☝️ Key Points
- The song tells the story of a man who is laid off from a factory after many years of hard work.
- He feels like old iron being thrown away.
- Despite the disappointment, he wants to see his former colleagues at the pub and show them that he is still around and won't give up.
- The song lyrics criticize a society that does not sufficiently value the worth and experience of older workers.
Interpretation
The lyrics of the song 'Gefeuert' by
Udo Jürgens tell the story of a man who is fired from a factory after many years of hard work. The men from his shift gather in a pub and ask the sad man what's wrong. He takes out a blue letter from his jacket pocket and shows it to them. The letter is a termination notice because he is now thirty years old.
The man feels like old scrap metal being thrown away. He is frustrated and disappointed, as he has dedicated his life to the factory and helped build it up. He has always helped when there was trouble and has even avoided strikes. But now he feels like all his efforts have been in vain. He is simply being kicked out.
Despite the disappointment, he wants to see his former colleagues in the pub again and waits there for them. He wants to show them that he is still there and will not give up.
The lyrics of the song 'Gefeuert' speak of the feelings of dismissal and the disappointment of how people can be discarded after years of loyalty. It is a criticism of a society that does not sufficiently value the worth and experience of older workers.