The song was also used in the film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation in the end credits and in the 1998 racing video game Test Drive 5, along with an instrumental version in the latter.
Megalomaniac
KMFDM Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Glück ist nicht käuflich sehnsucht bleibt unerreicht
Preisrätsel winken nimmersatt
Kein mitleid für die mehrheit
Nihilistic mystics
Apostolic Alcoholics
Messianic Manics
In the age of super-boredom
Hype and mediocrity
Celebrate relentlessness
Menace to society
Refuse is our inspiration
Terrorism our trade
Sabotage and piracy
Chaos our mental sate
Mesmerizing festering
Intended for the faint of heart
Cultish and Anthemic
Until death us do part
Like a fiendish tropic virus
Spitting bile at all you whore
Razor-sharp tongue-in-cheek
Poking in your open sores
A wolf in sheep's clothing
The ultimate disgrace
Wrapped up as a gift of god
Exploding in your face
This is counter-culture from the underground
Eternal revolution this is our sound
KMFDM better than the best
Megalomaniacal and harder than the rest
Wenn der untergrund bebt ist die ordnung erschüttert
Der verrat an der seele macht leben ungesund
Mit unschlagbaren reimen werden wir uns vertreiben
Die zeit der langen weile bis zum grossen bums
The lyrics to KMFDM's song "Megalomaniac" are a compilation of nihilistic rants and chaotic inspirations that reflect the band's counter-culture ideology. The song opens with a statement that the wonders of the world are gifted, and happiness cannot be bought, while longing remains unfulfilled. The lyrics then describe a society that is marked by boredom and mediocrity, where relentlessness and aggression are celebrated. In this world, the majority has no pity, and the message conveyed is that nothing else matters except for self-promotion and indulgence.
The chorus is a declaration of KMFDM’s sound and attitude. The band is represented as the ultimate counter-culture movement, with their eternal revolution and music that is harder than the rest. The lyrics describe the band’s inspiration as refused, and their trade as terrorism, sabotage, piracy, and mental chaos. The message is clear: they are deliberately provocative, mesmerizing, and anthemic. The lyrics are wrapped in a sheep's clothing, which is the ultimate disgrace, but it is too late, as it has already exploded in one's face. The song ends with a promise that the band, with their unbeatable rhymes, will push away the time of dullness until the big bang.
Line by Line Meaning
Die wunder dieser welt werden dir geschenkt
The marvels of this world are given to you
Glück ist nicht käuflich sehnsucht bleibt unerreicht
Happiness is not for sale, longing remains unattainable
Preisrätsel winken nimmersatt
Puzzle contests beckon insatiably
Kein mitleid für die mehrheit
No sympathy for the majority
Nihilistic mystics
Believers in nothingness and mysticism
Apostolic Alcoholics
Drunk followers of a message
Messianic Manics
Chaotic believers in a savior figure
In the age of super-boredom
During a time of extreme monotony
Hype and mediocrity
Blatant promotion and low quality
Celebrate relentlessness
Praise unyielding determination
Menace to society
A threat to the established social order
Refuse is our inspiration
Garbage and waste fuels our creativity
Terrorism our trade
Using fear as a weapon is our profession
Sabotage and piracy
Deliberately causing damage and theft
Chaos our mental sate
Confusion and disorder define our mindset
Mesmerizing festering
Captivating decay
Intended for the faint of heart
Designed for those who lack courage
Cultish and Anthemic
Religious and inspiring
Until death us do part
Until we die, we will continue
Like a fiendish tropic virus
Spreading like a malicious virus
Spitting bile at all you whore
Insulting everyone as if they were prostitutes
Razor-sharp tongue-in-cheek
Sarcastic and sharp-witted
Poking in your open sores
Aggravating your weaknesses
A wolf in sheep's clothing
Deceptive and dangerous
The ultimate disgrace
The most shameful thing
Wrapped up as a gift of god
Disguised as a valuable present from a higher power
Exploding in your face
Sudden and destructive surprise
This is counter-culture from the underground
Non-mainstream culture from the subterranean
Eternal revolution this is our sound
Our music represents a forever-changing rebellion
KMFDM better than the best
We outshine everyone
Megalomaniacal and harder than the rest
Overly self-confident and more aggressive than others
Wenn der untergrund bebt ist die ordnung erschüttert
When the underground shakes, order is disrupted
Der verrat an der seele macht leben ungesund
Betrayal of the soul makes life unhealthy
Mit unschlagbaren reimen werden wir uns vertreiben
We will drive ourselves with unbeatable rhymes
Die zeit der langen weile bis zum grossen bums
The time of boredom until the big explosion
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GUENTHER SCHULZ, Klaus Schandelmaier, Sascha Konietzko
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patrick Erickson
Yet I often wonder if people can actually realize just how accurate KMFDM is with their lyrics and the current state our world is in.
Vilesentry
Yeah you're so smart for noticing. Look I love kmfdm but even an idiot could "predict" these things because most of it was already going on back then. If the band made these songs in the fifties maybe you could call them "predictions" but even then it's questionable.
Echo Ridley
for the most part kmfdm, like most artists, wrote lyrics that were relevant to their time. it's just that many issues are either older than we think or have been repeating the same patterns throughout time.
grrizo
This is humanity since the dawn of men. And always will be like this.
Mirek
Yeah, humanity since the dawn of man if you ignore every difference between historical epochs and inflate every similarity as to obliterate any semblance of a meaningful analysis. I suppose humans have been typing on keyboards since the mythical migration from Africa too.
nun is that high
grrizo back in the underlining turbulence of the shadows of the late 80s/early 90s no one in power proposed the patriot act. They had too much on their plate to bother with a police-state/NWO agenda. Chaos is disorganized and random, it is neither good or bad, it just is. Moreover chaos plays it's own good role, it curtails the overabundance of power. The problem isn't that modern technology isn't advanced enough, that there's too much disorder. The problem is modern technology became too advanced, that there isn't enough disorder. I'll end this thought with Benjamin Franklin's quote.
"Those who are willing to trade liberty for a little temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security."
porkymania90
I have to say that NIN and KMFDM are two of the best bands and have been for 20 years, very rare that a band never stays as good as when they when they first started..but they did it
Carl Norris
You forgot Tool
P K
I was late to the party. I got off work at Old Navy in '98, and a coworker gave me a ride home. He put in a KMFDM cd and, mind.... blown!!! It LITERALLY made me wonder what else i was missing in the world. THANK GOD.
Pimple Pickerton
Me and my bro used to get high and watch this video. Shit blew my mind too.