☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics are about a person who feels alienated in a new home and has to leave again.
- Feelings of loneliness and farewell are expressed.
- The protagonist has to travel alone and find the way in the darkness.
- It is about the impermanence of life and the need to move on.
- It is a song about longing for love and the desire for security.
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song 'Gute Nacht' by
Franz Schubert are about a person who feels like a stranger. They have arrived in a new home and now have to leave again. In May, they were happy and greeted with bouquets of flowers. But now the world is gloomy and the path is covered in snow.
The protagonist of the song has to travel alone and cannot decide when to leave. They have to find their way in the darkness. A shadow of the moon accompanies them and they search for traces of wild animals in the white fields.
They wonder why they should stay longer in this place if they are being driven out. They make the dogs howl in front of the house and say, 'Love loves to wander, God made it so, from one to another.' They say goodnight to their beloved and explain that they don't want to disturb them in dreams because they don't want to disturb their peace. They say goodbye quietly and write 'Gute Nacht' on the way to the gate so that they know they have been thinking of them.
The lyrics express feelings of loneliness and farewell. It also touches on the fickleness of life and the need to keep moving forward even when it's difficult. It's a song about longing for love and the desire for security.