In 2015, the world-famous Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann founded a metal project called Lindemann together with Swedish musician Peter Tägtgren. The band’s new album will be released at the end of November 2019. Recently, a very controversial and provocative video for the song “Knebel”, included in this album, was presented to the public.
The meaning of the song Knebel by Till Lindemann
The composition consists of six verses. In the first of them, the performer lists all the natural phenomena that bring him joy: the sun, palm trees, the sea, clouds, etc. The idea sounds unexpectedly that the contemplation of a woman with a gag in her mouth gives the hero no less pleasure. A strange and specific confession is delivered with some additions at the end of each subsequent clip.
In the second part of the song, the author talks about his sympathy for empty streets and full glasses. He also admits that he loves animals much more than people. Positive emotions in the hero are also caused by the contemplation of nature – meadows, forests. He does not forget to mention how seductive the girl looks with a gag in her mouth.
In the third verse there are complaints about life – it is both simple and too hard. The main problem of man lies in the inability to change his fate, since everything is already predetermined in advance. Any event happens for a reason. In conclusion, the author notes that the gag in the mouth makes the partner completely quiet.
In the fourth verse, attention is paid to preferences in personal life. The hero likes girls of easy virtue, and when he meets “heavy” ladies, he becomes so sad that he wants to cry. It is because of the desire to avoid any difficulties that he prefers not to deal with his girlfriend’s father, who causes hostility. The mother of the partner is perceived favorably by the hero. He is also categorically opposed to children, which he prefers to warn about in advance. One thing is invariable – the joy experienced when contemplating a woman with a gag in her mouth.
The fifth verse is dedicated to the experiences of the participants in the described events. The girl is crying, and her partner is experiencing mental anguish. But the tears on her face at the same time cause him and positive emotions.
In the sixth verse, the hero returns to his reasoning about the complexity of life. He dreams of making it much easier. At the same time, the performer agrees that the Earth rotates no matter what.
At the end of the song, the hero talks about the hatred he feels towards his girlfriend.
The story behind of Knebel by Till Lindemann
The group shot a very provocative video for this song. In it, two men lead a naked girl on a chain through the forest. In parallel, in a flooded old building, one of the tormentors is shown, the role of which is played by Lindemann himself. He thrashes about in shackles.
Gradually it becomes clear that we are shown passages from which it is easy to restore the chronology of events: the captive was able to escape and take revenge on her offender, switching roles with him. As a result, she leaves the flooded building, and Lindemann’s hero remains inside forever.
If you think from a philosophical point of view, it is easy to assume that a naked girl personifies both the feminine and nature. It is not for nothing that in the song describing the desire of a man to subjugate his partner, so much attention is paid to simple phenomena – the sun, moon, forests.
The heroes lead their prisoner along a path surrounded by many green trees. There is also a lot of water present. It is water that is the personification of the feminine – the child is in the womb in the liquid.
The captive, who was shackled by men in suits, is holding a smaller copy of the building that appears in other shots. The protagonist not only seeks to subdue the girl, but also prepare her for the future in advance.
The publicly available video version has been cut because part of the original clip cannot be shown to the public without censorship. Rough sexual contact symbolizes the violence that people constantly commit to nature. They seek to take from her as much as possible, without giving anything in return. This idea is confirmed by the shots in which the hero destroys the fish, which in many cultures is a symbol of fertility.
The end of the clip is very symbolic – the confused and exhausted hero understands that winter has come. Snow falls from the sky, and the water in which it is located freezes. He cannot oppose anything to the forces of nature that have prevailed over him.
Alternative interpretation of the meaning of the video and the song Knebel — Lindemann
The Lindemann project appeared back in 2015. It was formed by Rammstein lead singer Till Lindemann and Peter Tägtgren, a Swedish musician and producer. This band is a solo project of a German musician. The band has already released 6 singles and one album. Knebel is one of the songs on F&M’s upcoming album, which is set to premiere on November 22, 2019. The video for this song was released on November 1 and caused quite a lot of emotions among the listeners.
Five days after its publication, the work gained more than 90 thousand likes and almost 2 million views. Note that almost all the songs of the young group are wildly popular. Now let’s look at the meaning of the text.
The meaning of the lyrics of the song Knebel
The lyrics of the song were written in April 2018 during the participation of Till Lindemann in the play “Hänsel und Gretel”. She and several other compositions were written by the group especially for him and will now be included in the future album.
Let’s get back to the meaning of the text itself. The first verse of the song is quite optimistic. Unless, of course, you do not pay attention to the last line. There is a clear passion for BDSM hero and it is with a certain girl. The second also contains optimism and a manifestation of love for all living things, except for people. The last line exactly repeats the end of the first verse. Following the hero tells about the severity of his life and sees no way out of it. The author emphasizes that the girl with the gag is now quiet. He recalls his preferences in women. It is felt that the hero compares the girl with a child, although he does not like children.
There is a saying that he does not love himself and is heartbroken. It can be assumed that the girl with the gag either does not like the hero, or they broke up. If life were easier, he might have loved it. Then the phrase “I hate you” is repeated. A contradictory attitude towards the girl and towards life is manifested. On the one hand, sympathy, on the other, hatred. The last verse repeats the third, except for the last line. The hero really enjoys the sight of the gag, which he repeatedly claims.
In general, the song carries a rather depressing meaning about self-hatred, life and the girl – the heroine.
The meaning of the video for the song Knebel.
In the beginning, it is worth mentioning that once again the video was directed by Zoran Bihak, who has repeatedly collaborated with both Lindemann and Rammstein. This time the filming location was Romania. Specifically, abandoned marble quarries.
The clip exists in 2 versions – with censorship and version +18. It all starts with a general plan of an abandoned building. Around him are mountains, a lot of snow and gloomy black clouds. Next we see Till Lindemann, who is knee-deep in a frozen hole, snow is falling on him. The musician is trying to catch him with his mouth, in his actions and behavior there are traits of insanity. He is dressed in formal attire, which now looks rather intimidating. The frame changes, and here, too, the building appears before the viewer in the warmer period of the year. Now the vocalist is standing in a basement filled with water. On his neck is a chain that chained him to an object at the bottom.
Till resembles a restless spirit or a criminal who was decided to be executed in a very terrible way. His broken movements and emotions clearly betray him as a patient in a psychiatric hospital. The calm is broken, and the hero begins to beat the chain and the water around him. It was as if common sense took over and the person was seized by panic from his own impotence. But this is just a momentary enlightenment. He continues to walk as if spellbound, his hands conducting a non-existent orchestra.
The location changes and the viewer sees a river surrounded by a lush forest. Three people are walking along the river – Till, who is leading a girl on a chain, Peter in a suit and with a guitar in his hands, and a naked girl with a glass flask in her hands. The places change, the soloist in the basement eats some kind of insect, and we return to the heroes again. They continue to walk – the soloist resembles a preacher leading a witch to execution, blood and wounds appear in the frame. A little later we see the performer’s body submerged under water.
He is still conscious, but the supply of oxygen is running out. And the clip, meanwhile, turns into a real horror. The girl (most likely already dead) comes to our hero. Now the inscription “censorship” does not leave us. But we can conclude that her revenge was a success, and the main character is doomed to eternal suffering in this basement in the form of a spirit. If you consider yourself a strong spirit, you can watch the +18 version.
The video came out quite dark and scary. Although from the video sequence you can understand the approximate meaning of the song.
