LILT: Zerstören 3.1

I look after my own turf
But break down yours to rock and dirt
Consuming, entombing
Defacing, and wasting
From inside me a great greed sings
I feel the need to manage things
I'm the destroyer
So much effort just for you
I'm the destroyer
So much effort just for you

Mine!

I want to break all that you've built
I tear it down and don't feel guilt
I'm stripping, and ripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
My discipline ought to impress
I aim to cause that much distress
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
Destroying
So much effort just for you
I'm the destroyer
So much effort just for you

Mine!

All this drive is inside me
I am on a wrecking spree
In me there is a better side
but he's along for the ride
I'm the destroyer
So much effort just for you
I'm the destroyer
So much effort just for you

Mine!

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
And rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm kicking, and spitting

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht


[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Zerstören 3.0

I look after my own turf
But break down yours to rock and dirt
Consuming, entombing
Defacing, and wasting
From inside me a great greed sings
I feel the need to manage things
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine

Mine!

I want to break all that you've built
I tear it down and don't feel guilt
I'm stripping, and ripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
My discipline ought to impress
I aim to cause that much distress
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
Destroying
Just so long as it's not mine
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine

Mine!

All this drive is inside me
I am on a wrecking spree
In me there is a better side
but he's along for the ride
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine

Mine!

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
And rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm kicking, and spitting

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht


There's a lack of rhyme in the chorus, but a fuck-tonne of reason, and I've been mulling this over for weeks and weeks with nothing to add, apart from changing 'ruin' to 'manage' in verse one. I'm putting this one on the possibly finished shelf now too.

Sometimes I wonder if I've held this one back for so long because I like listening to Till fake an orgasm over and over...

[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Zerstören 2.2

Yep, fuck the rhyme. That 'lawyer' crap lasted about five minutes. I'm back to the non-rhyming sense, with a few other minor changes:

I look after my own turf
But break down yours to rock and dirt
Consuming, entombing
Defacing, and wasting
From inside me a great greed sings
I feel the need to ruin things
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine

Mine!

I want to break all that you've built
I tear it down and don't feel guilt
I'm stripping, and ripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
My discipline ought to impress
I aim to cause that much distress
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
Destroying
Just so long as it's not mine
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine

Mine!

All this drive is inside me
I am on a wrecking spree
In me there is a better side
but he's along for the ride
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine

Mine!

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
And rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm kicking, and spitting

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht


[lyrics][discuss]

LILT: Zerstören 2.1

I look after my own turf
But break down yours to rock and dirt
Consuming, entombing
Defacing, and wasting
From inside me a great greed sings
I feel the need to ruin things
I'm the destroyer
I can. Just ask a lawyer
I'm the destroyer
I can. Just ask a lawyer

Mine!

I want to break all that you've built
I tear it down and don't feel guilt
I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
My discipline ought to impress
I aim to cause so much distress
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
Destroying
I can. Just ask a lawyer
I'm the destroyer
I can. Just ask a lawyer

Mine!

All this drive is inside me
I am on a wrecking spree
In me there is a better side
but he's along for the ride
I'm the destroyer
I can. Just ask a lawyer
I'm the destroyer
I can. Just ask a lawyer

Mine!

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
And rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm spitting, and kicking

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht


[lyrics][discuss]

This may revert to 2.0. I'm not sure. The meaning of the refrain has to change to rhyme with Till's destroyer lines, but it's a bit of a hack. I like the original meaning better than the rhyme, I think...

More on That Interview...

There are a couple of things raised in the interview I linked to yesterday that I've been thinking more about. One of them dates the interview in the worst way, and that's the topic raised of Napster/MP3s. Till didn't like them. They seemed to anger him. Schneider was intrigued by the whole idea. He saw the potential in this alternative platform for music distribution. Obviously his views have born fruit since the interview was done eight years ago. I wonder how Till feels about MP3s now his work is distributed online legally and for money in that format.

