Hiho everyone,

I recently left a comment about the song under another video :) Copy & Paste for you again:

German is my first language – so as a native pls let me explain as concise as possible many of the hidden symbols and meanings in this great song: In advance – please apologize the mistakes that I have certainly made as English is not my first language :-)

Before I go through it just some general remarks: the black lady’s persona in the video is “Germania” and she represents Germany (the nation / the people) and in many scenes where she appears the colors black, red and gold (colors of the German flag) are dominant. The video as well as the lyrics are a critical review on Germany’s history.

Main scenes of the video: The first scene with the roman soldiers refers to the battle of Teutoburg forest, the first time the German tribes untied under Arminius against the Romans and ambushed them on their march back to their winter camp + completely annihilated several legions – the Romans would never return and fortify at the Rhine – this could be seen as the birth of the German identity.

The red laser beams throughout the video I think are guiding thread (German expression “roter Faden”" translates to “red thread” and translates to guiding principle / guideline of a story)

When Germania (black lady) in golden armor (black red gold as main colors of the scene pushes the standard into the ground she raises all the dead medieval knights – a reference to the strength of the German people who recovered time after time throughout history from catastrophes (especially, but not only) in the middle ages (crusades, Hunnic invasion, plague, etc.) - the additional meaning i think is the fact that German people several times followed their countries call for War - even if they were already beaten up (e.g. after WWI going into WWII). The standard I guess refers to a relic which was part of the Imperial regalia of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation ("Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation" - the conglomerate of mostly German territories which was ruled by a emperor elected by the highest ranking nobles of the realm and persisted from the 10th century until 1806). This relic, the Lance of Longinus, is dated back to the 8th century and was said to contain in it's tip one of the nails that were used in the crucifixion of Jesus. It was supposed to make any army that carries it into battle invincible. It can still be seen today in a museum called  "die Schatzkammer" (the treasure chamber) in Vienna,/Austria.  

Next scene (fistfight) is from the roaring twenties, the period between the two world wars where upper class society was decadent on the backs of ordinary people + entertainment industry was born.

Next scene shows the Hindenburg disaster (famous German Airship which blew up in flames) during a time of growing industrialization 1930s.

Next Scene is from the communist elite in eastern Germany who was indulging in party and Champaign while ordinary people were poor and the main idea of communism should be equality of the people.

Then the scene in the middle ages – where the monks (representing the church) feast on Germania (the land) and suppress the common folk (underneath the table).
The scene in the prison again refers to the roaring twenties, as Germania is dressed in a Prussian uniform suppressing the German people. Additionally money is thrown away by everybody, a reference to the big inflation in Germany after WWI.

Then the rockets (Nazi German was working on the first warfare rockets called V1 and V2 (V standing for “Vergeltung” which translates to retaliation – fitting to the picture with the rockets, the lyrics are an alliteration on “über” a german pre-syllable/prefix meaning over. “Überheblich (overbearing / presumptuous), Überlegen (superior) Übernehmen (taking over), Übergeben (handing over), überraschen (surprise), Überfallen (ambush), „Deutschland, Deutschland über allen“ (Germany, Germany above everyONE). The line „Deutschland, Deutschland über alleN“ (Germany above everyONE) is a reference to one of the verses of former national anthem of Germany which was in use from 1922 to 1945 and got excluded after WW2 for being too nationalistic. In this verse there was a line “Deutschland, Deutschland über alleS“ (a subtle difference to the line in Rammstein’s version translating to “Germany, Germany above everyTHING”). The actual verse with this line was already written in 1842, long before the formation of Germany as a Nation (which only happened in 1871) – therefore “Germany, Germany above everything” was relating to the importance of uniting the several German ministates, kingdoms and Duchies into one nation. After WWI this verse got taken into the national anthem of Germany as it spoke to the patriotism of the German people but later officially  excluded from the anthem since it was deemed too nationalistic. Today this verse/line is generally frowned upon and would be associated with Neo-Nationalism. Using this line in the scene with the concentration camps including the subtle change from “Germany above everyTHING” (which has already the nationalistic connotation) to “Germany above everyONE” which carries an even more nationalistic / racist meaning is a very clever double-reference to the doctrine of racial supremacy in the Third Reich.
The Concentration camp prisoners have symbols sewn on their jackets for the groups the Nazis hunted and killed (yellow star for Jews, Pink triangle for Homosexuals, red symbol for political adversaries (communists). Germania is on the side of the Nazis and has an eyepatch (representing the blind eye that many Germans turned on the atrocities of the Nazi regime.

