In 2004, guitarists Christian Bröhenhorst and Jonathan Stenger had the idea to create a band when they were studying at Hildesheim and in late 2004, singer Britta Görtz (Hiraes, ex-Critical Mess) arrived to Cripper's born. Then the band was completed with bassist Erik Hess and drummer Dennis Weber. Months later bassist Hess was replaced by Thomas Maiwald and after by Sören Becker.
In 2006 the band released their first EP titled Killer Escort Service and in the same year Cripper played at Metaldays in Slovenia. Next year, in 2007, the band released their debut studio album, named Freak Inside, mastered by musician Andy Classen from Holy Moses. Along with bands Hatred and Spectre Dragon toured at the "Triple-Thrash-Threat" through Germany. In 2008, Becker was replaced by Bastian Helwig and toured again with Hatred on "Lost World Order" tour in Germany. Cripper in 2009 released their second studio album called Devil Reveals, was present at Wacken Open Air 2009 and in spring 2010 supported Overkill on their Killfest-Tour through Europe. Later in 2011 they traveled to the Caribbean to play at the biggest floating metal festival ever, the 70000 Tons of Metal.[2]
Cripper released a third studio album in 2012, titled Antagonist. This time bassist Bastian Helwig left the band and was finally replaced by Gerrit Mohrmann. For 2014, Cripper played again at the fourth version of 70000 Tons of Metal.
Clean
Cripper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling, taking, feel like shit
I came here with nothing
But leaving now means leaving everything behind
I've pushed you farther than you'd go
I'm not your lover
Not your enemy
And what I wish for
Is you wide awake
But you feel like rain in my head
Brainwash me clean
See, hate is no surprise
We fought everything we could
Synchronized our intentions
Until we lost what we had found
I've pushed you farther than you'd go
I'm not your lover
Not your enemy
Why would you push all the buttons, open any door
And what I wish for
Is you wide awake
But you feel like rain in my head
Brainwash me clean
Oh, well
That's good
I'm alright
And it's getting even better now
Remind me why I wanted this job
Because I'm starting to forget
Don't say no, say okay
As if saying so will make it so
I've pushed you farther than you'd go
I'm not your lover
Not your enemy
Why would you push all the buttons, open any door
And what I wish for
Is you wide awake
But you feel like rain in my head
Brainwash me clean
Who wanted those silly flowers in the backyard
And what about this we thing anyway
The lyrics to Cripper's song "Clean" describe a person who is struggling with the consequences of their actions and the weight of their past mistakes. They feel like they are losing their grip on their life and are haunted by feelings of guilt and regret. The singer admits that they have pushed the person they are addressing too far and have caused damage to the relationship. They acknowledge that they are not the person's lover or enemy, but their actions have caused tension between them. The chorus expresses the singer's desire to be free from their memories and the negative emotions that are weighing them down. They long to be "brainwashed clean" and to start fresh without the burden of their past mistakes.
The verse about the job and the flowers in the backyard could be interpreted as the person trying to distract themselves from their problems by focusing on trivial matters. They question why they ever wanted the job in the first place and wonder why they cared about something as trivial as flowers. The line "don't say no, say okay" could be a plea to the person to forgive them and move on from the past.
Overall, "Clean" is a song about the struggle to let go of the past and start fresh. The singer is wrestling with their mistakes and the damage they have caused to their relationships. They long for a new beginning and hope to be able to shake off the negativity that is dragging them down.
Line by Line Meaning
Losing, living, losing grip
Struggling to keep up with life and losing hold of what's important
Feeling, taking, feel like shit
Feeling overwhelmed and defeated by the challenges of life
I came here with nothing
Starting with nothing and having to work hard to get anything
But leaving now means leaving everything behind
Being afraid to move on because of the risk of losing what has been gained
I've pushed you farther than you'd go
Having a negative impact on someone's life by pushing them away
I'm not your lover
Not having romantic feelings for someone
Not your enemy
Not having any ill-will towards someone
Why would you push all the buttons, open any door
Why take risks and make decisions that could have negative consequences
And what I wish for
Expressing a desire for something
Is you wide awake
Wanting someone to be fully aware of their surroundings and situation
But you feel like rain in my head
Feeling weighed down and confused by thoughts and emotions
Brainwash me clean
Wanting to rid oneself of negative thoughts and emotions through extreme means if necessary
See, hate is no surprise
Acknowledging that negativity is a common occurrence
We fought everything we could
Having fought through many tough obstacles together
Synchronized our intentions
Having aligned goals and shared desires
Until we lost what we had found
Having lost something important in the process of trying to achieve goals
Oh, well
Accepting that things may not always go as planned
That's good
Finding positivity in a difficult situation
I'm alright
Being okay despite struggles and challenges
And it's getting even better now
Feeling optimistic about the future
Remind me why I wanted this job
Feeling uncertain and questioning life choices
Because I'm starting to forget
Fearing that past choices may not have been the best ones
Don't say no, say okay
Encouraging communication and openness to new ideas
As if saying so will make it so
Feeling optimistic that a positive outcome will result from accepting new ideas and suggestions
Who wanted those silly flowers in the backyard
Questioning the value of certain choices and decisions that may seem trivial in hindsight
And what about this we thing anyway
Questioning the role of others in one's own life decisions and choices
Writer(s): Jonathan Stenger, Dennis Weber, Christian Broehenhorst, Britta Goertz Copyright: Edition Solid Rock Music
Contributed by Madison D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.