Not long before the interview was filmed I was first getting into Rammstein, and without several illicit MP3s being sent to me and played by me illegally I wouldn't have been exposed to their music at all. I wouldn't have bought my first Rammstein CD back then, as I did. More recently, after years of not listening to Rammstein (I lost the original CD) I've now downloaded all of their other albums, listened to them for several weeks (illegally), and gone out and bought all of their CDs, including a second copy of the one I'd lost.

One would hope and, frankly, expect that in the past eight years Till has changed his opinion in respect to MP3s and online distribution. I imagine that thousands of their fans were, like me, brought into the fold by illegal distribution of Rammstein media. I'd be interested to hear his views on this now, as well as Schneider's.

Another subject raised in the interview is understanding of the music. The gist is that they leave their lyrics open to interpretation, so listeners can take from it what they will. I like this. It's the same with good paintings or sculpture; the beholder shouldn't be locked into a particular set of boundaries.

For a long time I wasn't terribly interested in the meaning behind Rammstein's work, enjoying the sound of the music and vocals for their nonsensical aesthetic, rather than for anything more profound. The lyrics are rhythmically and verbally attractive*, even sans comprehension, and that was a nice way to appreciate Rammstein for ages.

This time around I've taken more of an interest, and this interest has, in turn, lead to LILT. The LILT project has taken me beyond the mere appreciation of the music though. I've come out the other side and am trying to create something that mirrors the original German words, so this openness is no longer something I enjoy. I'm deliberately trying to convey what Till's intended meaning was, irrespective of what anyone else takes from it, and I'm included in that 'anyone else'. What I take from Till's work is really not the point. I guess this is why my wee tantrum last month was such an important point for me. It liberated me from the feeling that I might get it wrong.

I got it wrong when I read the transcript for Zerstören, and without knowing what Rammstein had declared with regard to the meaning took it to be about a vandal. In my ignorance about German I got Du Hast wrong originally as well. I thought it was a song about committment and dedication to a relationship. It is apparently quite the reverse.

Now I'm working purely from the pictures Till draws with his words. I'm maybe having to paint certain details in slightly differently, or changing the shade of a colour used, but so long as I stay true to the picture in a general way I'm not going to get it wrong.

* This is where I admit that from the time I first heard the German Language (and other Germanic languages, such as my own birthright, Swedish) until a few years ago I thought the sounds ugly and harsh. I found the rhythms awkward, the sounds gutteral and unattractive, and the fluency lacking. Mr Lindemann's work changed that for German. Maybe I need to find a really talented Swedish lyricist now too.

That said, I still consider spoken English pretty ugly. Maybe only words put together for lyrical or poetic reasons are going to be attractive in these languages.

[discuss]

LILT: Zerstören 2.0

Now I've had more time to get my head around the cadence of the original I've managed to get my lyrics closer to the source:

I look after my own turf
But break down yours to rock and dirt
Consuming, entombing
Defacing, and wasting
From inside me a great greed sings
I feel the need to ruin things
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine

Mine!

I want to break all that you've built
I tear it down and don't feel guilt
I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
My discipline ought to impress
I aim to cause so much distress
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
Destroying
Just so long as it's not mine
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine

Mine!

All this drive is inside me
I am on a wrecking spree
In me there is a better side
but he's along for the ride
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine
I'm the destroyer
Just so long as it's not mine

Mine!

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
And rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm spitting, and kicking

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht


[lyrics][discuss]

Tinting My World a Vivid Shade of Rammstein

I've had my head in these songs so much lately that I've gained some new perspective on how people go through life.

I did notice when I first started work on Rein Raus that I was looking at sex and people a bit differently. Granted, it's fine thinking about sex for hours at a time, but thinking about sex as per someone else's point of view is just weird. I've never looked at sex as a man might, let alone a man like that depicted in Rein Raus. He's a user with a very casual attitude to his partners, and I basically stepped on board that mindset and went with it. I have friends with similar characteristics, and I suddenly know them much better, I think. It's certainly been interesting working on that song, and I have really enjoyed the adjustments I've had to make to my own perspective.

