However, Neubauten soon outgrew the confines of even the broad scope of industrial music. In their 25-plus years, they have produced a dozen studio albums, live records, a remix album and EP, scored theatre pieces, and more.
Lead vocalist Blixa Bargeld is perhaps the best-known member of the group, both for his work with Neubauten and as guitarist for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. His fellow founding members Alexander Hacke and N.U. Unruh have likewise been active in various musical roles outside the group over the years.
Bassist Mark Chung was a member of the group from 1981 to 1994. He founded the publishing house Freibank Music Publishing to handle business affairs for Neubauten and other groups, and has continued in this role (concurrently serving as a senior vice-president of Sony Music International for nine years). Percussionist FM Einheit, was a member from 1981 to 1995, and has also been active as a solo artist and member of groups such as Gry.
Since 1997 the group has also included guitarist Jochen Arbeit and percussionist Rudi Moser.
Neubauten's most recent work has been available exclusively to subscribers to their online home, www.neubauten.org. Neubauten completed the third incarnation of their online project in November 2007 and were touring Europe in 2008 in support of their latest album Alles Wieder Offen.
Currently Einstürzende Neubauten is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a tour through Europe and the United States. In October/November 2010 the band is releasing Strategies Against Architecture IV, the fourth album in the archival compilation series by Neubauten which collates the band’s output from 2002-2010.
Birth Lunch Death
Einstürzende Neubauten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
War da nicht ein "Palate-Cleanser" - irgendwann zwischendurch?
Vereister Optimismousse flambiert mit einem Schwert?
Und wo bleibt am Ende aller Tage die Süße, das Dessert?
Gibts noch was andres außer
Birth Lunch Death
Aus Peinlich- und Beliebigkeit
Es wird nichts mehr dort aufgedeckt
Es gibt nicht mal ein Henkersmahl
Weder Roh noch aus freiem Willen
Es gibt überhaupt kein letztes Gericht
Und es gibt auch keine Entitäten
Die von Gebeten sich ernähren
Es gibt nichts andres außer:
Birth Lunch Death
Was ist da außer:
Birth Lunch Death
Ich kann nun mal keinem irgendetwas kritisch gegenüberknien
Ich tauge auch nicht als Männchen einer Gottesanbeterin
Ich wäre ausser mir
Die Zukunftsangst sie fräße mich auf
Ich bin ausser mir
Ist jemand außer mir noch hier?
The lyrics of Birth Lunch Death are an existential statement about the futility of life. The song speaks about the beginning, middle, and end of existence in terms of food. The first lines inquire about whether there was an "amuse gueule" or "palate-cleanser" before the famous "primordial soup" that began life on earth. The use of food terminology in this context is a metaphor for the cyclical nature of life. While our lives may seem significant in the moment, they are just one small part of the larger cycle of birth, lunch (or sustenance), and death.
The second verse speaks of the disappointment and lack of fulfillment in life. The first line suggests that there are many layers of embarrassment and mediocrity that we hide behind, and with time, we become numb to opening up and revealing ourselves. There is no freedom or choice in death, no last meal or "henkersmahl," which translates to a convict's final meal. The overall meaning of the song is that life is limited; it is only made up of birth, living, and death. There is nothing else except for the moments in between.
Line by Line Meaning
Gab es nicht ein "Amuse Gueule" noch vor der berühmten Ursuppe?
Was there not an amuse-bouche before the famous primordial soup?
War da nicht ein "Palate-Cleanser" - irgendwann zwischendurch?
Was there not a palate-cleanser at some point in between?
Vereister Optimismousse flambiert mit einem Schwert?
Frozen optimismousse flambéed with a sword?
Und wo bleibt am Ende aller Tage die Süße, das Dessert?
And where does the sweetness, the dessert, remain at the end of all days?
Gibts noch was andres außer
Birth Lunch Death
Is there anything else besides birth, lunch, death?
Über den vielen Schichten
Aus Peinlich- und Beliebigkeit
Above the many layers of embarrassment and arbitrariness
Es wird nichts mehr dort aufgedeckt
Es gibt nicht mal ein Henkersmahl
Nothing more is uncovered there, not even an executioner's meal
Weder Roh noch aus freiem Willen
Es gibt überhaupt kein letztes Gericht
Neither raw nor out of free will, there is absolutely no last judgment
Und es gibt auch keine Entitäten
Die von Gebeten sich ernähren
And there are no entities that feed on prayers
Es gibt nichts andres außer:
Birth Lunch Death
There is nothing else besides: birth, lunch, death
Was ist da außer:
Birth Lunch Death
What is there besides: birth, lunch, death?
Ich kann nun mal keinem irgendetwas kritisch gegenüberknien
Ich tauge auch nicht als Männchen einer Gottesanbeterin
I cannot kneel critically to anything, nor do I function as the male of a praying mantis
Ich wäre ausser mir
Die Zukunftsangst sie fräße mich auf
Ich bin ausser mir
I would be beside myself, consumed by fear of the future
Ist jemand außer mir noch hier?
Is anyone else still here besides me?
Contributed by Arianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.