Heimkehr
Graupel Lyrics

The lyrics of "Heimkehr" by Graupel convey a sense of dislocation and alienation, as the singer searches for a place to belong in what seems like an inhospitable and polluted world. The opening lines describe the movement of a flag towards the sky, suggesting a desire to transcend earthly limitations and find a higher purpose. However, this aspiration is quickly tempered by the realization that there is no familiar or welcoming place to return to, as human closeness has dissolved into a haze of smoke. The line "kein ort mehr so heimisch / so heimisch wie hier" (no place as homely / as homely as here) suggests a paradoxical longing for a sense of belonging in the midst of a barren landscape.

The second stanza further emphasizes the harshness of the environment, as the singer describes how even the cold weather only provides warmth when contrasted with the metallic taste of water that has seeped through the skin. The smell of chemicals permeates the air, adding to the sense of artificiality and contamination. The line "das mal des kain" (the mark of Cain) draws on the biblical story of Cain and Abel to suggest a sense of guilt and exile, a feeling of being marked and separated from other human beings. The singer longs for a sense of wholeness and purity, but the only way to achieve this seems to be through a violent reckoning, as suggested by the final line "vergeltungsschlag" (retribution strike).