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.
Ich gehe jetzt
Einstürzende Neubauten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
rostbraun totrot
kohlrabenschwarz ist farbenfroh
funkelnagelneu ist nichts mehr
Ich habe mein Vokabelheft verloren
Wo ist der Schlüssel?
Wo ist mein Hut?
Betonrosa oder Permafrost
Schmelzvorgänge oder nicht
Das deja vu ist jetzt historisch
die Gemengelage wie gehabt
Ich blute
Irgendwas ist immer
Ich gehe jetzt
Kann mich an den Schnitt nicht mal erinnern
Ich gehe jetzt
Es wird wie's war und wahr wird nichts
Fortuna ist in Geiselhaft
Herzsprung Kreuzstich
Luftveränderung
Schluss mit lustig und mit der Wegfahrsperre
für die Hoffnung und für mich
Ich gehe jetzt
Das Biest ist noch nicht richtig wach
aber auch noch lange nicht hinüber
Grad hat es sich hin und her gewälzt
und im Schlaf mit den Zähnen geknirscht
Ich gehe jetzt
Nach mir die Flut
nach mir Tornados
nach mir Tsunamis & Säuberungen
nach mir die Härte
die Kälte die Dürre die Glut
mehr als je zuvor seitdem der Mensch denkt
Es wird Zeit
das die Erde sich endlich verspinnt
sich verwandelt aus der Hülle sprengt
Ich gehe jetzt
Ich gehe jetzt
Ich gehe jetzt
The lyrics of "Ich gehe jetzt" ("I'm leaving now" in English) by Einstürzende Neubauten are quite abstract and open to interpretation, as is typical of the band's work. The song begins with a series of color-related phrases that seem to suggest a kind of chaotic and fragmented state of mind. The line "funkelnagelneu ist nichts mehr" (nothing is brand new anymore) perhaps signifies a sense of disillusionment or exhaustion with the world around the singer. The following lines about losing a vocabulary notebook and a hat create a sense of disorientation and confusion.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more disjointed and fragmented, with references to concrete and abstract concepts like "Betonrosa" (concrete pink) and "Herzsprung Kreuzstich" (a medical term referring to a heart disease). The phrase "Ich blute" (I'm bleeding) introduces a sense of bodily pain or injury. The repeated refrain of "Ich gehe jetzt" could be interpreted as a kind of decision or resolution to leave behind whatever is causing the singer's distress, or as a statement of acceptance of the inevitable passage of time and change.
Overall, "Ich gehe jetzt" seems to convey a sense of existential unease and a desire for escape or transformation. The scattered imagery and disjointed structure of the lyrics create a dreamlike, surreal atmosphere.
Line by Line Meaning
Rot grün gelb schwarz
Colors abound, from vivid red and green to yellow and black
rostbraun totrot
Even the rusted brown and deadly red colors are a part of the palette
kohlrabenschwarz ist farbenfroh
Even the stark and dark black can be colorful and interesting like the plumage of crows
funkelnagelneu ist nichts mehr
Nothing remains shiny and brand new forever
Ich habe mein Vokabelheft verloren
I've lost something important and useful, like my vocabulary notebook
Wo ist der Schlüssel?
I'm missing a crucial object, like a key
Wo ist mein Hut?
I can't find my cherished and perhaps symbolic headwear
Betonrosa oder Permafrost
Whether it's the color of concrete or the unyielding hardness of never-thawing ground
Schmelzvorgänge oder nicht
Whether things are melting or not, things are constantly changing
Das deja vu ist jetzt historisch
The feeling of having experienced something before has now become a relic of the past
die Gemengelage wie gehabt
The situation hasn't changed, it remains just as mixed up and complicated as before
Ich blute
I'm hurt and bleeding
Irgendwas ist immer
Something always seems to be going on, there's never a moment of complete stillness
Kann mich an den Schnitt nicht mal erinnern
I can't even remember how I got hurt
Es wird wie's war und wahr wird nichts
Things will continue on as they always have, and the truth of the matter won't change
Fortuna ist in Geiselhaft
Luck is trapped or held hostage
Herzsprung Kreuzstich
Heart palpitations and crossed stitching, perhaps symbolic of the physical and emotional pain of life
Luftveränderung
The air is changing, perhaps signaling a change in the weather or atmosphere
Schluss mit lustig und mit der Wegfahrsperre
It's time to stop joking around and remove the blocks that keep us from moving forward
für die Hoffnung und für mich
For the sake of hope and for myself
Das Biest ist noch nicht richtig wach
The beast (perhaps a metaphor for some uncontrollable force) isn't fully awake yet
aber auch noch lange nicht hinüber
But it's also far from being defeated or over with
Grad hat es sich hin und her gewälzt
It's just been tossing and turning, restless and unpredictable
und im Schlaf mit den Zähnen geknirscht
And grinding its teeth in its sleep, perhaps indicating an underlying anger or aggression
Nach mir die Flut
After me, the flood
nach mir Tornados
After me, tornadoes
nach mir Tsunamis & Säuberungen
After me, tsunamis and purges
nach mir die Härte die Kälte die Dürre die Glut
After me, the hardness, coldness, dryness, and heat of life
mehr als je zuvor seitdem der Mensch denkt
More than ever before, since humans have been capable of thought
Es wird Zeit
It's time
das die Erde sich endlich verspinnt
For the earth to finally weave its threads together, to come to some sort of resolution or understanding
sich verwandelt aus der Hülle sprengt
To transform and break free from its shell
Ich gehe jetzt
I'm leaving now
Ich gehe jetzt
I'm leaving now
Ich gehe jetzt
I'm leaving now
Contributed by Cameron E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.