Laibach are best known for their cover versions of pop songs which have been rerendered in such a way as to reveal formerly hidden or unnoticed messages, often commenting on political totalitarianism or rock stardom’s own forms of dictatorship. This was done most successfully on Opus Dei, especially on their cover of One Vision. Named Geburt Einer Nation after D. W. Griffith’s classic film The Birth of a Nation, Queen’s lyrics are sung in German to a strident military beat. All of a sudden lines like “one flesh, one blood, one true religion” start sounding suspiciously familiar...
However the bulk of Laibach’s output is their own work. Their own early experiments with totalitarian ambiguity led to their being outlawed in then-Communist Yugoslavia; their name was made illegal so the band resorted to using their black-cross emblem on posters instead. To this day their work deals with similar ideas but frequently Laibach reference their own legendary status and tongue-in-cheekily play with the kinds of in-jokes a band accrues in over 25 years of work.
Laibach’s musical style has varied a lot over the years. They began as avant-garde industrial musicians, producing what could best be described as ambient noise but soon discovered the joys of the martial rhythm. Having produced a couple of albums of heavy martial industrial music, they began to expand sonically. Following the collapse of Yugoslavia their difficult but rewarding album Kapital included hip-hop influences among many others and NATO borrowed from techno while keeping the bombastic atmosphere. The next offering Jesus Christ Superstars came after quite a hiatus and it may have shocked a lot of people with its balls-out metal guitar riffs. The 2003 album WAT returns to a more electronic sound; working with techno producer umek has produced a slightly odd album of electro beats.
Volk was released on October 20, 2006, preceded by the single Anglia. The album contains 14 songs composed and produced together with Silence, inspired by national anthems.
2008 Laibach released new album, titled Kunst der Fuge. This album is the laibachian interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's work The Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge). The majority of the material has been created already in 2006 and premierly performed the same year on June the 1st at Bachfest festival in Leipzig.
VOLKSWAGNER is the title of a musical project which was realized in collaboration between Laibach and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra (2009). Laibach also cooperated with the composer and conductor Izidor Leitinger on this project, and it was decided that together they would compose a work which will in a specific manner interpret some of Wagner's better known musical motifs and combine them into a unified symphonic electronic suite.
From a formal point of view, the collaborating artists have decided to seek in Wagner the rudiments of modernism, which first through Mahler, Bruckner, and Debussy, and subsequently through Schöenberg, Berg, and Webern, developed into the core of the jazz music of the sonic experimentalists, such as Miles Davis and Sun Ra, and to upgrade them with the ambient electronic spectrum that has been developing over the last three decades. In addition, the suite will address the history of the 20th century – modernism crossbred with pop art.
4.4. 2012 a movie titeled Iron Sky was released. Laibach in collaboration with Ben Watkins as a co-writer and producer of the score provided soundtrack for Moon Nazi Invasion in Iron Sky.
Official Laibach website: www.laibach.org
Abuse And Confession
Laibach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lord
Christ!
You've been
Sacrificed
Crucified
Sanctified
Braised
Lord
Lord
God!
You've been
Sacrificed
Bilified
Demonised
Mortified
Shamed
You gave me flesh and blood
And the will and the way
To serve Thee, my Lord
Until Judgement day
It was written in stone
You had a mission to save
Why give me desire
Just to prove I'm depraved?
But were You not tempted, my Lord
When You became flesh?
Did Your desire not rise
At the sound of a woman's breath?
Lord
Lord
Christ!
You've been
Satirised
Sermonised
Scandalised
Terrorised
Cursed
Here I am
Damned
Cursed
Destroyed
It was written in the book
That You must die on the cross
And it was written
That I must betray You
Otherwise man would be lost
Would be lost
What about me?
Don't turn Your back on me
As it was written, so I must do
And this kiss on Your cheek
Proves my love for You
No greater love
Hath no man that I
Who would sacrifice eternity
For one kiss
For humanity
For humanity
Lord
Lord
Christ!
I've been
Satirised
Terrorised
Demonised
Scandalised
Damned
Why me, Lord
Was it because
I was Judas baptised?
