Subway to Sally was founded in Potsdam, Germany, in the early 1990s. It is … Read Full Bio ↴Subway to Sally was founded in Potsdam, Germany, in the early 1990s. It is a rock band with clear folk and medieval influences, later also with gothic and metal elements added to the mix. With their continuous inclusion of oriental sounds and elements of classical music (noted for instance by the use of the arrangements of the backup vocals) and the use of instruments less frequently seen in metal bands, such as bagpipes, shawm, violin, hurdy-gurdy and lute, the band has acquired the label of medieval metal. They have released 8 studio albums, two live album and two live DVD´s. Their fame is mainly in the German-speaking countries, having played only a handful of concerts outside of their "turf".

Biography

Subway to Sally was an idea that was a long time coming. The very first concert given in the name was held in September of 1990. The band then consisted of Ingo Hampf, Bodenski, Simon, Coni (trumpet) and Guido (drums). Their first appearance onstage in the constellation with which they later recorded their first album (Album 1994), was given in the Potsdamer "Stube" in January 1992. The group had decided on needing a fiddle to complete the sound, something which brought Frau Schmitt (Silke Volland) to the band, who in turn introduced Eric Fish (Eric Hecht) on the bagpipes.

In the early years, Subway to Sally played Irish / Scottish inspired folk rock, as reflected by the tracklist of their first album, being the only album where the majority of songs are in English (for this they hired a friend to write lyrics in English). The group then decided they wanted to keep their lyrics in German, thus being a part of the first wave of bands to do so after the Berlin wall broke down. Their second album, released in 1995 and aptly named MCMXCV, saw a mixture of biblically inspired lyrics and what is often referred to as "medieval" music, thus placing the label "medieval metal" firmly onto their foreheads. It is a label that they still are being confronted with, though the music can hardly be described as such and though the band repeatedly tries to deny this. Three major changes can be noted with the release of MCMXCV: Firstly, the appearing of the self-written German lyrics penned by Bodenski, secondly, Eric Fish moved up from being the piper to being the frontman and main singer. Thirdly, the focus of the music was no longer on folklore with the occasional self-composed song tossed in for measure, but was turned around to exactly the opposite, with the two translated folk songs "Krähenfraß" ("Twa Corbies") and "Carrickfergus" adapted to fit the band's style.

Between 1994 and 1997 the band rapidly released four albums and toured Germany to exhaustion, with an average of around 100 concerts (take or give a few) per year. Drummer T.W. left the band in 1997, after completing the recordings of "Foppt den Dämon", being replaced by David Pätsch for the tour and the following albums. "Der Sturm" was the first chart entry of the band, but they were quite consequently ignored by the radio and music television channels. With "Hochzeit" the band broke their habits and spent more time on producing the album, leading to a more polished and worked-through sound. This payed off with another chart placement: the album made it to #19 in the official charts. The sound of "Hochzeit" is very much picked up by the next studio album, "Herzblut", though thematically moving in a different direction. Where "Hochzeit" is darker and ends on the note of "Müde" ("Tired") "Ach, ich bin von dieser Welt so müd'" ("Oh, I am so tired of this world"), "Herzblut" starts off with the energetic "die Schlacht" ("the battle"), declearing that "Ich gewinne diese Schlacht" ("I win this battle").

In 2003 the album "Engelskrieger" was released. In preparation of the release, the band made the lyrics available on their home page, leading to wild discussions and accusations of "selling out". The sound of the record, breaking clearly with their previous works, did nothing to silence those accusations. Subway to Sally had grown up, met up with the real world and made a deeply disturbing record, dealing with modern issues on modern terms. The lyrics were no longer veiled and styled old-fashionedly, but instead painfully direct, as was the music, delivered with more brute and force. "Wenn Engel hassen" ("When angels hate") from "Herzblut" can be said to explore the same terrain that "Geist des Kriegers" ("Spirit of the warrior") does, dealing with an individual running amok, though the latter is firmly lodged in the "post 9/11"-world. Several band members have indeed emphasised the impact of the attacks of the Twin Towers and the following political events as inspirational source for the album. Other songs deal with incest, euthanasia, leaders who mis-lead their people and the general fall and corruption of our western society. "Engelskrieger" entered the German charts at #9, and the band once more toured extensively. A live DVD was filmed in the Columbiahalle in Berlin on the first leg of the tour, leading to the release of a double DVD in the autumn of 2003. In April 2004 Subway to Sally changed label, leaving Universal (Motor) for the smaller metal-label Nuclear Blast.

The very last concert of 2004, the all-yearly concert in Lindenpark (Potsdam) on the 30/12, was also the last concert of drummer David Pätsch, who left the band to pursue another musical direction with the Blue Man Group in Berlin. The band then spent half a year looking for a replacement, finally deciding on Simon Michael Schmitt to replace David. (On a side-note this has lead to a great deal of confusion, as there are now 2 Simons, 3 Michaels and 2 Schmitts in the band.) The recording of the new album was already finished by the time "tiny Simon" joined the band.