The Scene where Till is dressed as a woman refers to the left wing terrorist group called “Rote Armee Fraktion” – a terrorist association in the 1970s responsible for several political assassinations and murders as well as a famous kidnapping of German Diplomats in Stockholm.

Then there is the scene with the stake at which books are burned by the Nazis and people are burned by the church (inquisition). Later the monk (church) and the Nazi soldier hug (as the church did not go against the Nazis when they came to power and both organizations were responsible for a lot of intolerance and suffering in their times.

The scene where Germania is dressed in white with a Halo I think refers to the positive, the strength of the German people who recovered time after time from several catastrophic disasters in their history. Later she gives birth to puppies representing the German people. The puppies are from a rare breed of dogs (Leonbergers) who’s population got almost extinct in both world wars (symbolized with the dogs wearing gas masks) but recovered after the wars. In these scenes the band members wear space suits – in my view a reference to the (hopefully) better future of the German people.

In the very last scene of the outro you can once more see Germania with national colors (black, red gold) with black lipstick, red eyes and golden armor before a red/ black background holding an eagle, the heraldic symbol of Germany.

One further remark to one of the more important lines of the lyrics: The line in this song "So jung und doch so alt" (So young and yet so old) refers to the fact that the German people with their idenitify have been around for thousands of years, however the actual state of Germany as a nation was only founded very late (1871) thorough the unification of several mini states (Prussia, Hessia, Saxonia, Bavaria, etc.) But it can also be understood that today's Germany has only existed since the reunification of East and West Germany (October 3, 1990): so young and yet so old.

This is one of the best videos from Rammstein and at the same time one of the most difficult content to fully understand. The song is about Germany (Deutschland) and the band's feelings about their home country which has a rather violent history (not only in WW2). It is a kaleidoscope of scenes from 2000 years of German history (some more symbolic, others painfully accurate) and additionally some scenes that might happen in the future when archaeologists are searching for artefacts of German history.  

The woman is Germania, played by the German actress Ruby Commey. Germania is not a literal person, but was a personification of Germany for centuries. All other main roles are played by the six members of Rammstein.

The scene when the monks seem to eat Germania references to the Thirty Year's War (1618-1648), which started as a religious war. As a result of that war - masses of people starved or died by plagues. And the church took what little they had left to live on.

If you are interested in more details about some of the historical events referenced in Rammstein's video, you may take a look at this content-wise analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc-euVL8xQs  
Even for me as a German guy there were some details that I was not aware of.  
Also the lyrics are explained a bit and the assumed reason for Rammstein to come out with this video. And there is an explanation why the video caused some harsh reactions BEFORE it was fully published.

Rammstein is a total work of art. Every country should have a video like this!

I am German, this video always makes me cry...it is absolutely mindblowing, lots of symbols, lots of emotion. Hard to explain for non Germans how you feel about this very special country.

The song is a beautiful one. Thats for sure. Im a Canadian, but got German heritage.

This song is based on historical events that happened in Germany. The beginning war was that of the Germanic Tribes against the Romans in the Battle of Teutoburg Forest.

They also reference to the "Happy 20's", which was the five year period after World War 1 which brought economic properity to Germany, and people started living good lives. This however fell apart in 1929, when the US Stock Market Crash and the worldwide Great Depression period, which help pave the way for Hitler to come to power.

It also potrays the Terrorist Attacks of the Red Faction Army on West Germany.

The song, however, says what most Germans think about their homeland. They love it, and they hate it. They are torn by the bad history.

