☝️ Key Points
- The first verse describes the takeoff of an airplane and symbolizes optimism and hope.
- The chorus expresses the singer's desire for freedom and his criticism of the superficiality and wrong priorities of society.
- In the second verse, the singer feels alone and monotonous, which intensifies the desire to escape.
- The last verse uses metaphors to depict the often overlooked beauty and variety of life.
- The singer expresses a desire to see the world from a new perspective and escape his daily routine.
Interpretation
The song 'Über den Wolken' by
Reinhard Mey is a metaphorical representation of freedom and the desire to escape from everyday routine.
The first verse describes how an airplane takes off on a runway and rises into the sky. The singer observes the airplane as it flies 'towards the sun'. This line could be a symbol of optimism and hope, as the sun is often seen as a source of light and warmth.
The chorus 'Über den Wolken/Muss die Freiheit wohl grenzenlos sein' expresses the singer's desire to escape the limitations of his life on earth. He imagines that 'all fears, all worries' remain hidden beneath the clouds and that things that seem 'big and important' suddenly become 'insignificant and small'. This could be a critique of the superficiality and false priorities of our society.
The second verse describes how the airplane disappears in the distance and the singer is left alone. The line 'Only from afar' sounds monotonous/The humming of the engines' could be a reference to the monotony of everyday life that the singer seeks to escape.
The last verse describes how the singer drinks coffee in the 'air traffic control shack' while waiting for the airplane. The 'puddles' of 'gasoline', which are 'iridescent like a rainbow', could be a symbol of the beauty and variety of life that is often overlooked. The last line 'I would have liked to fly with them' expresses the singer's desire to see the world from a different perspective and escape from his daily routine.