☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics criticize people who pretend to be friends but in reality only seek to satisfy their own egos.
- The singer feels overwhelmed by his companions and knows they are not truly interested in him.
- He feels excluded from their camaraderie and would prefer to escape.
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song 'Die Kumpanei (Da hocken die Kumpanen)' by
Franz Josef Degenhardt describe the singer's experience of coming home and being surrounded by his 'kumpanen'. The 'kumpanen' are people who pretend to be friends, but actually only want to present their own knowledge and opinions.
The singer describes how, after a tiring day, he comes home and already hears the laughter and noise of his kumpanen from a distance. He feels down and empty. When he opens the door, his wife bites his ear and whispers to him that the kumpanen are there and drinking his wine. Each of them seems to know how things should be done and they talk and lie incessantly.
The singer feels uncomfortable in their company. Although they greet him kindly and toast to him, he feels that they don't really respect him. They tell him how good he supposedly is, but he doesn't feel appreciated. There is still an empty seat at the table, which he occupies and clings to the table leg. He feels trapped and surrounded by the noisy kumpanen.
The lyrics of the song 'Die Kumpanei (Da hocken die Kumpanen)' criticize people who pretend to be friends, but actually only want to satisfy their own egos. The singer feels overwhelmed by them and knows that they are not really interested in him. He feels excluded from their kumpanei and would prefer to escape.