The rockets being launched were referencing the V2 rockets that were designed by a team led by Wernher Von Braun, and were used to bomb Belgium, England, and a few other countries during WW2. A bit of history... there were V1s and V2s. V1s were one design of a flying bomb which was slow enough to be shot out of the sky. The V2s could reach speeds of mach 5, and so were immune to being intercepted by aircraft or AA fire.

History lesson pt2... the V2s were built by prisoners at the Mittelbau-Dora and Peenemunde concentration camps. Von Braun gave himself up to the Americans at the end of WW2, and managed to escape paying for his war crimes by offering his rocketry expertise to the American government. He ended up as the chief architect of the Saturn V rocket that launched the Apollo spacecrafts.

Rammstein - DEUTSCHLAND (English Translation)
[Verse 1]
You (You have, you have, you have, you have)
Have cried a lot (Cried, cried, cried, cried)
Separated in spirit (Separated, separated, separated, separated)
United in heart (United, united, united, united)
We (We are, we are, we are, we are)
Have been together for so long (You are, you are, you are, you are)
Your breath's cold (So cold, so cold, so cold, so cold)
The heart in flames (So hot, so hot, so hot, so hot)
You (You can, you can, you can, you can)
I (I know, I know, I know, I know)
We (We are, we are, we are, we are)
You (You stay, you stay, you stay, you stay)

[Chorus]
Germany – my heart in flames
Want to love and damn you
Germany – your breath's cold
So young, and yet so old
Germany!

[Verse 2]
I (You have, you have, you have, you have)
I never want to leave you (You cry, you cry, you cry, you cry)
One can love you (You love, you love, you love, you love)
And want to hate you (You hate, you hate, you hate, you hate)
Presumptuous, superior
Take over, hand over/puke
Surprise, invade
Germany, Germany above everything

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Genius English Translations

[Chorus]
Germany – my heart in flames
Want to love and damn you
Germany – your breath is cold
So young, and yet so old
Germany – your love
Is a curse and a blessing
Germany – my love
I can't give you
Germany!
Germany!

[Bridge]
You
I
We
All of you
You (superior/overpowering, unnecessary)
I (Übermenschen weary)
We (The higher you climb, the further you fall)
You (Germany, Germany above everything)

[Chorus]
Germany – your heart in flames
Want to love and damn you
Germany – my breath's cold
So young, and yet so old
Germany – your love
Is a curse and blessing
Germany – my love
I can't give you
Germany!

The woman symbolises Germania, the rockets (V2) were built by slave labour, usually concentration camp inmates, they shufted until the were either shot or died from hunger or disease.

The lyrics are about the struggle of trying love a country that you're both proud and ashamed of. Each part represents a bad  moment in Germany history, the red laser is the red thread that connects everything together. The piano at the end is their song sonne. They have so many deep songs and some are hard some are beautiful

