☝️ Key Points
- The song addresses themes such as regret, self-confidence, and inability to change, through the line 'When the devil cries in front of you, tell me, can you forgive him? Do you want to believe him when he can't even believe himself?'
- The protagonist refers to himself as the 'devil' who cries because of his own mistakes and asks for forgiveness, even though he doesn't understand them himself or can't change them.
- He admits to making the same mistakes over and over again, and despite his seemingly glamorous lifestyle, he can't stop thinking about his ex-partner.
- Even though he is a successful rockstar, he feels lonely and lost without his ex-partner, as shown in the line 'I'm alone in bed and I'm puking, baby'.
- He longs for the simpler times and the normalcy that once characterized his relationship: 'Baby, I miss you in your Nikes. The women around me only wear high heels now.'
Interpretation
The song 'Der Teufel weint' by
Apache 207 describes the inner dilemma of a man who has made mistakes in his relationship and is struggling with it. The narrator refers to himself as 'Teufel' (devil) and asks if his partner can forgive him, even though he can't understand or change his own mistakes ('When the devil cries in front of you, tell me, can you forgive him? Do you want to believe him when he can't himself? His tear sets the world on fire'). He is aware that he keeps making the same mistakes over and over again ('I keep making the same mistakes, baby'), yet he can't stop thinking about his ex-partner ('But I still smell like you'). He feels lonely and lost without her, despite his rockstar life ('I'm alone in bed and I'm puking, baby'). He longs for the simple normalcy they once had when she wore Nikes, unlike the women around him who now only wear high heels ('Baby, I miss you in your Nikes. The women around me only wear high heels'). The song is an intense look at regret, self-awareness, and the inability to change despite the pain it causes.