Despite being very pleased with the outcome of "Engelskrieger", the band made no secret of it being a one-off and of returning to the more conventional "Sally-sound" with the next studio recording. "Nord Nord Ost" was originally planned to be released in 2004, but was delayed until fall 2005, due to the extensiveness of the production. Though the band have previously made use of musicians from outside the band, they now did so on a bigger scale, involving the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg to create a wider and more orchestral sound. The album debuted at #5 in the official charts, the highest chart placement the band has seen to date.

In 2006 they released an acoustic CD/DVD reminiscent of their pre-Hochzeit sound called Nackt ("Naked"), followed by another album in the vein of Nord Nord Ost, titled Bastard, in Fall 2007.

Side projects

Several of the band members have side- or solo-projects going. Wanting to "return to his roots" as a musician, Eric Fish started touring on his own in 1999. This project has now grown up to become a band in its own right, and two CDs have been released; "Auge in Auge" and "Zwilling". Eric is also involved in a hitherto online-only project called Weiß and often appears as a guest musician on records of other bands (for instance with Letzte Instanz and Fiddler's Green). Bodenski has published a book of poems, called "Inniglich", which draws heavily on his lyrics for Subway to Sally, but also contains other works and non-published Sally songs. Little Simon also plays in the powermetal band Silverlane. Frau Schmitt used to be a member of the somewhat "folkyjazzy" ensemble 17 Hippies.

Discography

* Album 1994 (1994, label: Costbar)
* MCMXCV (1995) (1995, label: Stars in the dark)
* Foppt den Dämon! (Tease the demon) (1996, label: Red Rooster)
* Bannkreis (Spell circle) (1997, label: BMG/Ariola)
* Hochzeit (Marriage) (1999, label: BMG/Ariola)
* Schrei! (Scream!) (live album, 2000, label: BMG/Ariola)
* Herzblut (Heartblood) (2001, label: Island Mercury)
* Die Rose im Wasser (The rose in the water) (Best Of album, 2001)
* Engelskrieger (Angel's warriors) (2003, label: Motor Music)
* Subway to Sally live (2 DVD, 2003, label: Motor Music)
* Nord Nord Ost (North north east) (August 22, label: Nuclear Blast 2005)
* Nackt (Naked) (2006, 1 DVD, 1 Live Album, Acoustic Concert, Nuclear Blast 2006)
* Bastard (Bastard) (2007, label: Nuclear Blast)

www.subwaytosally.com/

Ein Baum
Subway to Sally Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ich schneide nun das Haar nicht mehr
Horch wie mir Blätter treiben
Der Wald pflanzt Hölzer in mein Herz
Ich streck die Arme himmelwärts
Um immer hier zu bleiben

Die Nägel senken sich hinein
Ins Reich der Mutter Erde

Schon krümmt und bricht sich mir die Haut
Hab Sand und Steine viel verdaut
Dass ich so müde werde

Ein Baum, mit Käfern im Gesicht
Mit Moos in meinem Haar
Die Haut so hart wie Stein

Durch meine Finger geht der Wind
Wars gestern, war es heute
Den Winter lang werd ich nicht wach
Ein Specht klopft an mein Schädeldach
Und hofft auf fette Beute

Mein Haupt wird grün, der Sommer kommt
Mit Tautropfen und Regen
Ein Zittern geht durch meinen Stamm
Ich hör sie schon, sie kommen an
Die Männer mit den Sägen

Ein Baum, mit Käfern im Gesicht

Mit Moos in meinem Haar
Die Haut so hart wie Stein

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Subway to Sally's song Baum can be interpreted as a metaphor for the human experience and the cycle of life. The singer declares the decision to stop cutting their hair, symbolizing a new beginning and growth. The image of the forest planting trees in their heart evokes feelings of nature and being rooted in something larger than oneself. The singer stretches their arms upwards, suggesting a desire to remain in this state of growth and connection with the earth.

The following lines express the pain that comes with growth, as the nails sink into the earth and the skin breaks. The tree is described as having "käfer im gesicht," meaning beetles in the face, and "moos in meinem haar," moss in their hair, indicating that the tree is aging and becoming one with nature. The wind goes through their fingers, suggesting the passing of time and the impermanence of life. The winter is spent hibernating and sleeping, while the woodpecker looks for food, emphasizing the circle of life and death.

As spring arrives, the tree begins to bloom and grow again, but the men with saws are coming, suggesting the inevitability of death and the end of the cycle. The song ends with the repeated imagery of the tree with beetles in the face, moss in the hair, and skin as hard as stone, emphasizing again the connection between life and the natural world.

Line by Line Meaning

Ich schneide nun das Haar nicht mehr
I have stopped cutting my hair

Horch wie mir Blätter treiben
Listen to the leaves rustling around me

Der Wald pflanzt Hölzer in mein Herz
The forest is planting trees in my heart

Ich streck die Arme himmelwärts
I reach my arms towards the sky

Um immer hier zu bleiben
To always stay here

Die Nägel senken sich hinein
The nails sink into the earth

Ins Reich der Mutter Erde
Into the realm of Mother Earth

Schon krümmt und bricht sich mir die Haut
My skin is already curling and breaking

Hab Sand und Steine viel verdaut
I have digested a lot of sand and stones

Dass ich so müde werde
That is why I am getting so tired

Ein Baum, mit Käfern im Gesicht
A tree, with bugs on my face