German is my first language - so as a native pis let me explain as concise as possible many of the hidden symbols and meanings in this great song: In advance
- please apologize the mistakes that I have certainly made as English is not my first language :=)
Before I go through it just some general remarks: the black lady's persona in the video is "Germania" and she represents Germany (the nation / the people) and in many scenes where she appears the colors black, red and gold (colors of the German flag) are dominant. The video as well as the lyrics are a critical review on Germany's history.
Main scenes of the video: The first scene with the roman soldiers refers to the battle of Teutoburg forest, the first time the German tribes untied under Arminius against the Romans and ambushed them on their march back to their winter camp + completely annihilated several legions - the romans would never return and fortify at the Rhine - this could be seen as the birth of the German identity.
The red laser beams throughout the video I think are guiding thread (German expression "roter Faden"" translates to "red thread" and translates to guiding principle / guideline of a story)
When Germania (black lady) in golden armor (black red gold as main colors of the scene pushes the standard into the ground she raises all the dead medieval knights - a reference to the strength of the German people who recovered time after time throughout history from catastrophes (especially, but not only) in the middle ages (crusades, Hunnic invasion, plague, etc.) - the additional meaning i think is the fact that German people several times followed their countries call for War - even if they were already beaten up (e.g. after WWi going into WWIl)
Next scene (fistfight) is from the roaring twenties, the period between the two world wars where upper class society was decadent on the backs of ordinary people + entertainment industry was born.
Next scene shows the Hindenburg disaster (famous
German Airship which blew up in flames) during a time of growing industrialization 1930s. Next Scene is from the communist elite in eastern
Germany who was indulging in party and Champaign while ordinary people were poor and the main idea of communism should be equality of the people.
Then the scene in the middle ages - where the monks (representing the church) feast on Germania (the land) and suppress the common folk (underneath the table).
The scene in the prison again refers to the roaring twenties, as Germania is dressed in a Prussian uniform suppressing the German people. Additionally money is thrown away by everybody, a reference to the big inflation in Germany after WWI.
Then the rockets (Nazi German was working on the first warfare rockets called V1 and V2 (V standing for
"Vergeltung" which translates to retaliation - fitting to the picture with the rockets, the lyrics are an alliteration on "über" a german pre-syllable/prefix meaning over. "Überheblich (overbearing / presumptuous), Überlegen (superior) Übernehmen (taking over), Übergeben (handing over), überraschen (surprise), Überfallen (ambush), „Deutschland, Deutschland über allen" (Germany, Germany above everyONE). The line „Deutschland, Deutschland über alleN" (Germany above everyONE) is a reference to one of the verses of former national anthem of Germany which was in use from 1922 to 1945 and got excluded after WW2 for being too nationalistic. In this verse there was a line "Deutschland, Deutschland über alleS" (a subtle difference to the line in Rammstein's version translating to "Germany, Germany above everyTHING"). The actual verse with this line was already written in 1842, long before the formation of Germany as a Nation (which only happened in 1871) - therefore "Germany, Germany above everything" was relating to the importance of uniting the several German ministates, kingdoms and Duchies into one nation. After WWl this verse got taken into the national anthem of Germany as it spoke to the patriotism of the German people but later officially excluded fom the anthem since it was deemed too nationalistic. Today this verse/line is generally frowned upon and would be associated with Neo-Nationalism. Using this line in the scene with the concentration camps including the subtle change from "Germany above everyTHING" (which has already the nationalistic connotation) to "Germany above everyONE" which carries an even more nationalistic / racist meaning is a very clever double-reference to the doctrine of racial supremacy in the Third Reich.
The Concentration camp prisoners have symbols sewn on their jackets for the groups the Nazis hunted and killed (yellow star for Jews, Pink triangle for Homosexuals, red symbol for political adversaries (communists). Germania is on the side of the Nazis and has an eyepatch (representing the blind eye that many Germans turned on the atrocities of the Nazi regime.
The Scene where Till is dressed as a woman refers to the left wing terrorist group called "Rote Armee Fraktion" - a terrorist association in the 1970s responsible for several political assassinations and murders as well as a famous kidnapping of German Diplomats in Stockholm.
Then there is the scene with the stake at which books are burned by the Nazis and people are burned by the church (inquisition). Later the monk (church) and the Nazi soldier hug (as the church did not go against the Nazis when they came to power and both organizations were responsible for a lot of intolerance and suffering in their times.
The scene where Germania is dressed in white with a Halo I think refers to the positive, the strength of the German people who recovered time after time from several catastrophic disasters in their history. Later she gives birth to puppies representing the German people. The puppies are from a rare breed of dogs (Leonbergers) who's population got almost extinct in both world wars (symbolized with the dogs wearing gas masks) but recovered after the wars. In these scenes the band members wear space suits - in my view a reference to the (hopefully) better future of the German people.
In the very last scene of the outro you can once more see Germania with national colors (black, red gold) with black lipstick, red eyes and golden armor before a red/ black background holding an eagle, the heraldic symbol of Germany. Finally, please find below the lyrics of the song as the perfectly convey the message of the problematic relationship many
Germans have to their homeland, wanting to be proud of it but not being able to due to it's difficult history:
One further remark to one of the more important lines of the lyrics: The line in this song "So jung und doch so alt" (So young and yet so old) refers to the fact that the German people with their identify have been around for thousands of years, however the actual state of Germany as a nation was only founded very late (1871) thorough the unification of several mini states (Prussia, Hessia, Saxonia, Bavaria, etc.)

