Sie ist vierzig

Song Meaning

The lyrics open on a stark scene. A woman's husband offers a perfunctory "Ich hab' dich lieb, doch..." over breakfast, his focus on the newspaper. She has "nichts mehr ein" to say. Soon, he's off to work, leaving her "wieder allein," underscoring a profound sense of daily isolation. This immediate loneliness sparks a series of internal rebellions and vivid fantasies. She briefly entertains sabotaging the "Wasserleitung" to summon a "charmanten Installateur," a fleeting thought quickly dismissed. Her mind then drifts to a "Plakat von James Dean," transporting her "jenseits von Eden," a powerful image of youthful longing and cinematic escape from her drab reality. This internal world starkly contrasts with her mundane chores, like vacuuming her daughter's room. The lyrics reveal a deep disillusionment with her marriage, contrasting past ideals with present reality. She recalls marrying "ihren Tarzan" in '58, when he promised, "Meine Hitze wird niemals..." This youthful passion has clearly faded. Today, when they "sich einmal die Woche im Bett bemüh'n," they simply "schlafen sie nur aneinander vorbei," highlighting a profound loss of intimacy and connection. At forty, the woman grapples with the crushing question: "War das nun schon alles, was für mich vorgesehen war?" Her life feels like a "Wartesaal," a waiting room where "tiefgefrorenen Träumen im Kühlschrank" lie dormant. The only apparent escape is the arrival of the "Sensenmann," a grim, almost darkly humorous acknowledgment that death might be the only release from her unlived life, punctuated by the recurring fantasy of "Jimmy In Kalifornien am Meer." This vivid imagery effectively conveys her desperate longing for a different existence.