Lyrics

I'm feeling my creativity quickening. You know, the basis on which this site was founded. I'm planning to get back to LILTing, but I've also had little sparks of original verse bursting through the medicated haze (which I, very stupidly, haven't been writing down), so I will also be resurrecting lyrics.LILT.me. If you're interested in poetry, creative processes, lyrics, or just general creative writing, you might enjoy it. If you're just here for Rammstein news and such then stick with LILT only.

Clearing the Table

I've just promoted a bunch of LILTs to the top shelf (you might have noticed). I'm not only anticipating the new album coming out (hopefully) in three or so months. I'm also looking at all the new LILTs I've started in the past ten days, and thinking too many of the older ones have stagnated for too long. Time to shit or get off the pot!

On another note, I'm trying to work out how to write lyrics for an instrumental piece. I don't have sheet music for the Apocalyptica pieces I'm considering writing for, and can't afford to buy any right now. I've also never done this before. If anyone reading this is a real lyricist can you please get in touch, and perhaps give me some tips?

At this point I'm thinking I'll put together a video and put my lyrics over it with the music, sort of like a karaoke track. I don't know any other way to get across the timing and cadence of my words for a singer to work with.

Amazing how little one considers these things until it's time to knuckle down...

[discuss]

Lyrics Separated

I've created a new site for my original work over at Lyrics.Rammstein.Me. I will no longer post them here.

[discuss]

LYRICS: Muse 1.0

Out there painting a new world
Urging me to grow and unfurl
Perfect forms I see clear as day
Enabling me to have my say
His sparkling words come out of the dark
Driving me to perfect my art

Beautiful images flame in me
Vivid colours I really see
I strive to ignite a similar fire
To paint for you and the choir
All that my muse has inspired

Imagine a web shimmering with dew
Warming air gently breathes right through
The dark ember lying cracked under the pyre
The brisk wind whipping it back to fire
Look back into the dripping trees
With curling ground mist wafting free
Look up through your sharp mind's eye
See the bright cerulean sky

Beautiful images flame in me
Vivid colours I really see
I strive to ignite a similar fire
To paint for you and the choir
All my Muse shall inspire

Good and evil in equal share
Balance is needed to be fair
Where there's joy there should be pain
Whoever has lost should see a gain
Without any darkness light is flat
Without light the dark is just black
Contrast and depth is required
So I weave in a bit from each side

Beautiful images flame in me
Vivid colours I really see
I strive to ignite a similar fire
To paint for you and the choir
All my Muse shall inspire

Out there painting a new world
Urging me to grow and unfurl
Perfect forms I see clear as day
Enabling me to have my say
His sparkling words come out of the dark
Driving me to perfect my art


[discuss]

LYRICS: The Spark 1.3

There's a stain in the water
And it's spreading with the tide
Giving off vaporous fumes
The tainted waves subside

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

Defiant surges roll it deeper
Dark curls tinge the depths
Enclosing with hard fingers
The heart and mind feel kept

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

There's no hope for salvation
The poison works to prise apart
All the gleaming pieces
Making up the beating heart

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

Noxious fumes cascade in fire
New waves run across the face
Swells are brought back to life
The dark miasma is replaced

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...
Until the scintilla came
Cleansing with searing flame

Sparkling waters as before
Warm beams plumb the soul
Clarity has been restored
Heart and mind are whole

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...
Until the scintilla came
And cleansed with searing flame

[discuss]

LYRICS: Ice-Breaker - Dalai Lama Version - 2nd Draft

It rides upon a sea of souls
The ship of stone above the shoals
Bearing dark and lurid dreams
So clear yet never what they seem

All on board have parts to play
To evoke feeling their own way
The living sea carries us all
In thrall

Swells bisected by our prow
Chimeras flit across our bows
The Tillerman plots the course
His mind an infinite source
Your world will soon seem exotic
Cruel, dark, and erotic

Painting forms on your minds' sky
Brave old ideas redefined
The stoker keeps the driving beat
Controling tides that move your feet
Everyone just wants release

Swells bisected by our prow
Chimeras flit across our bows
The sea will surge as we dictate
Hard rhythms you can't escape
Emotions timed by our refrain
We will keep the sea contained

