Sei wachsam [English translation]

A propaganda poster torn apart on the wet lawn

They're grinning at me those old soaked phrases,

The faces of old men made up as youngsters

That preach to you the Middle Ages as the newest progress

And I'm thinking, every step to the promised happiness

Is a step towards eternal yesterday, a step backwards.

They're exhorting the people to composure and sacrifices,

they're calling them the people, but they're thinking of subjects.

All the glueing and toadying is no longer bearable

when you've learned to translate what they're actually saying:

Whispering the minister takes the bishop by his arm:

You keep them silly - I keep them poor!

Stay alert!

Learn those words by heart!

Stay alert!

Don't fall for them! Watch out you use your freedom,

Freedom gets used up if you don't use it!

Stay alert!

Remember those faces by heart!

Stay alert!

Keep your courage alive.

Stay alert

And watch out for yourself!

When you turn on the TV, they're whining for good old values.

Their good old values are almost always the wrong ones.

And those who pertyly fight in the Talk Show

Are the same ones to stamp down all values

The Media Master and the newspaper boss,

The worst ram becomes gardener, oh, what a joy!

They're calling for Jesus' cross for customs and good virtues,

But their message is only ass and titts.

Brutalization, ignorance, violence are the commandments,

Their gods are high-circulation and viewing figures.

They're the bending the truth and twisting the law:

So many good old values, I'm really getting sick!

Stay alert!

Learn those words by heart!

Stay alert!

Don't fall for them! Watch out you use your freedom,

Freedom gets used up if you don't use it!

Stay alert!

Remember those faces by heart!

Stay alert!

Keep your courage alive.

Stay alert

And watch out for yourself!

There's a huge boom for pied pipers,

For freeloaders and recipients of bribe monex

It's a time for users of self-servie and businessmen,

For hypocrisy, insincerity and haggling of posts

And they're all highly esteemed and very well considered

Streets and airports are named after the worst of them

They're catching the thief but missing the arms dealer

You can't buy a pipe of grass but a whole factory of poison gas

Contaminate the air, radiate the country, make the worst demage without being charged

But don't get caught on a sit-in!

They jail the green activist but the contaminator is trusted

And police always has to smack down the wrong ones

Stay alert!

Learn those words by heart!

Stay alert!

Don't fall for them! Watch out you use your freedom,

Freedom gets used up if you don't use it!

Stay alert!

Remember those faces by heart!

Stay alert!

Keep your courage alive.

Stay alert

And watch out for yourself!

We've got a constitution to guarantee a state of justice.

But what is that for if they manipulate it every way they wish,

Those populists always squabbeling about missions of peace

But are busily ratteling their sabres under the table

There's a gleaming in their eyes when the military's heard

Batallion turn around, marching to the song back to the Reich!

"Never again shall violence begin in this country!"

"We must show our flag, not stand aside!"

"Only a humanitarian mission without spoiling blood!"

"We can't fully exclude fighting missions."

They're pulling us in, step by step

And since five o'clock this morning we're shooting back again!

Stay alert!

Learn those words by heart!

Stay alert!

Don't fall for them! Watch out you use your freedom,

Freedom gets used up if you don't use it!

Stay alert!

Remember those faces by heart!

Stay alert!

Keep your courage alive.

Stay alert

And watch out for yourself!

I'm longing for people who don't betray me,

Who don't lie to me on each of their speeches

And who don't spare me with their wrong truths

Those wrong truth-speakers are the real dangerous ones!

I'm longing for a piece of righteousness,

For a little backbone in these bended times

But if you say the truth you'll stop laughing soon enough,

They'll ruin you, execute you and shut you up,

Blackmail you, corrupt you and they'll try to buy you

When you want to say the truth let your motor run outside,

Then say it loud an fast because the saying teaches:

When you say the truth you need a damn fast horse.

Stay alert!

Learn those words by heart!

Stay alert!

Don't fall for them! Watch out you use your freedom,

Freedom gets used up if you don't use it!

Stay alert!

Remember those faces by heart!

Stay alert!

Keep your courage alive.

Stay alert

And watch out for yourself!

• Artist:Reinhard Mey
• Album:Leuchtfeuer (1996)