99 Red Balloons
Reel Big Fish 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
99 red balloons go by

99 red balloons floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine, it springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
As 99 red balloons go by

99 Decision Street, 99 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 99 red balloons go by

99 Kriegsminister
Streichholz und Benzinkanister
Hielten sich fuer schlaue Leute
Witterten schon fette Beute
Riefen "Krieg!" und wollten Macht
Mann, wer hätte das gedacht
Dass es einmal soweit kommt
Wegen 99 Luftballoons
99 Luftballoons

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




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

Overall Meaning

"99 Red Balloons" is a song by the German band Nena. It was first released in 1983 and became a worldwide hit. The English-language version by the band Reel Big Fish is a cover that preserves the original song's story and imagery. The song tells a story about 99 red balloons that are released into the air, mistaken for UFOs, and cause a global conflict that destroys a city.


The first verse describes a joyful moment when two people go to a toy shop and buy a bag of balloons to set them free. The second verse introduces the conflict that arises when the 99 balloons are detected by military radars and perceived as a threat. The third verse describes a meeting of ministers who decide to start a war, thinking that they can profit from it. The fourth verse is a reflection on the aftermath of the war, with the singer standing in the ruins of a city and finding a red balloon as a symbol of the world that used to exist.


Line by Line Meaning

You and I in a little toy shop
Two people are in a small store selling toys


Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
They spend their limited money on buying a bag of balloons


Set them free at the break of dawn
They release the balloons at sunrise


'Til one by one, they were gone
As time passes, the balloons disappear into the distance until there are none left


Back at base, bugs in the software
In a command center, there are issues with the system


Flash the message, "Something's out there."
An alarm goes off indicating that there is something unknown in the area


Floating in the summer sky
The balloons are rising in the atmosphere during summer


99 red balloons go by
A total of 99 red balloons can be seen moving by


Panic bells, it's red alert
Sirens sound in response to a dangerous situation


There's something here from somewhere else
There is an object or entities present that is not usually found there


The war machine, it springs to life
Military forces and intelligence become active


Opens up one eager eye
Vehicles, radar or other devices monitor the situation


Focusing it on the sky
The technology is directed to point specifically to the sky to observe the objects


As 99 red balloons go by
The 99 balloons are identified as a possible threat by those monitoring the sky


99 Decision Street, 99 ministers meet
Politicians convene in a local government building at 99 Decision Street


To worry, worry, super-scurry
They are distressed and agitated, scurrying around in haste


Call out the troops now in a hurry
The military is called in for combat


This is what we've waited for
The situation they've expected to occur has arrived


This is it boys, this is war!
The situation is perceived as an act of war


The President is on the line
The country's leader is alerted and involved


As 99 red balloons go by
The balloons' presence heighten everyone's tension


99 Kriegsminister
99 German war ministers


Streichholz und Benzinkanister
Matches and gasoline cans


Hielten sich fuer schlaue Leute
They thought of themselves as smart people


Witterten schon fette Beute
They had already caught the scent of fat prey


Riefen "Krieg!" und wollten Macht
They shouted 'war' and wanted power


Mann, wer hätte das gedacht
Man, who would have thought that


Dass es einmal soweit kommt
That it would ever come this far


Wegen 99 Luftballoons
Because of 99 air balloons (in German)


99 Luftballoons
99 air balloons (in German)


99 dreams I have had
The singer has had 99 dreams


In every one, a red balloon
In each dream, a red balloon appears


It's all over and I'm standin' pretty
The events subsided and the artist is left standing unharmed


In the dust that was a city
The city was reduced to rubble and dust


If I could find a souvenir
If the singer could find a memento


Just to prove the world was here
To serve as evidence that the world once existed


And here it is, a red balloon
The only evidence left is a single red balloon


I think of you and let it go
The singer lets go of the balloon while thinking of someone specific




Contributed by Micah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@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



All comments from YouTube:

@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.

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