99 Red Balloons
Nena渀 Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one they were gone
Back at base bugs in the software
Flash the message "something's out there!"
Floating in the summer sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
Where ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine decision street
Ninety-nine ministers meet
To worry, worry, super scurry
Call the troops out in a hurry
This is what we've waited for
This is it, boys, this is war
The president is on the line
As ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine knights of the air
Ride super high-tech jet fighters
Everyone's a super hero
Everyone's a captain Kirk
With orders to identify
To clarify and classify
Scramble in the summer sky
Ninety-nine red balloons go by

As ninety-nine red balloons go by

Ninety-nine dreams I have had
In every one a red balloon
It's all over and I'm standing pretty
In this dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here




And here is a red balloon
I think of you, and let it go

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nena's song 99 Red Balloons tell a story about the potential for a misunderstanding to escalate into war. The song begins with a lighthearted scene of two people in a toy shop who buy a bag of balloons and set them free, watching as they float away into the sky. However, the mood takes a sudden turn when bugs in a military computer system trigger a false alarm. The panic bells ring out, and coded messages flash urgently, alerting everyone to an apparent threat from an unknown source. The military machine powers up, and fighter jets take to the sky to investigate. Meanwhile, politicians and ministers meet to discuss the situation, calling out the troops in a hurry.


The song's chorus repeats the image of 99 red balloons floating in the sky, but now it is infused with a sense of fear and urgency, as if the balloons themselves are a symbol of danger. The second verse describes the fighter pilots as heroes, given orders to identify and neutralize any potential threat. The final verse sees the singer reflecting on the aftermath of this crisis, standing among the ruins of a destroyed city. The red balloons, which recall the innocent scene from the song's opening, now seem like a poignant reminder of all that was lost.


Line by Line Meaning

You and I in a little toy shop
We, two individuals, are at a small store that sells toys.


Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
We buy a sack full of balloons with the limited amount of cash we have in our possession.


Set them free at the break of dawn
We release the balloons in the morning as the sun starts to rise.


'Til one by one they were gone
As time passed, the balloons disappeared one after another.


Back at base bugs in the software
At the headquarters, the computer program has glitches or errors.


Flash the message "something's out there!"
A signal is sent out indicating the presence of something unknown or unfamiliar.


Floating in the summer sky
The balloons are drifting in the sky during the summer season.


Ninety-nine red balloons go by
99 red balloons are seen moving in the air.


Panic bells, it's red alert
Alarms are sounding indicating a state of emergency.


There's something here from somewhere else
An entity from an unfamiliar source is present.


The war machine springs to life
The military forces are activated and prepared for battle.


Opens up one eager eye
They are alert and attentive, keeping a close eye on the situation.


Focusing it on the sky
They are directing their attention towards the sky, where the balloons are present.


Ninety-nine decision street
99 streets with decisions to be made.


Ninety-nine ministers meet
99 government officials hold a meeting.


To worry, worry, super scurry
They are concerned and anxious, moving around frantically.


Call the troops out in a hurry
They deploy the soldiers quickly.


This is what we've waited for
Preparing for a war is something they have been anticipating.


This is it, boys, this is war
They can clearly declare that a battle is taking place.


The president is on the line
The President is being contacted for a critical situation.


As ninety-nine red balloons go by
While the balloons move past them in the sky.


Ninety-nine knights of the air
99 pilots.


Ride super high-tech jet fighters
Flying modern and advanced fighter planes.


Everyone's a super hero
The pilots are brave and powerful in their own way.


Everyone's a captain Kirk
They all possess Captain Kirk-like qualities that enable them to command and navigate their planes.


With orders to identify
They are assigned to recognize the target accurately.


To clarify and classify
They must explain and categorize the object in question.


Scramble in the summer sky
They rush and fly in the sky during the summertime.


Ninety-nine red balloons go by
While the 99 balloons drift past them in the air.


As ninety-nine red balloons go by
While they watch the 99 balloons go past.


Ninety-nine dreams I have had
The singer has imagined 99 scenarios or thoughts.


In every one a red balloon
Each scenario contains a red balloon.


It's all over and I'm standing pretty
Everything has ended, and the artist is still standing upright.


In this dust that was a city
The current state of the environment is disheveled and barren.


If I could find a souvenir
If only the singer could come across a memory or keepsake.


Just to prove the world was here
In order to show that the planet Earth existed.


And here is a red balloon
There is one last red balloon left.


I think of you, and let it go
The singer remembers their loved one and releases the balloon.




Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: CARLO KARGES, JOERN-UWE FAHRENKROG-PETERSEN, KEVIN MCALEA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@8088I

Unfortunately, as we find out today,
in reality, it only takes '1' "Luftballon"
- filling with merely "1" Sociopath's,
Putin's, 'Mad' (EMPty) Ego.

{i.e. In many respects, we've allowed
ourselves to come up to a point (e.g.
Event Horizon) too..o Crazy for fiction.}

{Or: (e.g. an imaginary Singularity)
- for the Mathematically inclined,
being your kids.

~Que 🎶 "99 Luftballons" 🎶 Music Vid~



@8088I

Ivan the Terrible's modern day
equivalent
is Vladimir the Treacherous -
in league with
our dRumpf the Treasonous.
---
Ivan the Terrible's modern day
equivalent
is Vladimir the Treacherous
{ in league with
our dRumpf the Treasonous }



All comments from YouTube:

@GFHanks

Nena's going to be getting their biggest royalty check in 30 years.

@johnwildish8599

it is Chinese balloons causing the excitement

@-HighTide

I certainly hope so

@sl4983

Hope so

@alansimmonds9030

Yep.

@alycevollmar5155

Lol

22 More Replies...

@budogden

I feel like this song is about to get VERY popular all over again...

@lucyhill512

Yep our band is FINALLY gonna do it ... been begging for years

@tjf589

Billboard #1! Let's go!

@Erockarmy

I need to mosh to this

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