I showed that song to my mother and she said "only Rammstein have the balls to show the darkest moments of their history, and this is good, because shows how they grew up after so many historical incidents"
...shout out to every german person out there for not letting the history to change your future

The closing piano is from Sonne which is also a great video. I'd also like to see your reaction to Mann Gegen Mann ;)

The dogs are Leonbergers, five survived WW1 and eight survived WW2. They've had to rescue the breed each time.

nice reaction, greetings from germany! :)

This song is probably the most honest opinion on your own country... I wanna love you, but then I remember what you did. Yet you are my one and only home. I don´t wanna leave you, yet I freakin hate you.

Here the lyrics in english:

You (You have, you have, you have, you have)
Have cried a lot (Cried, cried, cried, cried)
Separated in spirit (Separated, separated, separated, separated)
United in heart (United, united, united, united)
We (We are, we are, we are, we are)
Have been together for so long (You are, you are, you are, you are)
Your breath's cold (So cold, so cold, so cold, so cold)
The heart in flames (So hot, so hot, so hot, so hot) You
(You can, you can, you can, you can) I (I know, I know, I know, I know) We (We are, we are, we are, we are) You (You stay, you stay, you stay, you stay)

Germany – my heart in flames Want to love and damn you Germany –
your breath's cold So young, and yet so old Germany! I (You have, you have, you have, you have)
I never want to leave you (You cry, you cry, you cry, you cry)
One can love you (You love, you love, you love, you love) And want to hate you (You hate, you hate, you hate, you hate)
Presumptuous, superior Take over, hand over/puke Surprise, invade Germany, Germany above everything [Chorus] Germany –
my heart in flames Want to love and damn you Germany – your breath is cold So young, and yet so old Germany –
your love Is a curse and a blessing Germany – my love I can't give you Germany! Germany!
You I We All of you You (superior/overpowering, unnecessary) I (Übermenschen weary)
We (The higher you climb, the further you fall) You (Germany, Germany above everything)

Germany – your heart in flames Want to love and damn you Germany – my breath's cold So young, and yet so old Germany –
your love Is a curse and blessing Germany – my love I can't give you Germany!

Rammstein really uses a lot of symbols in this song. The real meaning only emerges with the lyrics and the video together. You really have to analyze it more closely and then you will understand the deeper meaning. In this song the Middle Ages, the time of the Romans, the GDR - these historical events are presented in different roles. Of course, the theme of the Nazi era and the persecution of the Jews is also addressed, although its presentation does not differ from the style of the other scenes. A constant in the entire video is a woman who appears as a personified Germany in the different epochs. If you know this woman is representing germany and looking to the video again you will see so much more. I think, the choice of the black woman as main actress was made, because: it makes any accusations of racism and fascism against Rammstein useless, she represents one colour of the German flag and she is wearing the rest of the colours of our German flag as makeup and jewellery and clothes on her body: Black, Red and Gold. Sometimes as a victim, sometimes as a perpetrator. In the text there are also several sections that contradict each other, e.g. "Will love and damn you". Statements like these express Germany's good and bad sides on the one hand. One of the passages like "so young and yet so old". This means that German history began early. But through certain events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the founding of the GDR through which a new era began for Germany. "one can love you and yet hate you!" It is a question of whether you can be proud of your country or not. "Your love is a curse and a blessing. I cannot give you my love." Germany is aware of the good but also dark times and many see the dark times as so extreme that it is difficult to give your country your love and pride. I must have overlooked a few things in the video, but those are the parts that stand out. I was born and raised in Germany myself and feel the same when it comes to being proud of my country. As for the dogs: Germans are fanatical dog lovers. We are a dog-owner nation. The dog is a firm part of Germany. They didn't eat the body of the woman and her inner organs, even if it really looked that way. They were eating the national dish of Germany, that was put on the body of the black woman: Sauerkraut, Kassler & sausages. it symbolizes the church eating itself fat on the goods and values and food of Germany during the simple people (farmers, simple workers etc) lived a long time in a kind of hell of poverty and serfdom (the red fetish area below the table with Germania on it). But that eating scene could indeed have a double meaning. It could represent the 30 years war, that was fought for religious reasons and depopulated large areas of Germany. It forced the people to commit canibalism because nobody was there anymore to produce food. Except the fat, wealthy people of the church, of course. They were still able to eat enough. Only the simple people at the bottom (farmers etc) died from hunger and had to fight and die in that war. The 30 years war was the biggest catastrophe in Germany until WWI happened. he short scene with the dogs and their gas masks = WWI, where in reality animals (messenger dogs & horses) AND soldiers were wearing gas masks, too. The puppies at the end are Leonberger dogs. The Leonbergers nearly went extinct during WWI and WWII.