Driving tunes from heaven and hell
We ride the cusp of the swell

[Painting forms on your mind
Brave ideas redefined
The sea
is free
but always submits
To the
will of
the crew of the ship]

We show evil as well as good
We make ourselves misunderstood
Our sea can feel what is true
To the rest we can't get through

Swells bisected by our prow
Chimeras flit across our bows
Currents flow out from our beat
Pulsing through from head to feet
Emotional control is complete

It rides on a sea of souls
This stone ship above the shoals

[Carrying dark and lurid dreams
Clear yet never what they seem
The sea
is free
but always submits
To the
will of
the crew of the ship]

It rides upon a sea of souls
Our stone ship above the shoals
Carries dark and lurid dreams

Swells bisected by our prow
Chimeras flit past our bows
The sea will surge as we dictate
Hard rhythms you can't escape
We sail


[The sea
is free
but always submits
The sea
is free
but always submits
The sea
is free
but always submits
To the
will of
the crew of the ship]

[discuss]

LYRICS: Ice-Breaker - Dalai Lama Version

This is my Ice-breaker piece, adapted to be sung to the music of Dalai Lama. It's about and from the point of view of Rammstein and Rammstein's fans. The main vocals are Rammstein, and the choral lines (in square brackets) are the fans:

It rides upon a sea of souls
The ship of stone above the shoals
Bearing dark and lurid dreams
So clear yet never what they seem

All on board have parts to play
To evoke feeling their own way
The living sea carries us all
In thrall

Swells bisected by our prow
Chimeras flit across our bows
The Tillerman plots the course
His mind an infinite source
Your world will soon seem exotic
Cruel, dark, and erotic

Painting forms on your minds' sky
Brave old ideas redefined
The stoker keeps the driving beat
Controling tides that move your feet
Everyone just wants release

Swells bisected by our prow
Chimeras flit across our bows
The sea will surge as we dictate
Hard rhythms you can't escape
Emotions timed by our refrain
We will keep the sea contained

Driving tunes from heaven and hell
We ride the cusp of the swell

[Painting forms on your mind
Brave ideas redefined
The sea
is free
but always submits
To the
will of
the crew of the ship]

We show evil as well as good
We make ourselves misunderstood
Our sea can feel what is true
To the rest we can't get through

Swells bisected by our prow
Chimeras flit across our bows
Currents flow out from our beat
Pulsing through from head to feet
Emotional control complete

It rides on a sea of souls
This stone ship above the shoals

[Carrying dark and lurid dreams
Clear yet never what they seem
The sea
is free
but always submits
To the
will of
the crew of the ship]

It rides upon a sea of souls
Our stone ship above the shoals
Carries dark and lurid dreams

Swells bisected by our prow
Chimeras flit past our bows
The sea will surge as we dictate
Hard rhythms you can't escape
We sail


[The sea
is free
but always submits
The sea
is free
but always submits
The sea
is free
but always submits
To the
will of
the crew of the ship]

[discuss]

Adapting Ice-Breaker

I've been thinking about Ice-Breaker. It's about Rammstein and their fans. It feels like a poem, but I want it to feel like a song, so I'm thinking of adapting it to work with one of Rammstein's songs (how many people will that piss off?). I just need to work out which one now...

[discuss]

LYRICS: Icebreaker 1.3

There it rides on a sea of souls
A ship of stone above the shoals
Carrying dark and lurid dreams
So clear, yet never what they seem
Swells bisected by the heavy prow
While fantasies flit across the bows

All on board have parts to play
To evoke feelings, each in their way
But the living sea carries them all
Seeking a release, hearts enthralled

The water is wild but always submits
To the will of the crew of the ship

The man at the tiller plots the course
His mind provides an infinite source
Painting forms on our minds' sky
Brave new ideas redefined
His stories invoke the exotic
Sometimes brutal, often erotic

The water is wild but always submits
To the will of the crew of the ship

The stoker keeps the driving beat
Controls the tides that stamp our feet
The whole crew keep us contained
Emotions timed by their refrain
The sea will surge as they dictate
Hard rhythms you can't escape

The water is wild but always submits
To the will of the crew of the ship

Swinging on tunes from heaven and hell
They keep us riding the cusp of the swell
By showing us evil as well as good
They find themselves misunderstood
Though their ocean feels what is true
Outsiders find it a heady brew

The water is wild but always submits
To the will of the crew of the ship

All on board have parts to play
To evoke feelings, each in their way
But the living sea carries them all
Seeking a release, hearts enthralled

The water is wild but always submits
To the will of the crew of the ship

There it rides on a sea of souls
A boat of stone above the shoals
Carrying dark and lurid dreams
All clear, yet never what they seem
Swells bisected by a heavy prow
While fantasies flit across the bows

[discuss]

LYRICS: Rolling with the Blows 1.0

This really isn't Rammstein-inspired. It's more about community and resilience as positives, which can be applied to Rammstein and it's fans if you really want to stretch the imagery to its furthest extent. I'm posting this because I like the image, and may apply it to future, more pertinent work:

A single spike comes from the ground
No one hears its thunderous sound
At its heart the great canes roar
Soon a bamboo grove will soar
Starting small it climbs its route
So much force in this small shoot

Resilience engenders power
So much virtue in this tower
Winds may try and overcome
But these canes will not succumb

Soon after more shoots follow
They grow in girth, light and hollow
But there is huge strength in there
Bamboo bends but feels no fear
Never underestimate a cane
It can withstand any strain

Resilience engenders power
So much virtue in this tower
Winds may try to overcome
But these canes will not succumb

Battered by all the world can summon
The bamboo's heart is quite uncommon
Where other groves will be undone
These few shoots have just begun
Where one has weakness neighbours stand
Reinforcing it as a united band

Resilience engenders power
So much virtue in this tower
Winds may try to overcome
But these canes will not succumb

[discuss]

LYRICS: Icebreaker 1.2

There it rides on a sea of souls
A ship of stone above the shoals
Carrying dark and lurid dreams
So clear, yet never what they seem
Swells bisected by a heavy prow
While fantasies flit across the bows

All on board have roles to play
To tell the story each in their way
But the living sea carries all
Seeking a release, enthralled

The tillerman's words plot the course
His mind as the infinite source
Paints pictures on our minds' sky
Brave new ideas redefined
He sets out to seek the exotic
Sometimes brutal, often erotic

The stoker keeps the driving beat
Controls the tides that stamp our feet
His job is to keep contained
Emotions timed by his refrain
The sea will surge as he dictates
Hard rhythms you can't escape

The rest of the crew have tasks as well
Swinging on tunes from heaven and hell
They dance together in perfect time
Yet hold their own and keep their line
They each have their dues to pay
But never go off-course or stray

All on board have roles to play
To tell the story each in their way
But the living sea carries all
Seeking a release, enthralled

There it rides on a sea of souls
A boat of stone above the shoals
Carrying dark and lurid dreams
All clear, yet never what they seem
Swells bisected by a heavy prow
While fantasies flit across the bows

[discuss]

LYRICS: Icebreaker 1.1

There it rides on a sea of souls
A ship of stone above the shoals
Carrying dark and lurid dreams
So clear, yet not what they seem
Swells bisected by a heavy prow
While fantasies flit across the bows

All on board have roles to play
To tell the story and have their say
But the living sea carries all
Seeking a release, enthralled

The helmsman's words plot the course
His mind as an infinite source
Paints pictures on our minds' sky
Brave new ideas redefined
He sets out to seek the exotic
Sometimes brutal, often erotic

The stoker keeps the driving beat
Controls the tides that stamp our feet
His job is to keep contained
Emotions timed by his refrain
The sea will surge as he dictates
Hard rhythms you can't escape

The rest of the crew have tasks as well
Swinging on tunes from heaven and hell
They dance together in perfect time
Yet hold their own and keep their line
They each have their dues to pay
But never go off-course or stray

All on board have roles to play
To tell the story and have their say
But the living sea carries all
Seeking a release, enthralled

There it rides on a sea of souls
A boat of stone above the shoals
Carrying dark and lurid dreams
All clear, yet not what they seem
Swells bisected by a heavy prow
While fantasies flit across the bows

[Update: Once again I couldn't leave well alone. This is now be designated 1.1]

[discuss]

Onions

I've had a look around and have found a lot of varied views as to what various Rammstein songs represent, fundamentally. Obviously Lindemann is playing a deep game, because while his lyrics have very vivid imagery with clear superficial meaning there are (apparently) layers, and different people take different things from them. Each song has a story or subject, which is described using metaphors. What's a little confounding is that people are interpreting these stories as metaphors in their own right, i.e. metaphors have been used to convey metaphors.

