes we destroy and injure because we don't learn the lessons they want to pass on to us, and they die feeling a certain futility as their door closes.

It's sad, but morality tales and anecdotes have their purpose. Hopefully a few people will pay proper attention to this idea and take the time to listen to the stories their seniors try to tell them, and learn from them; watch themselves in that smooth watery mirror, and be able to see themselves with the same clarity that their departed elders did. Only when you can see yourself with that kind of clarity can you see your flaws well enough to repair them, especially the fatal ones.

[discuss]

New Music

I keep seeing translations (probably identical to one another, if I took the time to study them) of the leaked track and it's intriguing, simply because it's the first new lyric from Rammstein in a long time. I'm not going to adapt it though.

Firstly, because I am an old-fashioned girl and have serious objections to the theft of this track in the first place. To adapt it would be to condone the leak. Secondly, because I'm not sure it's a song that would be remotely cool in English (would have to pay more attention to it than I'm willing to at this stage). Thirdly, because of the approach that has been taken to this leak by Pilgrim/Universal Music. I think they'd not only thump me with a C&D, but they'd probably shut LILT down as well.

You might be thinking that the third reason is probably first, but funnily enough it's not. I'm really edgy about IP rights. I've had my art ripped off before, and I've been in a situation where I was one of the people protecting a company's rights over their IP, and to be very honest IP theft really fucks me off. I'd be the first to C&D if asked by any IP owner, lawyer's approach, court order, or no.

I've been asked by a few people if I've got the leaked material. Whether I do or not is moot. I wouldn't distribute it or work with it even if it was in my possession. I certainly haven't sought it, and will not until I can buy it as part of the new album. I certainly wouldn't admit to having it if the leaked file was here, so you'll get a negative reply whether I have it or not. This makes asking an exercise in futility. I'm not only a moral bitch, I'm a highly irritating one too.

[discuss]

LILT: Halleluja 1.2

Only one word changed this time, but it works better, so it's worth an iteration:

Deeply feeling and so pious
On his wall Our Lord is nailed
He wipes defacement from the Bible
He gives Communion without fail

He loves all the choir boys
With their souls so pure and clear
But the tenor gives him pause
So he has to keep him near
On the nightstand, not a sound
Our Lord's image
Is turned slowly 'round

When the church clock strikes the hour
[Hallelujah]
He folds his hands and knees in prayer
[Hallelujah]
He's a single clergyman
[Hallelujah]
So he must share his love as he can
[Hallelujah]

The youth is allowed to stay
Sin nests at half his height
Reverend Father kneels to pray
To music and candlelight

When the church clock strikes the hour
[Hallelujah]
He folds his hands and knees in prayer
[Hallelujah]
He's a single clergyman
[Hallelujah]
So he must share his love as he can
[Hallelujah]

When the church clock strikes the hour
[Hallelujah]
He folds his hands and knees in prayer
[Hallelujah]
He is a true Christian
[Hallelujah]
Charity no mystery to him
[Hallelujah]
Turn slowly around
Turn around

[lyrics][discuss]

There is something really compelling about this song. I keep coming back to it. I think it's that dramatic chorus. It's great.