Your mission has failed
Your mission has failed
Your mission has failed
You failed the word
The lyrics of Laibach's song Abuse and Confession may be interpreted as a reflection on the relationship between man and God, specifically the concept of sacrifice and redemption. The repetition of the words "Lord" and "God" emphasizes the religious context of the song. The first two stanzas describe the sacrifices made by Christ, as well as the negative treatment he received, such as being demonized and mortified. This is then followed by the singer expressing their devotion to serve God until judgement day.
The following stanza questions why God would give humans desire, only to prove their depravity. This raises the concept of free will and the paradox of being given the ability to sin but also being punished for it. The stanza then poses the question of whether even Christ was tempted when he became flesh, implying that humans cannot be blamed for giving into temptation.
The final stanza reflects on the betrayal of Judas, and suggests that it was part of God's plan for Christ to die on the cross. The singer asks God not to turn their back on them, and expresses their love through the kiss that led to Christ's arrest. The final lines suggest that Christ's mission has failed, and the closing repetition of "You failed the word" implies a sense of disappointment in God's plan.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord
Addressing God
Lord
Addressing God
Christ!
Addressing Jesus Christ
You've been
Describing what has happened to Jesus
Sacrificed
Jesus was sacrificed for humanity's sins
Crucified
Jesus was crucified on the cross
Sanctified
Jesus was made holy
Glorified
Jesus was given great praise and honor
Braised
Jesus was cooked in an oven (likely used as an ironic twist)
Lord
Addressing God
Lord
Addressing God
God!
Addressing God
You've been
Describing what has happened to God
Sacrificed
God sacrificed his son for humanity
Bilified
God has been slandered
Demonised
God has been made out to be evil
Mortified
God has been made to feel embarrassed or ashamed
Shamed
God has been made to feel ashamed
You gave me flesh and blood
God created humans out of flesh and blood
And the will and the way
God gave humans the capacity to make choices and the path to follow
To serve Thee, my Lord
The purpose of life is to serve God
Until Judgement day
The end of the world when God will judge everyone
It was written in stone
It was predetermined or destined
You had a mission to save
Jesus came to Earth to save humanity
Why give me desire
Why create humans with the capacity to desire
Just to prove I'm depraved?
To show that humans are sinful beings
But were You not tempted, my Lord
Asking if Jesus was tempted, too
When You became flesh?
Referring to when Jesus came to Earth as a human
Did Your desire not rise
Implying that Jesus had sexual desires
At the sound of a woman's breath?
Implying that women are sexually tempting
Here I am
Referring to Judas
Damned
Judas has been condemned to Hell
Cursed
Judas has been cursed
Destroyed
Judas has been ruined
It was written in the book
Referring to the Bible
That You must die on the cross
Foretelling the crucifixion of Jesus
And it was written
Foretelling the betrayal of Judas
That I must betray You
Judas has been predestined to betray Jesus
Otherwise man would be lost
Implying Judas was needed to fulfill the prophecy
Don't turn Your back on me
Asking for forgiveness
As it was written, so I must do
Judas must fulfill his destiny
And this kiss on Your cheek
The kiss that betrayed Jesus
Proves my love for You
Judas did it out of love
No greater love
The ultimate act of love
Hath no man that I
No one has ever loved like Judas
Who would sacrifice eternity
Judas gave up his chance at eternal life
For one kiss
For the kiss that betrayed Jesus
For humanity
For the sake of all humans
I've been
Describing what has happened to Judas
Satirised
Judas has been ridiculed
Terrorised
Judas is in a state of fear and anxiety
Demonised
Judas is being likened to a demon
Scandalised
Judas has caused a scandal
Why me, Lord
Asking why Judas has to suffer
Was it because
Trying to find reasons for Judas' suffering
I was Judas baptised?
A play on words
Your mission has failed
Implying that Jesus' mission was a failure
Your mission has failed
Repeating the previous line
Your mission has failed
Repeating the previous line
You failed the world
Blaming Jesus for the state of the world
Lyrics © Freibank Musikverlags und vermarktungs GmbH, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Mute Song Limited
Written by: Bohn, Laibach, CHRIS BOHN, IVAN NOVAK, MILAN FRAS, S. AVSENIK JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind