Übung macht den Meister

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a bleak picture of a narrator repeatedly failing at suicide attempts, ironically finding themselves alive after each desperate act. The opening lines present a series of absurd, failed attempts: no rope for hanging, no train on the tracks, and a suicide attempt from a skyscraper that gets thwarted by a stuck elevator. This sets a tone of dark, almost slapstick futility, where even the most extreme actions are met with anticlimactic failure. The central tension lies in the narrator's persistent, yet ineffective, pursuit of death contrasted with the relentless, indifferent continuation of life. Despite ingesting drugs, swallowing glue, and a jammed revolver, the narrator survives. The phrase "Gib nicht auf, versuch's noch mal" (Don't give up, try again) becomes a darkly ironic refrain, urging the narrator to continue their failed quest for oblivion. The ultimate twist comes with the line, "Als an deinem Revolver der Abzug klemmt, sagst du zum Leben wieder 'Ja'" (When the trigger of your revolver jams, you say 'Yes' to life again), only for them to be immediately run over by a tractor on the way home. The overwhelming repetition of "Es ist egal, so egal, ganz egal, scheiß egal" (It doesn't matter, so much, completely, shit doesn't matter) in the chorus and outro acts as a mantra of nihilistic resignation. This phrase underscores the futility of both the attempts at death and the subsequent survival. It suggests a profound detachment, where even the act of trying to end one's life, and failing, holds no significance. The lyrics use this stark, repetitive declaration to amplify the sense of meaninglessness that pervades the narrator's existence. What makes these lyrics so striking is their unflinching, almost absurd portrayal of failed suicide. The craft lies in the juxtaposition of extreme desperation with mundane, almost comical failures, all underscored by the relentless, dismissive chorus. This creates a disorienting emotional landscape, forcing the listener to confront the bleakness without offering any comfort or resolution, leaving only the echo of "egal."