Formed in Germany in 1970 and existed until 1989, Grobschnitt (which transl… Read Full Bio ↴Formed in Germany in 1970 and existed until 1989, Grobschnitt (which translates to "Rough Cut" in English) were a German rock band. Their styles varied throughout their existence, from progressive rock to pop to NDW. The band was created by Eroc (percussion), Willi Wildschwein (guitars & vocals), and Lupo (guitar).

Their most popular sound was comparable to that of Yes, but they also explored other progressive rock styles. Their sound was characterized by sometimes humorous approach to making music, exhibited in both the lyrics and in the chimeric sound of the instruments.

The band made nearly fifteen albums, from general hard rock album to concept albums. Their vocals are mostly in English, although some albums were released with German vocals for the home market and English vocals for export.

Ernie's Reise
Grobschnitt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You live the story
Of the innocent life's defeat of solitude's dice
Captivated by a moonbeam, chained to despisers of your love
Captivated by despisers, lost in the canyons of your mind

Take just another lad
Call him Ernie and see him returning home from school
Left alone at some old window, leaving paper dreams to fly

Hear the wind whispering gently calling you to dream away

So fly away on a staggering paper plane
Don't be afraid when somebody takes your game

High above the town soars a little boy in his paper plane
Astonished he peers down, the houses look like toys from his paper plane
The wind takes his hand

Sparkling rivers below, watch the green meadows flow
Feel your face caressed by a golden rainbow
Ernie never felt so strong
As he was gliding along, forgetting all fences he sailed till dawn

Look the sun is sinking low, little boy where do you go
Time leads you to darkness of the night, shocks you with fright
Don't fear the shadow over you, it's a bird called Maraboo
He will light his light, Ernie, he will be your guide

Confidence is a strong assistance to you

Announcement (spoken):

This evening a huge bird was seen carrying a little boy on his back in a height of about 3.000 feet right above sector 0/16. The bird was carrying some beer-bottles, a bag with vegetables, was lit contrary to regulations and was smoking a pipe. We instruct all planes cruising this sector to observe this incident. Over

Hey little Ernie, I'd like to take you home to my nest
The sun will keep you warm and cozy all nite long
And you'll have a pleasent rest – skip on my chest

The tree with the nest of the bird where the sun goes to bed is so high
It touches the sky

Far away a Blackshirt cleans a chain

Hey little lads, get on dreaming
Fear the warming far away from home

Find your hope in some desert stone
Smell some dope in an ice-cream cone

Overall Meaning

Ernie's Reise by Grobschnitt tells the story of a young boy's escape from reality and his journey to different worlds through his imagination. The song starts by describing the struggles of living an innocent life in a world where loneliness is determined by chance. Ernie's imagination is his only escape from this harsh reality, but even his dreams are not free from the despisers. He is captured by those who do not understand and forced to live in the canyons of his mind, endlessly wandering in his own thoughts.

The story takes a literal turn as we are introduced to Ernie, a little boy returning home from school. He spends his free time playing with paper planes, lost in self-reflection and leaving his paper dreams to fly. The wind takes him higher and higher, and from his paper plane, he sees a world different from his own. The houses look like toys, and the rivers and meadows sparkle in the sunlight. Ernie feels free, forgetting all the limitations and fences that exist in his real world.

As the sun sets, Ernie is guided by the Maraboo bird, a creature of the night who helps him navigate through darkness. Ernie's journey has given him a newfound confidence that he can carry with him into the real world. The song concludes with an invitation to believe in your dreams, find hope in the most unexpected places, and to not fear the unknown.

Overall, Ernie's Reise is a song about the power of imagination and its ability to transform a reality that may be difficult to navigate into a world where anything is possible. Its message is simple yet profound, encouraging listeners to never stop dreaming and to find courage in the face of adversity.

Line by Line Meaning

You live the story
The listener is about to hear a story that they can imagine happening.

Of the innocent life's defeat of solitude's dice
This story is about someone who was once innocent but has lost due to fate and loneliness.

Captivated by a moonbeam, chained to despisers of your love
The person in the story loved someone, but the people around them didn't approve and that's causing them pain.

Captivated by despisers, lost in the canyons of your mind
The person in the story is trapped in their own thoughts and feelings because of the negativity of others.

Take just another lad
The story will be about a young boy named Ernie.

Call him Ernie and see him returning home from school
We see Ernie on his way home from school.

Left alone at some old window, leaving paper dreams to fly
Ernie is alone and dreaming while looking out an old window.

Hear the wind whispering gently calling you to dream away
The sound of the wind is calling Ernie to keep dreaming.

So fly away on a staggering paper plane
Ernie's imagination takes him on a journey as he flies on a paper airplane.

Don't be afraid when somebody takes your game
Ernie shouldn't be scared if someone tries to take away his imagination or fun.

High above the town soars a little boy in his paper plane
Ernie is now in the air and flying on his paper airplane.

Astonished he peers down, the houses look like toys from his paper plane
Ernie is amazed by the view of the houses and how small they appear from his perspective.

The wind takes his hand
Ernie is following the wind on his journey.

Sparkling rivers below, watch the green meadows flow
Ernie sees the beauty of nature as he flies over sparkling rivers and green meadows.

Feel your face caressed by a golden rainbow
Ernie feels happy and content during his journey.

Ernie never felt so strong
Ernie feels empowered and confident during this experience.

As he was gliding along, forgetting all fences he sailed till dawn
Ernie is free from all limitations and can keep flying until dawn.

Look the sun is sinking low, little boy where do you go
Ernie has been flying all day, and it's time for him to return home.

Time leads you to darkness of the night, shocks you with fright
Ernie is frightened by the darkness that's beginning to surround him.

Don't fear the shadow over you, it's a bird called Maraboo
Ernie shouldn't be afraid of the shadow on him because it's just a bird named Maraboo.

He will light his light, Ernie, he will be your guide
Maraboo will help Ernie find his way home.

Confidence is a strong assistance to you
Ernie needs to remain confident and trust himself so he can make it home safely.

Hey little Ernie, I'd like to take you home to my nest
Maraboo offers to take Ernie to his nest for the night.

The sun will keep you warm and cozy all nite long
Ernie will be comfortable and safe in Maraboo's nest.

And you'll have a pleasent rest – skip on my chest
Ernie will have a comfortable and peaceful rest on Maraboo's chest.

The tree with the nest of the bird where the sun goes to bed is so high
Maraboo's nest is in a tall tree where the sun sets.

It touches the sky
The tree is so tall that it appears to touch the sky.

Far away a Blackshirt cleans a chain
This line is unclear and could have different interpretations. It could represent the real world outside of Ernie's imagination, or it could be another unrelated story.

Hey little lads, get on dreaming
The song is encouraging listeners to embrace their imagination and dream big like Ernie.

Fear the warming far away from home
People should be wary of leaving the safety and comfort of their homes.

Find your hope in some desert stone
Hope can be found in unexpected places, like a desert stone.

Smell some dope in an ice-cream cone
This line could represent indulgence, such as finding pleasure in a simple treat like an ice-cream cone.

Contributed by Skyler I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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