Ich bin der Fahrer, der die Frauen nach Hiphop-Videodrehs nach Hause fährt [English translation]

I am the driver who drives the women home after hip-hop video shoots

It smells of pine air-freshener1 and perfume

A man next to me stares anxiously at his cars

While rappers with entourages pass us by

"I'm putting everything into this"2

He says to me quietly, "Three AMGs3 leased just for this rubbish"

And then he asks me my name quietly

A rapper drips oil onto a muscular arm

I'd call myself DJ Wrecking-Ball4

If I could do anything, I say

And he looks at me questioningly

I'm just fetching the dancers from their dancing

Norwegians call me Lars and my dad calls me Jan

I couldn't sleep last night and I'm still drowsy

But everyone's gotta do something to get by

The director shouts at us to shut up

He looks like he's screwed, and on cocaine

We're behind schedule, the tracksuit bottoms are wrinkling up

Now the motorbikes come drawing black circles [on the ground]

Now the rapper sings that everyone pledged themselves against him

That the bitches never believed in him and nearly destroyed him

His enemies will pay, and it'll be expensive

Somehow sounds to my ear like paranoia

But I'm just the guy they don't know here

And if they know who I was

They'd call me DJ Wrecking-Ball

I'm just fetching the dancers from their dancing

To rest in the pre-warmed car

To get by, everyone has to do something

Now the dancers are walking over damp asphalt in high heels

One on all fours with a collar and lead like a dog

Now someone is rapping again, about honour, family and respect

The asphalt is cold, please stay healthy

A woman who reminds me of someone is wearing a bikini

And is masked by a balaclava

She'd holding a fake golden AK47 and a cheap ninja sword

She is the woman who I drive home after hip-hop video shoots

And she asks me sleepily: "Why don't you have any tattoos?"

[Using] The front-facing camera on her phone as a make-up mirror

"Why are you not tattooed?"

I say, I've become so hard after all this time

Nothing has happened in my heart for years now

The colour has just faded5 from my skin

That's why I am not tattooed

She says it's good how you keep quiet, you drive well

You look like you'd rather be alone

I've forgotten the answer since people rarely ever ask

But I'll drive us another lap of the city

That's what we do

Tired and drowsy

That's what we do

To get by

1. Specifically it would seem, of those pine-tree shaped car air-fresheners.2. This was a new German idiom for me - kind of like 'I'm putting all my eggs in one basket', though I felt this wouldn't fit as well here.3. As in the fancy cars: https://www.mercedes-amg.com/en/home.html4. I didn't know, but I should have guessed what a "Demolition pear" would be, what a word!5. Lit. chipped/flaked off.

• Artist:Thees Uhlmann
• Album:Junkies und Scientologen