Tier and Zerstören are a whole different kettle of fish. I can get my head into the right space, but I don't particularly enjoy it. While interesting it's very dark and very lonely. I just can't sympathise with Tier in the least, and I resent Zerstören's ugliness. I guess that's a good thing, given the evils of each. That said, I'd rather spend my life inside the mind drawn in Zerstören than go anywhere near Tier.

I think anyone who isn't a flawless God of Love can sympathise with Feuer und Wasser and Ohne Dich, and Du Hast for that matter. They're love songs, and though the message varies widely the underlying basis for each does not. It's a fairly ubiquitous.

As as aside, I've been contemplating picking up Klavier, but have hit a block. In verse three Jeremy has the following translation:

I hear mother pleading
father is beating me

In the booklet that comes with the CD those lines are transcribed as:

I heard her mother plea
Her father struck out at me

Grammatical issues aside, the latter is clearly defining whose parents they are. The translation of the original German from Jeremy, an adept German-speaker, does not, unless it's to say they're the speaker's parents. Until I know for sure which Till Lindemann intended (never mind the technicalities) I can't work on this song. The implications of that parenthood are too broad. Did Lindemann write the translations in the CD case?

That question is really bothering me. I need more information that I can't get from anyone but the author, who is so far from likely to ever see this that I think I'm going to miss out on Klavier. I find that sad.

I've got Rammstein in my mind, but no real world connection. Fuck!

[discuss]

LILT: Zerstören 1.4

I look after my own turf
But break down yours to rock and dirt
Consuming, entombing
Defacing, and wasting
From inside me a great greed sings
I feel the need to ruin things
I'm the destroyer
I will take all that I can
I'm the destroyer
I will wreck all that I can

Mine!

It's so insane you have this much
I want to take all that you touch
I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
I'm 'here to help', don't make a sound
I'm the police, don't hang around
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
Destroying
I will take all that I can
I'm the destroyer
I will wreck all that I can

Mine!

In me there is a better side
but he's along for the ride
I really want to tap your line
When I'm done it will be mine
I'm the destroyer
I will take all that I can
I'm the destroyer
I will wreck all that I can

Mine!

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
And rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm spitting, and kicking

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht

[lyrics][discuss]

The first two lines of verse two are not really working for me, so they'll need to be replaced next.

LILT: Zerstören 1.3

I've sorted out the lines i didn't like, though I'm not 100% sure about the changes:

I look after my own turf
But break down yours to rock and dirt
Consuming, entombing
Defacing, and wasting
From inside me a great greed sings
I feel the need to ruin things
I'm the destroyer
All my care is just a scam
I'm the destroyer
I will take all that I can

Mine!

It's so insane you have this much
I want to have all that you touch
I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
I'm 'here to help', don't make a sound
I'm the police, don't hang around
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
Destroying
All my care is just a scam
I'm the destroyer
I will take all that I can

Mine!

In me there is a better side
but he's along for the ride
I really want to tap your line
When I'm done it will be mine
I'm the destroyer
All my care is just a scam
I'm the destroyer
I will take all that I can

Mine!

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
I'm rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm spitting, and kicking

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht

[discuss]

LYRICS: Zerstören 1.2

Shifting Zerstören from a basic street hooligan to a global decimator isn't actually that much of a stretch. The US under GWB was the worst sort of vandal:

I look after my own turf
But break down yours to rock and dirt
Consuming, entombing
Defacing, and wasting
From inside me a great greed sings
I feel the need to ruin things
I'm the destroyer
All my care is just a scam
I'm the destroyer
I will take all that I can

Mine!

It's so insane you have so much
I will wreck all that you touch
I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
I'm 'here to help', don't make a sound
I'm the police, don't hang around
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
Destroyer
All my care is just a scam
I'm the destroyer
I will take all that I can

Mine!

I really want to fuck you up
I'm your worst kind of luck
In me there's a better side
but he's along for the ride
I'm the destroyer
All my care is just a scam
I'm the destroyer
I will take all that I can

Mine!

