Rammstein’s “Zeit” Lyrics Meaning

There is a lot going on in “Zeit”, as more or less to be expected from a Rammstein single. But most simply explained, what it appears the homeys are speaking to is the concept of mortality.

Time, which is what the word “zeit” translates to in English, is such that no one is immune to its passing. So there have been elaborate explanations offered concerning this track’s intro for instance. But underneath all of the fancy poetry, what it appears the vocalist is saying is that death, as well as the intrinsic “hardship” that comes with maturing (i.e. growing from a child to an adult), is inevitable. Therefore we should value the time we’ve been granted, or something like that.

Indeed it can be ascertained, at least in later parts of the song (such as the third verse and chorus), that the addressee is a loved one. So the vocalist comes off as someone who is relishing this ‘perfect moment’ with said individual. But at the same time it’s like his mind is plagued since he knows, in the grand scheme of things, that it’s only fleeting. 

So perhaps we can conclude by saying that the vocalist represents a person who to some degree is unwilling to accept that the passage of time is a progression which none of us can actually halt.

The singer acknowledges, in a disgruntled sort of way given his current disposition, that the passage of time cannot be halted.

Facts about “Zeit”

As far as international recognition goes, Rammstein can safely be classified as the most popular German rock band of the moment. The band released “Zeit” on 10th March, 2022.  

“Zeit” is the title track from Rammstein’s eighth studio album – a project backed by the Universal Music Group.

Rammstein members are individually credited with writing this song. We therefore have writing credits that look like the below:

• Richard Z. Kruspe
• Christian Lorenz
• Paul Landers
• Till Lindemann
• Oliver Riedel
• Christoph Schneider

As a unit the band is also acknowledged as the song’s co-producer, with the other producers being as follows:

• Florian Ammon
• Olsen Involtini
• Sky Van Hoff

There is an official music video for this song. The video, which was directed by one Robert Gwisdek, garnered over 3 million views on YouTube within 24 hours of being uploaded there.

The Music Video

The music video to this song is heavily symbolic – a characteristic of this presentation that cannot be stressed enough. For instance, there are three mysterious, shall we also say spiritual figures depicted therein that can be interpreted as the personification of death. But all images considered, they obviously play a grander role than even that lofty one, representing – for lack of a more down-to-earth way of putting it – fate itself. 

Or if we wanted to get more eccentric, maybe we could even say something like these figures represent the will of God, the trajectory of the world, an absolute timeline or however you want to put it.

So for example at the beginning of the video where the protagonists (in that scene) are depicted as meeting their fate on the high seas, before actually passing away they see one of these figures. Later on, we see these same beings also present on the fields of war. 

And to note Rammstein is from Germany, and even as we speak, war is being waged in a region of Europe not too far from them. So the people in that part of the world are very much aware of warfare being embedded in their history. 

So going back to those mysterious beings, it’s like they’re in the midst, witnessing all of this transpire. And even though they don’t appear to directly intervene, in a way it can be deemed that they are propagating or at least not stopping the bloodshed from transpiring.

The Video continues…

Later on in the clip, we also find them standing by while a group of women give birth. So this would imply that these figures not only support death but life also. Concurrently, there is something going on in the background which is reminiscent of a nuclear explosion. Also, it can be seen that these ladies are deeply in labor-induced pain. 

So the implication behind that particular scene is that they are in fact birthing their children into a world plagued by war. 

It should be noted that both the women and the men who are helping them give birth are depicted as being blindfolded. Owing to this, it can also be postulated that they are in fact ignoring that less-than-ideal aspect of reality. And just as those aforementioned beings apparently approve of warfare, they likewise don’t seem to have any issues with human beings procreating.

Perhaps it’s best if we conclude this analysis here, as a further understanding of what’s going on may require a very in-depth study of Rammstein’s artistry and belief system. But it can be put forth that what they’re trying to relay is that being born into this world, we are fated to a life of death and, perhaps speaking more specifically to the European experience, war even.