So Spricht das Leben
Mediæval Bæbes Lyrics


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So sayeth life, the world is mine
The flowers that bloom and the song of the birds
I am the daylight and the sunshine
So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein

So sayeth death, the world is mine
Your daylight is but vein display
Stars and moon sink in eternal night
So spricht der Tod, die Welt ist mein

So sayeth life, the world is mine
You make great tombs of marble and stone
But love, you can never entomb
So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein

So sayeth death, the world is mine
I have made a tomb for all mankind
And created pestilence and war
So spricht der Tod, die Welt ist mein

So sayeth life, the world is mine
Every grave is a plot of land




Into which my eternal seeds do fall
So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein

Overall Meaning

In Mediæval Bæbes's song "So Spricht das Leben," life and death are portrayed as two opposing forces. The first stanza speaks of life, claiming that the world belongs to it. It describes the beauty of nature with the blooming of flowers and the songs of birds. Life is portrayed as the source of light and warmth in the world. But then the second stanza speaks of death, claiming the opposite; that the world belongs to death. It mocks life, saying that all of its lights and displays are in vain because everything will eventually fall into eternal night.


The third stanza is again spoken by life, as it observes how people try to leave their mark on the world with grand tombs. But life reminds us that love is something that can't be entombed. In the last stanza, death claims power over all of humankind with its ability to create pestilence and war. But again, life has the last say, reminding us that death cannot stop nature from its cyclical nature of birth, life and death as every grave becomes a new plot of land for its eternal seeds to fall in. Overall, the song is a contemplation of the nature of life and death, and the inexorable cycle they are locked in.


Line by Line Meaning

So sayeth life, the world is mine
Life claims ownership of the world


The flowers that bloom and the song of the birds
Nature is a testament to life's dominion


I am the daylight and the sunshine
Life is associated with light and warmth


So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein
Thus speaks life, the world belongs to me


So sayeth death, the world is mine
Death also claims ownership of the world


Your daylight is but vein display
Death sees life's light as mere showiness


Stars and moon sink in eternal night
Death claims responsibility for the darkness of the afterlife


So spricht der Tod, die Welt ist mein
Thus speaks death, the world belongs to me


You make great tombs of marble and stone
Life comments on humanity's preoccupation with building grandiose tombs


But love, you can never entomb
Love is not subject to death's power


So sayeth life, the world is mine
Life reasserts its claim on the world


I have made a tomb for all mankind
Death boasts of having created the ultimate tomb for humanity


And created pestilence and war
Death is also responsible for the suffering that leads to death


So spricht der Tod, die Welt ist mein
Thus speaks death, the world belongs to me


Every grave is a plot of land
Life asserts that every grave is a site of potential rejuvenation


Into which my eternal seeds do fall
Life's seeds of renewal continue to exist even in death


So spricht das Leben, die Welt ist mein
Thus speaks life, the world belongs to me




Contributed by Kaelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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