His breakthrough in music came with the album "Mit Pfefferminz bin ich dein Prinz" ("With peppermint, I'm your prince") in 1978.
Müller-Westernhagen's music is shaped through his concise voice and shouting passages. His texts are very direct and provoking, e.g. "Dicke" ("Fat people"), but also social critical texts like "Freiheit" (freedom) are included in his emotional repertoire.
Lausige Zeiten
Marius Müller-Westernhagen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lausige Zeiten, quatsch mich nicht an.
Lausige Zeiten in dieser Stadt.
Lausige Zeiten, es riecht nach Verrat.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte die Frau.
Lausige Zeiten, ich kenn dich genau.
Lausige Zeiten, meschuggener Mensch.
Lausige Zeiten sind für alle da.
Lausige Zeiten, lausige Zeiten.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte der Ami.
Lausige Zeiten, frass ne Salami.
Lausige Zeiten, Whisky pur.
Lausige Zeiten, keine Kultur.
Lausige Zeiten sind für alle da.
Lausige Zeiten, lausige Zeiten.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte mein Boss.
Lausige Zeiten, arbeitslos.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte dann Rita.
Lausige Zeiten und ging mit Dieter.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte die Biene.
Stach mir ins Bein, genau in die Vene.
Lausige Zeiten, hauchte ich noch ...
Lausige Zeiten, ab ins Loch.
Lausige Zeiten sind für alle da.
Lausige Zeiten, lausige Zeiten.
Lausige Zeiten sind für alle da
Lausige Zeiten, lausige Zeiten.
The lyrics of Marius Müller-Westernhagen's song "Lausige Zeiten" speak about the difficult and bleak times that are being experienced by various characters in the song. The phrase "lausige Zeiten" translates to "lousy times" which serves as a recurring motif that ties the song together. The first verse introduces us to a man who is exasperated with the current situation, he doesn't want to be bothered and expresses his frustration with the city that he's in, it appears as if he doesn't trust the people around him as there is a certain sense of betrayal in the air. The second verse introduces us to a woman who seems to know the man well, and she shares his sentiment, describing him as a "meschuggener Mensch" which loosely translates to "crazy person" or "nuts". The subsequent verses introduce more characters, each describing their struggles with the current situation in different ways. The song seems to speak about a universal human experience, where no matter what station in life one is at, they are bound to experience tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
Lausige Zeiten, sagte der Mann.
The man acknowledged the current difficult times.
Lausige Zeiten, quatsch mich nicht an.
The man does not want to be bothered with small talk during these tough times.
Lausige Zeiten in dieser Stadt.
The man recognizes that the entire town is suffering during these hard times.
Lausige Zeiten, es riecht nach Verrat.
The man senses a feeling of betrayal in the air during these difficult times.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte die Frau.
The woman also acknowledges the current difficult times.
Lausige Zeiten, ich kenn dich genau.
The woman knows the man well enough to recognize that he too is struggling during these tough times.
Lausige Zeiten, meschuggener Mensch.
The woman calls the man crazy during these difficult times.
Lausige Zeiten, der Winter wird streng.
The woman predicts that the coming winter will be difficult during these already tough times.
Lausige Zeiten sind für alle da.
The sentiment is that everyone is affected by these difficult times.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte der Ami.
The American also recognizes the difficult times they are facing.
Lausige Zeiten, frass ne Salami.
The American is eating cheap, low-quality food during this tough time.
Lausige Zeiten, Whisky pur.
The American is drinking whisky straight because that's all he can afford during these hard times.
Lausige Zeiten, keine Kultur.
The American laments the lack of culture during these difficult times.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte mein Boss.
Even the boss recognizes the current difficult times.
Lausige Zeiten, arbeitslos.
The boss acknowledges that people are losing their jobs during these hard times.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte dann Rita.
Rita also acknowledges the difficult times they are facing.
Lausige Zeiten und ging mit Dieter.
Rita leaves with Dieter, perhaps indicating that the only escape from these tough times is through companionship and community.
Lausige Zeiten, sagte die Biene.
Even the bee recognizes the difficult times.
Stach mir ins Bein, genau in die Vene.
The bee stung the singer in the leg, hitting a vein and perhaps symbolizing the pain and hardship of these times.
Lausige Zeiten, hauchte ich noch ...
Even in his last breath, the artist acknowledges the tough times they are facing.
Lausige Zeiten, ab ins Loch.
The artist resigns himself to the difficult times and perhaps suggests that the only way out is death.
Contributed by Henry F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Stefan Stolze
Die "letzte Gute" vor dem Sündenfall. Und der hieß Freiheit.
Martin Rasinger
Stimmt !