A beautiful love song and poem for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s day is the day when we celebrate this passionate and crazy love that we have for the significant other. The Ancient Greeks identified multiple types of love. Among these, the consuming, heart burning type of love was called Eros. This is what we’re celebrating today!

For Valentine’s Day I thought I should share with you one of the nicest love songs / poem I know. There are, of course, many beautiful love songs, but one of the best is Amour by Rammstein. The song “Amour” is the last song on the album Reise, Reise (2004). The song is powerful and Till’s voice is amazing, but the lyrics are la pièce de résistance.

The lyrics are passionate, but not pathetic, sour, but not sad, they are not vulgar, they are surprising and inventive… Amour (French word for “love”) is compared with a wild animal, hungry, dangerous, fierce. It’s an enchanted creature and the lovers are its prey.

Love is a wild animal

…

It sucks tightly on your lips
and digs tunnels through your ribs

The lyrics are composed by Till Lindemann, the lead singer of Rammstein. I think you must first understand the lyrics and only after then listen the song. I have English friends that don’t understand German and they weren’t impressed by this song, but after I showed the meaning of the text, they absolutely loved it.

It devours me – head and hair
and chokes me again after many years

Let’s read it! (The translation is made by ©2004 Jeremy Williams, but I did some changes where I felt it was needed. I underlined the verses I liked most, although it was hard for me not to underline the whole poem.)

Die Liebe ist ein wildes Tier
Sie atmet dich, sie sucht nach dir
Nistet auf gebrochenen Herzen
Geht auf Jagd bei Kuss und Kerzen
Saugt sich fest an deinen Lippen
Gräbt sich Gänge durch die Rippen
Lässt sich fallen weich wie Schnee
Erst wird es heiß dann kalt am Ende tut es wehAmour Amour
Alle wollen nur dich zähmen
Amour Amour am Ende
gefangen zwischen deinen ZähnenDie Liebe ist ein wildes Tier
Sie beißt und kratzt und tritt nach mir
Hält mich mit tausend Armen fest
Zerrt mich in ihr Liebesnest
Frißt mich auf mit Haut und Haar
und würgt mich wieder aus nach Tag und Jahr
Läßt sich fallen weich wie Schnee
Erst wird es heiß dann kalt am Ende tut es wehAmour Amour
Alle wollen nur dich zähmen
Amour Amour am Ende
gefangen zwischen deinen ZähnenDie Liebe ist ein wildes Tier
In die Falle gehst du ihr
In die Augen starrt sie dir
Verzaubert wenn ihr Blick dich trifftBitte bitte gib mir Gift

Love is a wild animal
It picks up your smell, it’s looking for you
It nests upon broken hearts
and goes hunting when there are kisses and candles
It sucks tightly on your lips
and digs tunnels through your ribs
It drops softly like snow
First it gets hot then cold in the end it hurtsAmour Amour
Everyone just wants to tame you
Amour Amour in the end
caught between your teethLove is a wild animal
It bites and scratches and kicks towards me
It holds me tightly with a thousand arms
and drags me into its love nest
It devours me – head and hair
and chokes me again after many years
It drops softly like snow
First it gets hot then cold in the end it hurtsAmour Amour
Everyone just wants to tame you
Amour Amour in the end
caught between your teethLove is a wild animal
You fall into its trap
It stares into your eyes
Spellbound when its gaze hits youPlease please give me poison

Here is the song. Unfortunately it doesn’t have an official video. I bet it would have been great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXwha3NvM6w

For those of you who aren’t very romantic, there is always the song “Pussy” – suitable for Valentine’s Day too (search it on Vimeo because on Youtube you won’t find it 🙂 ).

P.S.1. I was not sure (and I’m still not) how to write in English the idea of a song whose lyrics make a beautiful poem, so I googled various types of formulations and I got this funny result: Song poetry. Funny, this is not about sung poetry, but about Classical Chinese poetry of the Song dynasty of China.

P.S.2. Even though this Rammstein’s song might be a little dark, the same “Amour” that devours the lovers can also bring them fresh and bright and happy moments, like this one. And butterflies in stomach, of course. Here is a cute little scene from the movie Clueless, one of the best kiss scenes there is – in my opinion 🙂 .