Man Against Man

A thoughtful (straight) student from last semester's world lit class sent me the link to this Rammstein video for the 2005 single "Mann Gegen Mann" (or "man against man"), a pro-gay anthem from the German alternative metal band. Jonas Akerlund directed the video (he won a Grammy for directing Madonna's "Ray of Light" video in 1998). I'm pretty distant from heavy metal, but this I like. I am a huge supporter of gays' right to marry, raise children, and blend into the dominant culture if they so choose, but my true heart will always be with the satanic, kinky, rebel, and perv side of queerdom.  Jeremy Williams provides an English translation (and notes):

Destiny smiled on me

and gave me a present

Threw me on a warm star [1]

So close to the skin, so far from the eye

I take my destiny in my own hands

My desire is manned

Where the fresh water dies

because it taints itself in salt

I keep the Little Prince in mind

A king without a queen

When a woman is mistaken about me

then the bright world is confused

Man against man

My skin belongs to the gentlemen

Man against man

Birds of a feather flock together

Man against man

I am the servant of two masters

Man against man

Birds of a feather flock together

I am the corner of all rooms

I am the shadow of all trees

No link is missing in my chain [2]

when lust pulls from behind

My family calls me a traitor [3]

I am the nightmare of all fathers

Man against man

My skin belongs to the gentlemen

Man against man

Birds of a feather flock together

Man against man

But my heart freezes on some days

Man against man

Cold tongues that beat there

Gay-ah [4]

I'm not interested in balance

The sun shines in my face

But my heart freezes on some days

Cold tongues that beat there

Gay-ah 

Man gayfor man [5]

[1] "Warm" means the same as the English word "warm," but also is slang for "homosexual." Thus, the star is either warm or gay, or both.

[2] "Glied" can mean both "link" (of a chain) and "member" – that is, "penis."

[3] "Geschlecht" can mean many things: "sex," "gender," "family," "house," "generation," etc. It can also be short for "Geschlechtsteil" which means "genitals."

[4] The screaming ("Ah") has been combined with "Schwuler" to make "Schwulah." That, or it's similar to "playa" as opposed to "player," just changing the ending to sound "hip."

[5] Gegen and "gay gen" sound the same. The former means "against," the latter "gay for."