99 Red Balloons
Punk Covers - Goldfinger Lyrics
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Of clueless blues,
Pays the views,
And no-mans news.
Blades will fade from blood to sport,
The heroin's cut these fuses short,
Smokers rode a colonial pig, [Smoke is rolling colonial pink,]
Drink and frame this pain i think.
You bleed your wings and then disappear.
The moving scenes and pilot lights, [...pyre lights]
Smithereens have got 'em scaling heights.
Modern times come talk me down,
And battle lines are drawn across this town.
Parisian boys without your names, [...with obscure names]
Ghetto stones instead of chains,
Talk 'em down cause it's up in flames, [Talk me down...]
And nothing's changed.
Parisian boys without your names, [...with obscure names]
Riot like 1968 again.
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed,
Well pretty flames.
In school I would just bite my tongue,
And now your words they strike me down. [But now your words have struck me dumb.]
The flags are false and they contradict,
They point and click which wounds to lick,
On avenues this christian breeze,
Turns it's heart to more needles please.
Our eyes roll back and we beg for more,
It frays this skin and then underscore.
The case for war you spin and bleed,
The sales you feel screensavers feed,
The girls you breed the soaps that you write,
The graceless charm of your gutter snipes.
The moving scenes and suburbanites,
And smithereens got 'em scaling heights.
Modern times come talk me down,
The battle lines are drawn across this town.
English boys without your names, [...with obscure names]
Ghetto stones instead of chains,
Hearts and minds and US Planes,
Nothing's changed...
And english boys without your names, [...with obscure names]
Riot like the 1980's again,
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed,
More pretty flames.
The lyrics of "99 Red Balloons" by Punk Covers - Goldfinger depict a grim picture of modern-day society plagued with violence, corruption, and social unrest. The song seems to be a commentary on the futility of war and the destructive nature of humanity. The first few lines refer to the people in the city who are oblivious to the chaos and violence around them. The following lines talk about how violence has become a sport, heroin is rampant, and smokers are riding on colonial pigs.
The lyricist then moves on to talk about the riots that have become a common sight in many parts of the world. The reference to Parisian boys rioting like 1968 again and English boys rioting like the 1980s again indicates that nothing has changed, and history is repeating itself. The lyrics also take aim at the media, which is more interested in sales and screensavers than the truth.
The song's chorus, "Talk me down, cause it's up in flames, And nothing's changed, well pretty flames," implies that despite all the chaos and destruction, people seem to be enjoying the spectacle of it all. The eerie line, "You bleed your wings and then disappear," could be interpreted as a reference to suicide or self-destructive behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
In city shoes,
Wearing modern city shoes
Of clueless blues,
Feeling lost and uncertain
Pays the views,
Conforming to societal expectations
And no-mans news.
Ignoring important issues around us
Blades will fade from blood to sport,
Violence will become commonplace and trivialized
The heroin's cut these fuses short,
Drug addiction has destroyed lives and futures
Smokers rode a colonial pig,
Smoking has become associated with colonialism and oppression
Drink and frame this pain i think.
Drinking alcohol to cope with emotional pain
I'm melting silver poles my dear,
Feeling emotionally vulnerable
You bleed your wings and then disappear.
You self-destruct and retreat from life
The moving scenes and pilot lights,
The excitement and glamor of Hollywood
Smithereens have got 'em scaling heights.
People are willing to sacrifice everything for fame and success
Modern times come talk me down,
Feeling overwhelmed by modern society
And battle lines are drawn across this town.
Society is divided and at war with itself
Parisian boys without your names,
Young people with no identity
Ghetto stones instead of chains,
The oppression and poverty of inner-city life
Talk 'em down cause it's up in flames,
Trying to calm down violent protests
And nothing's changed.
Despite protests and riots, nothing has improved
Riot like 1968 again.
Resorting to the same tactics that failed in the past
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed,
Protests and unrest have not led to any meaningful change
Well pretty flames.
Violence and destruction may look appealing but achieve nothing
In school I would just bite my tongue,
Not speaking out against injustices in the past
And now your words they strike me down.
Being hurt by hurtful words
The flags are false and they contradict,
The symbols of our nation are at odds with reality
They point and click which wounds to lick,
Deciding which issues are worth addressing
On avenues this christian breeze,
Religious influence and control over society
Turns it's heart to more needles please.
Ignoring the opioid epidemic and drug addiction
Our eyes roll back and we beg for more,
Addiction and craving for more
It frays this skin and then underscore.
The toll addiction takes on our bodies and lives
The case for war you spin and bleed,
The propaganda and justification for war
The sales you feel screensavers feed,
Being influenced by advertisements and media
The girls you breed the soaps that you write,
Media perpetuates harmful stereotypes and expectations for men and women
The graceless charm of your gutter snipes.
The lack of charm and class in modern society
The moving scenes and suburbanites,
The mundane and boring aspects of suburban life
And smithereens got 'em scaling heights.
The desire to escape the monotony of life
Modern times come talk me down,
Feeling disillusioned and hopeless about the future
The battle lines are drawn across this town.
Society is at war with itself, with opposing sides vying for control
English boys without your names,
Young men with no identity or sense of purpose
Ghetto stones instead of chains,
Oppression and poverty affecting all strata of society
Hearts and minds and US Planes,
The emotional and psychological effects of war
And english boys without your names,
Identity crisis and societal pressure to conform
Riot like the 1980's again,
Repeating the same mistakes of the past
The days of rage yeah nothing's changed,
Protests and social unrest have not led to any true progress
More pretty flames.
The temptation to resort to violence and destruction, despite its futility
Contributed by Levi C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@fathurrahman4978
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
[Verse 1]
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
As ninety-nine red balloons go by
[Verse 2]
Ninety-nine decisions treat
Ninety-nine ministers meet
To worry, worry, super scurry
Call out the troops now 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
[Bridge]
Neunundneunzig Kriegsminister
Streichholz und Benzinkanister
Hielten sich füare schlaue Leute
Witterten schon fette Beute
Riefen: Krieg und wollten Macht
Mann, wer hätte das gedacht?
Daß es einmal so weit kommt
Wegen neunundneunzig Luftballons
Neunundneunzig Luftballons
[Outro]
Ninety-nine dreams I have had
And every one a red balloon
It's all over, and I'm standing pretty
In the dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here
Here it is, a red balloon
I think of you and let it go
@Berd
damn.. that long ago
@discardtv842
BERBMMMMMM??
@Steven-nq7fx
Ikr
@Engie17
Berd, can you do more Tf2 stuff ❤
@alexchristensen2047
@@Engie17no 😂j JJ a
@maeganschwartz3730
Love how they have one verse left in the original german.
Thats about the best german pronunciation i've ever heard from an american!
@qifocusman
So true though. It's very underground punk despite the pop vibe it leaks.
@smhez4766
Dann sollst du mal meine Aussprache hören.
@smhez4766
Aber ich muss auch zugeben, dass seine Aussprache ziemlich gut ist.
@Marshallnd
Turns out, if you just shout German words you say it better. Who knew.