Warum [English translation]

[Verse 1]

I come home,1 hear: “Hello dear!”2

Although there’s no-one there to say it

Why3 (do) I think yet4 again,

That maybe you are5 here

With6 me?

The radio plays7 songs that you like

Why (do) I hear right now, how you laugh?

Why (do) I think yet again

That maybe you are here

With me?

[Pre-Chorus]

There are these 1 (or) 2 times a year8

Where9 for 3 to 4 seconds I can’t think straight10

Because then something reminds me of you

And I ask myself

[Chorus]

Ey, tell me, why

(Do) I still11 think, still think about you?12

(I) can’t explain why its like this13

Maybe you can,14 so tell me why

(Do) I still think, still think about you?

(I) don’t like to admit15 that its like this

That I still miss you

[Verse 2]

Everything’s16 new in this city

Here nothing is the way it was17

Why (do) I think yet again

That maybe you are here

With me?

And outside on the street, by the door

Stands a car the same as yours18

And I think yet again

That maybe you are here

With me

[Pre-Chorus]

There are there 1 (or) 2 times a year

Where for 3 to 4 seconds I can’t think straight

Because then something reminds me of you

And I ask myself

[Chorus]

Ey, tell me, why

(Do) I still think, still think about you?

(I) can’t explain why its like this

Maybe you can, so tell me why

(Do) I still think, still think about you?

(I) don’t like to admit that its like this

That I still miss you

Tell me, why

(Do) I still think, still think about you?

(I) can’t explain why its like this

Maybe you can, so tell me

Ey, tell me, why

(Do) I still think, still think about you?

(I) can’t explain why its like this

Maybe you can, so tell me why

(Do) I still think, still think about you?

(I) don’t like to admit that its like this

That I still miss you

1. literally “I come back (to the) house”, ie; after a day at work2. literally “hello treasure” - “Schatz” is used as a term of endearment similar to English “dear” or “precious”3. or “how come”. There is some debate about how best to distinguish the different German words for “why” - warum, wieso, weshalb etc. - when translating or simply explaining them to English speakers. On a practical level it really doesn’t matter much - they all mean why. However if you want to distinguish them I’ve collected a few suggestions. Some say “warum” (the most basic and common form) asks for a reason, whereas “wieso” asks for cause, and “weshalb” for purpose. I think an easy way to keep them straight is to think of (1) “warum” as the general “why”, (2) “wieso” as the colloquial English “how come” (the “wie”=“how”), and (3) “weshalb” in relation to “deshalb”=“therefore” (similar to English “where” vs “there”), hence “weshalb”=“whyfore”. Again, it doesn’t matter too much!4. ”schon”=“already/yet” - I always find “schon” a little tricky to put into English, mostly as its meaning depends so heavily on the following word. On its own it usually means “already”, but its helpful to keep in mind the “yet” translation, especially when its followed by something. Just remember that sometimes you will have to deviate from a literal word-for-word translation when it comes to “schon”!5. literally “were”6. or “by”7. literally "in/on the radio"8. literally “times in (a) year”9. literally “there”, referring to the 1-2 times a year10. literally “(for) 3-4 seconds I don’t/can’t come clear”11. ”immer noch” literally translates as “always still” - “immer” adds emphasis. I can’t think of an adequate English word to describe it, something like “even still”, “even now” or “still, after everything”12. literally “why think I always still, always still on you” - I thought the “still think” repetition in my translation worked better than “still, still think”, but feel free to tell me otherwise or give me a whole new suggestion!13. literally “why it so is”14. literally “you can (do) it”15. ”zugeben, (dass)”=“to admit (that)”16. literally “it is all”17. literally "here really nothing is how it once was anymore"18. literally “stands the same car as (the car) from you”, ie; “your car”

• Artist:Wincent Weiss
• Album:Irgendwie anders