☝️ Key Points
- The singer meets a woman from Hamburg ('Hamburger Deern') at a musical evening with drinks and develops feelings for her
- The relationship seems casual and non-committal as he asks her not to make the relationship public
- There is a possible memory loss of the singer about certain events from the previous evening
- The 'Hamburger Deern' reminds the singer of the meeting at the 'Haifischbar'
- The singer looks forward to the next meeting and expresses his affection for her multiple times in the song
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song "Hamburger Deern" by
Peter Petrel are about an encounter between the singer and a woman from Hamburg, whom he affectionately calls "Hamburger Deern" ("Deern" is a dialect term from northern Germany that means "girl" or "woman"). The singer tells how he met her at an evening of music, beer, and Pineau, and how happy he was to win her over. However, he asks her not to tell everyone that they are a couple, implying that their relationship is rather casual and non-committal. In a dialogue between the two, it becomes clear that the singer doesn't remember the previous night very well, and the woman tells him that they should meet at the "Haifischbar". The singer seems to be looking forward to the reunion, as he repeats the chorus that he was happy to win her over.