How many layers are there?

I feel like if I try and find out how many layers any one song has I'll end up peeling off so many I'll end up with a small nub in the end, like peeling an onion, or opening a set of Matryoshka dolls.

While I'm reluctant to do my own work based solely on these deeper layers, due to risk of straying off the track where the obvious meaning is concerned, it is tempting. I've seen some seriously impressive interpretations of the secondary layers, and they can be compelling.

[This is where I reiterate my frustration at not having a direct line into Lindemann's head. We'll just skip over that.]

What all this tells me is that Lindemann is cleverer than he looks, or perhaps a bit crazy. While I've been fairly obscure in my core meaning with the Spark lyrics, there is only one layer there. My intended meaning is directly linked to the metaphor I've used in the words. The entire image conveyed is the single metaphor for the story I'm telling. I haven't used any other devices or deeper layers at all. It's quite simply one great big analogy for an interpersonal situation.

I'm not sure if this makes me less clever than Lindemann, or not. Yes, I'm certainly less talented. You don't need to tell me that, but am I less slick? I'm not sure if his supposed onion-like layers of meaning are a virtue or not, or if they're real or imaginary. I have to admit it's intriguing, but sometimes, with all the analysis and re-interpretation that goes on online, I wonder if it's all bollocks and people are seeing shit that simply isn't there.

This in itself is clever. By remaining fairly uncommunicative about what his core intent is with his poetry Lindemann creates a lot of speculation, which becomes a buzz, which becomes a roar of intellectual contortionism on the part of people who will probably never know the truth. I'm not sure if I should pander to that or not, leaving me tentative about dipping my toe into the pool of ideas.

I have to applaud what he's doing though. God forbid that this man ever stops writing and being published. If Rammstein retires after this album I for one will be hoping Lindemann continues to put his work out there.

[discuss]

Polls Apart

I've posted a poll on the right side of the site regarding my original work and whether it should be here.

Obviously this site is all about the creation of new English lyrics for Rammstein's songs, but I've been working on my own lyrics this week, and have posted them here for want of a better place, without complaint so far.

That said, Till Lindemann is probably what most of you have in common with me, and you may not really want to know what I'm doing unless it relates to him. Also, no complaints doesn't mean much, when I assume if you lost interest in this site you'd just stop coming, rather than letting me know.

I'd rather know. Don't worry about me taking it personally, because I won't. This is the internet. 'Personal' isn't something I hang out in the breeze. Please make a choice in the poll.

[discuss]

LYRICS: The Spark 1.2

There's a stain in the water
And it's spreading with the tide
Giving off vaporous fumes
The tainted waves subside

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

Defiant surges roll it deeper
Dark curls tinge the depths
Enclosing with hard fingers
The heart and mind feel kept

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

There's no hope for salvation
The poison works to prise apart
All the gleaming pieces
Making up the beating heart

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

Noxious fumes cascade in fire
New waves run across the face
Swells are brought back to life
The dark miasma is replaced

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...
Until the scintilla came
Cleansing with searing flame

Sparkling waters as before
Warm beams plumb the soul
Clarity has been restored
The heart and the mind are whole

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...
Until the scintilla came
And cleansed with searing flame

One word changed, so minor, but everything else is working for me.

[discuss]

LYRICS: The Spark 1.1

There's a stain in the water
And it's spreading with the tide
Giving off vaporous fumes
The tainted waves subside

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

Defiant surges roll it deeper
Dark curls tinge the depths
Enclosing with hard fingers
The heart and mind feel kept

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

There's no hope for salvation
The poison works to prise apart
All the gleaming pieces
Making up the beating heart

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

Noxious fumes cascade into fire
New waves run across the face
Swells are brought back to life
The dark miasma is replaced

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...
Until the scintilla came
Cleansing with searing flame

Sparkling waters as before
Warm beams plumb the soul
Clarity has been restored
The heart and the mind are whole

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...
Until the scintilla came
And cleansed with searing flame

This is so much easier than the LILTs.

