Es brenntLyrics, English Translation & Meaning

DE→

Deutsch / English — Interleaved

Nicht heiß, nicht so kalt, nicht zu jung, nicht so gar nicht alt.

Not hot, not so cold, not too young, not so very old.

Es brennt nicht, es brennt nicht gut.

It burns not, it doesn't burn well.

Es brennt, nein es brennt nicht, ohne Flammen, keine Glut.

It burns, no it burns not, without flames, no glow.

Doch die Menschen möchten brennen.

But people want to burn.

Aber bitte nicht zu heiß, aber dann ist nichts zu versenken.

But please not too hot, but then there is nothing to sink (engulf).

Schade los um jeden Preis, Schmelzfluss um jeden Preis.

Free of pity at any price, molten flow at any price.

Nicht zu laut, nicht zu leise, das Feuer, neue Funken, Blut und Keksfett sehen

Not too loud, not too quiet, the fire, new sparks, blood and cookie fat appear

versponnen.

entangled.

Es brennt, es brennt nicht, es brennt nicht gut, es brennt, nein es brennt

It burns, it burns not, it doesn't burn well, it burns, no it burns

nicht.

not.

Alte Flamme, keine Glut, doch die Menschen möchten brennen.

Old flame, no glow, but people want to burn.

Aber bitte nicht zu heiß, aber dann ist nichts zu versenken.

But please not too hot, but then there is nothing to sink (engulf).

Schade los um jeden Preis, Schmelzfluss, Feuer, Liebeslicht, eng umarmt, auf

Free of pity at any price, molten flow, fire, love's light, tightly embraced, on

Ascheflug, dass Leuchten war, ach wechselt's nicht.

an ash flight, that gleaming was, ah may it not change.

Steck sie an, knicht in die Glut, denn wenn die Menschen möchten brennen.

Set it alight, kneel into the glow, for when people want to burn.

Aber bitte nicht zu heiß, sie haben Angst sich zu versenken.

But please not too hot, they are afraid to sink (be engulfed).

Nicht zu laut und nicht zu leis, ach die Menschen wie sie brennen, ein Schalt

Not too loud and not too quiet, ah the people how they burn, a switch

hat ihren Preis.

has its price.

Mitten die Flamme schlägt die Zähne, Lachen im nachtdunklen Fleisch.

In the middle the flame bares its teeth, laughter in the night-dark flesh.

Es brennt, es brennt.

It burns, it burns.

✦Song Meaning

This song circles around the idea of human desire and the fear of total surrender, using fire as its central metaphor. People want to burn, they crave passion and intensity, but always with conditions attached, not too hot, not too cold, not too loud, not too quiet. Lindemann is essentially mocking that half-hearted approach to life and love, the way people want the warmth and excitement of a flame without risking actually being consumed by it. The repeated line about wanting to burn but please not too hot captures this contradiction perfectly.

The imagery pulls from classic Romantic symbolism, fire as passion, love, and destruction, but Lindemann gives it his usual dark twist. Cookie fat and blood alongside fire creates this unsettling, fleshy quality that makes the burning feel very physical and mortal rather than spiritual or poetic. The old flame with no ember, the embrace in ash, the light that never quite changes, these all suggest relationships or desires that have gone lukewarm and stagnant, where people pretend at passion without actually feeling it. The closing image of a flame biting with teeth and laughing in dark flesh feels like fire finally winning, consuming the people who kept trying to manage it safely.

The emotional tone is somewhere between contempt and dark amusement. Lindemann seems to find it both sad and funny that people crave transformation through passion but are too afraid to let it actually happen. The song does not feel sympathetic so much as sardonic, like he is watching people perform desire while flinching away from the real thing. The ending suggests that eventually fire does not care about your conditions, it burns on its own terms.