Sorry  to comment again,but I am adding the lyrics translated into English for you:
[Verse 1]
You (You have, you have, you have, you have)
Have cried a lot (Cried, cried, cried, cried)
Separated in spirit (Separated, separated, separated, separated)
United in heart (United, united, united, united)
We (We are, we are, we are, we are)
Have been together for so long (You are, you are, you are, you are)
Your breath's cold (So cold, so cold, so cold, so cold)
The heart in flames (So hot, so hot, so hot, so hot)
You (You can, you can, you can, you can)
I (I know, I know, I know, I know)
We (We are, we are, we are, we are)
You (You stay, you stay, you stay, you stay)

[Chorus]
Germany – my heart in flames
Want to love and damn you
Germany – your breath's cold
So young, and yet so old
Germany!

[Verse 2]
I (You have, you have, you have, you have)
I never want to leave you (You cry, you cry, you cry, you cry)
One can love you (You love, you love, you love, you love)
And want to hate you (You hate, you hate, you hate, you hate)
Presumptuous, superior
Take over, hand over/puke
Surprise, invade
Germany, Germany above everything


[Chorus]
Germany – my heart in flames
Want to love and damn you
Germany – your breath is cold
So young, and yet so old
Germany – your love
Is a curse and a blessing
Germany – my love
I can't give you
Germany!
Germany!

[Bridge]
You
I
We
All of you
You (superior/overpowering, unnecessary)
I (Übermenschen weary)
We (The higher you climb, the further you fall)
You (Germany, Germany above everything)

[Chorus]
Germany – your heart in flames
Want to love and damn you
Germany – my breath's cold
So young, and yet so old
Germany – your love
Is a curse and blessing
Germany – my love
I can't give you
Germany!


I h ope this helps you understand the song and video better.

2000 years reduced to a few minutes. Not a single picture in this video is meaningless and it takes hourse to explain every single detail hidden in this great video

Not a German history expert but the Roman part was almost certainly a callback to the battles between Ancient Rome and the Germanic tribes including the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest which was the slaughter of Roman legions in Germany territory. Rome continued raiding Germany but never “colonized” it and the battle is considered by some a large part of that, and consequently some people consider it one of the most important battles in history because it arguably prevented the Romanization of Germany thus allowing them to have their own history and identity. It’s also arguably the source of German nationalism and all that came of that (both good and bad).

Therefore, you should choose the videos with english subtitles, then you do not have to wish to be able to speak and understand German.

As a German, what I love about this song is it's duality: the sound (guitars, drums, bass, synth, arrangement) wants you to go f-ing nuts.
But the lyrics - if your a native speaker of the German language - catch and drag you down, or at least make you slow down again - it is a very strong message beind the song, as a commenter (HarryTvHD) did a beautiful job of elaborating about. And Till has a freakish talent of pronunciation, emphasis, tone and melody to his voice to deliver it.