[discuss]

LYRICS: The Spark (working title)

I've made further progress:

There's a stain in the water
And it's spreading with the tide
Giving off vaporous fumes
The tainted waves subside

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

Defiant surges roll it deeper
Dark curls tinge the depths
Enclosing with hard fingers
The heart and mind feel kept

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

There seems no hope for salvation
The poison works to prise apart
All the gleaming pieces
That make up a beating heart

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...

Noxious fumes cascade into fire
New waves run across the face
Swells brought back to life
The dark miasma is replaced

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...
Until the scintilla came
And cleansed with searing flame

Sparkling waters as before
Warm beams plumb the soul
Clarity has been restored
And the heart and mind are whole

Like nothing will ever be the same
The soul starts to lose its way...
Until the scintilla came
And cleansed with searing flame

This is the first time I've ever published my own work. BIG moment for me. Thanks for reading :)

Now I just need to get Till Lindemann to come along and Germanise this. Fuck, that would rock. He'd do a much better job.

[NB: If this post seems to have changed since you first saw it I apologise. I couldn't stop fixing stuff.]

[discuss]

LYRICS: Okay...

I really didn't think it would be that easy. I shifted off the visualisation I was developing without success, and staying with the same meaning switched to totally different imagery. Suddenly, I have four lines I can live with...for now:

There's a stain in the water
An it's spreading with the tide
Giving off vaporous fumes
The tainted waves subside

Sweeeeet.

[discuss]

Argh! Beauty Becomes Dross!

All the wonderful imagery I've had in my head for days is completely failing to translate into words. Well no, it's translating alright, but into really, really shitty words. It's not working. I'm going to have to stop and re-think this.

I'll cleanse my mental palate with something else for a while and see if that helps. Disheartening? Try torturous.

[discuss]

Tangent & R-r-r-random Thought

I've been working on some original lyrics of my own, but just in my head, and today on Facebook someone in a Rammstein group suggested a team effort to produce a song. Now, this is just going to be a fun thing for some perfect strangers to put together, and as we're all Rammstein fans and the lyrics I've been foodling around with are definitely Rammstein-inspired I figure I should probably make a bit more of an effort and polish the turd.

This means probably a week or more of LILT going a bit static, so I'm going to post my work on this sideline on here. It's not a LILT, since it's not a rework of Till's lyrics, but it's semi-relevant.

On a totally different subject, I've decided to share a weird little personal fact with you regarding a reaction I have to Rammstein music. I'm sure you're all very aware of the tendency Lindemann has to roll some of his Rs beyond the ordinary. I've noticed that Germans tend to use what to English-speakers sounds like either movement at the back of the throat or a soft D to sound out Rs. I assume there are conventions that dictate how the R sounds in a given context. Lindemann, on the other hand, sprinkles his singing with full-on rolling Rs, which kind of sound like he's trying to purr, only in full voice.

This particular mannerism is one I associate very strongly with my morfar (maternal grandfather), Bo. From a very young age he used to do the same thing when talking to me, as emphasis, particularly when he spoke Swedish to me but also in English. This isn't a Swedish speech mannerism in the general way, just as it's not the norm in German, as far as I know, but it was so very distinctly 'morfar' that I get a small bubble of happy when I hear anyone making this sound.

My mother's father was a huge influence on my life, and I adored him. I miss him every day, and still to this day can't consistently roll my Rs that way, though I have to admit that I don't try to as often now he's dead. He used to tease me about my inability to roll my Rs, and would ramp up the R-rolling in response to my sad failure. When he was over in NZ he'd feed me chocolate when I managed it (and when I did anything else he liked, like laughing at his jokes or giving him a good answer to a question), and that kind of thing sticks in the mind. It's a good memory.

I've never come across anyone else who rolls their Rs like this, so I naturally associate it only with this one person. This is why I feel a little internal smile come on every time I hear Lindemann purring; the kind of smile you only ever get from a private joke.

How weird is that? Associating an East German metal (?) vocalist with a man who didn't sing, would probably hate the music, and was from a different generation and culture, even if he did love German cars, is probably a stretch but it works for me.

[discuss]