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
I'm rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm spitting, and kicking

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht

[discuss]

I'll keep working on it. I'll be working more on the 'I really want to fuck you up, I'm your worst kind of luck' bit further at any rate.

Zerstören in Iraq

Rammchick has passed on some information I didn't have previously, which I find is all over the place. Thanks for the heads up.

I'll take any excuse to rip Bush a new one, and this song now becomes much more sympathetic to me. Suddenly my yellow streak seems more appropriate. I'm not putting it back in, but I will be putting a lot more work into this piece now I have this information.

The Bush administration got away with murder and vandalism. During their reign I considered the US to be one of the bad guys, something I'd never done before. I welcome the information that this song, which describes a contemptible lack of respect for others, describes GWB and his cronies. It all makes sense to me now in a way it couldn't before.

I'll post a new draft of Zerstören when I can.

[discuss]

Update 1219hrs: Our anonymous poster is no longer anonymous :)

LILT: Zerstören 1.1

Yellow streak erased from Vandal:

I look after my own gear
But break all yours beyond repair
Annoying, destroying
Defacing, and wasting
From inside me the bad urge sings
I feel the need to ruin things
I am the vandal
I will wreck all that I can
I am the vandal
Wrecking things is what I am

Why

It's so insane you care that much
I will wreck all that you touch
I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
If I had yours I'd keep it sound
I'm glad that you don't hang around
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
The vandal
I will wreck all that I can
I am the vandal
Wrecking things is what I am

Why

I really want to fuck you up
I'm your worst kind of luck
Inside me there's a better side
but he comes along for the ride
I am the vandal
I will wreck all that I can
I am the vandal
Wrecking things is what I am

Why

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
I'm rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm spitting, and kicking

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht

[discuss]

Vandal

I want to add a small piece of background to my work on Zerstören, because I have added a tint to the song that isn't in the original, and that should be addressed.

The cowardice of my vandal does not necessarily fit with the Destroyer of the German version. I'm pretty sure the original is about vandalism, but the 'if I can get away with it' detail is entirely fabricated by me. I'm sure a lot of vandals are more blatant than mine, and I'm pretty sure Lindemann had no intent to convey this yellow streak in his song. His lyrics are more about the angst and the fury, whereas mine have that added this colouring of not caring to get caught.

It's the 'if I can get away' lines that add this. I will change them soon to remove this aspect of the story, as it's not true to the Rammstein song. This does go against my original intent with Lilt, so it's bugging me.

[discuss]

LILT: Zerstören 1.0

I started this one thinking it'd be easy, but it's been a bit tricky. Note that I've left the lullaby at the end in German. I don't plan to change this. The source material is here. My version of this song is called 'Vandal':

I look after my own gear
But break all yours beyond repair
Annoying, destroying
Defacing, and wasting
From where I sit you live like kings
I feel the need to ruin things
I am a vandal
But only if I'll get away
I am a vandal
Only if I'll get away with it

Why

It's so unfair you have so much
I will wreck all that you touch
I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm spitting, and kicking
If I had yours I'd keep it sound
I'm glad that you don't hang around
I'm wrecking, dissecting, rejecting
A vandal
But only if I'll get away
I am a vandal
Only if I'll get away with it

Why

I really want to fuck your day
But only if I'll get away
Inside me there's a better side
but he comes along for the ride
I am a vandal
But only if I'll get away
I am a vandal
Only if I'll get away with it

Why

I'm ripping, and stripping
I'm taking, and breaking
I'm tearing, and searing
I'm wrecking, dissecting
I'm crashing, and smashing
I'm rending, and bending
Defacing, and wasting
I'm spitting, and kicking

Er traf ein Mädchen, das war blind
Geteiltes Leid und gleichgesinnt
Sah einen Stern vom Himmel gehen
Und wünschte sich sie könnte sehn

Sie hat die Augen aufgemacht
Verließ ihn noch zur selben Nacht

It's been a good day. I'll work on this some more soon.

[discuss]