Rainer Maria is an emo band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1995. Bassist C… Read Full Bio ↴Rainer Maria is an emo band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1995. Bassist Caithlin De Marrais, guitarist Kaia Fischer, and drummer William Kuehn formed the band in the late summer of 1995 and named the band after the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. They're known for their poetic lyrics and resounding metaphors. The lineup never changed during their eleven-year career.

In its earlier days, the band had duel vocals performed by De Marrais and Fischer; later, De Marrais would become the lead vocalist in the majority of their songs. The band's many tours and intimate live shows at venues such as Brooklyn's Northsix (now Music Hall of Williamsburg), Washington, D.C.'s The Black Cat, Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and Chapel Hill's Cat's Cradle helped to grow its fan base and fuel album sales.

On November 6, 2006, the band announced, through Pitchfork Media, that the December 16th show at New York City's Bowery Ballroom would be their last. They played one more show on December 17th at Northsix, which De Marrais referred to as "home" because it also served as the band's rehearsal space.

The band reformed in 2014 with a reunion show at Bowery Ballroom on December 31. Additional shows were added for February 14 and April 18, 2015 at Lincoln Hall in Chicago and Union Transfer in Philadelphia, respectively.

In 2017 the band released S/T, their first album in 11 years.

Catastrophe
Rainer Maria Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All the dams will give at the end,
At the end, at the end of the world.
Will you swim for me?
And the lights could go at any time,
Any time, any time, any time.
How will you look for me?

Catastrophe keeps us together.

We're the architects of the world.
We're taking it all apart.

And the bridges will burn at the end,
At the end, at the end of the world.
How will we cross the seas?
And the plans have got to hold--a destination
That you and I can rely on for sure.
I want you to find me.

Catastrophe keeps us together.
We're the architects of the world.
We're taking it all apart.
Do you think we could go on forever
When the architects of the war
Are handing out the swords?

But I've got a plan.
I'm gonna find you
At the end
Of the world,
At the end
Of the world.

All the dams will give at the end
At the end, at the end of the world.
So will you swim for me?
And our eyes could go at any time,
Any time, any time, any time.
So how will you look for, how will you look,
How will you look for me?

Catastrophe keeps us together.
We're the architects of the world,
And we're taking it all apart.
Do you think we can go on forever
When the architects of the war
Are handing out the swords?

Well I've got a plan.
I'm gonna find you,
I'm gonna find you
At the end of the world,
At the end of the world,
At the end of the world

I've got a plan.
I'm gonna find you.

I'm gonna find you
At the end.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Rainer Maria's song "Catastrophe" seem to be talking about the end of the world, and how two people are trying to find each other before it happens. There is an urgency in these lyrics, as if time is running out and they want to be together before everything is destroyed. The first verse talks about dams giving way and lights going out, and asks if the other person will swim for them and how they will look for them. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is about finding each other amidst the chaos that is happening around them.

The chorus repeats the same line, "catastrophe keeps us together" three times, which implies that even though everything is falling apart, they are still connected to each other. They are the architects of the world, and they are taking it apart, which suggests that perhaps they had a hand in the destruction that is happening around them. The second verse talks about bridges burning and plans needing to hold, and asks how they will cross the seas and find each other. The chorus repeats again, and then the bridge talks about the architects of war handing out swords, and how they cannot go on forever.

The final verse brings it back to the urgency of finding each other before it's too late, with the repeated lines of "I've got a plan, I'm gonna find you" driving the point home. The song ends with the same line repeated three times, "at the end of the world," which leaves the listener with a sense of finality.

Line by Line Meaning

All the dams will give at the end,
The end of the world is coming, and every structure we've built to contain water will crumble.

At the end, at the end of the world.
This catastrophic event will signify the end of the world as we know it.

Will you swim for me?
In this apocalyptic scenario, the singer is asking their lover to swim towards them, hoping to reunite before the world ends.

And the lights could go at any time,
Electricity and natural resources could disappear anytime, leaving the world in darkness.

Any time, any time, any time.
The danger is always present, and the singer is worried that their loved one will not be able to find them in the dark.

How will you look for me?
The singer is questioning how their partner will be able to find them without the aid of light or modern technology.

Catastrophe keeps us together.
Despite the danger and the destruction, the singer feels that they and their loved one are bound by tragedy to stay together.

We're the architects of the world.
The singer and their loved one are the creators of the world, responsible for building its structures and institutions.

We're taking it all apart.
However, in the face of the apocalypse, the singer recognizes that all of their work and accomplishments are being destroyed.

And the bridges will burn at the end,
Even the means of crossing over obstacles in the landscape will be destroyed in the end.

How will we cross the seas?
In this new reality where everything is falling apart, the singer questions how they and their loved one will navigate waterways when bridges and boats are no longer viable options.

And the plans have got to hold--a destination
Despite the apocalypse, the singer is still hopeful and wants to believe that there is a destination they can rely on and work towards in the chaos.

That you and I can rely on for sure.
They want to share this hope with their loved one and urge them to keep searching, so they can find this destination together.

I want you to find me.
The singer desires the reunion with their loved one and wants them to look for them with all their heart.

Do you think we could go on forever
Despite the hope and love shared between the two, the singer is also aware of the possibility of their relationship and their lives being finite.

When the architects of the war
The architects are the powers that be who dictate the course of the world and the people in it, even during catastrophic times.

Are handing out the swords?
The singer sees the powers as the ones responsible for creating the wars, which lead to human-made catastrophes and horrors.

But I've got a plan.
The singer is hopeful and resourceful and has a plan for surviving the end of the world and finding their loved one.

I'm gonna find you
Their plan is to search for and find their partner despite the looming dangers.

At the end
They plan to locate their loved one at the ultimate end of the world.

Of the world,
The impending catastrophic event that could bring an end to human autonomy and social structures.

All the dams will give at the end
The end of the world is coming and every structure we've built to contain water will crumble.

So will you swim for me?
In this apocalyptic scenario, the singer is asking their lover to swim towards them, hoping to reunite before the world ends. The urgency manifests in the repetition of this line.

And our eyes could go at any time,
The means by which the two have been communicating and keeping up with each other may not last, just like every other human capability.

So how will you look for, how will you look,
The singer reiterates his aching desire to be found and that they may be harder to find if they cannot see each other.

Catastrophe keeps us together.
The singer ends the song with the belief that, despite everything, love can keep people together through even the worst disasters.

Well I've got a plan.
The singer has hope and is resourceful enough to have a plan for survival and reunification with their loved one.

I'm gonna find you,
The singer will be actively searching for their loved one, which they reiterate in the repetition of this line.

I'm gonna find you
The urgency and dedication to this pursuit make this repetition even more potent, emphasizing the importance of finding their partner in the end.

At the end.
Their plan is to locate their loved one at the ultimate end of the world.

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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