More Peter Schilling, because I love his music so, even if some of it did not age as well.
"Die Wüste lebt" was one of his ealier songs and as such it also had an English translation, which somewhat follows the spirit of the original German, but definitely not a direct translation.
The English version is titled "The Noah Plan."
A million years have come and gone
The earth is shifting towards the sun
Synthetic atmosphere is lost
And forces the computers off
Communications are confused
The tides reverse
And start a chain reaction
The seismograph's consulted incredible results
It says we're losing all control, losing all control
The scientists around the world decipher everything they do
But they don't really know, they don't really know
Instead of systematic, the news becomes erratic
No one can agree, no one can agree
The world is getting frantic as people start a panic
What does all this mean?
The sun is moving closer and the atmosphere gets hotter
As the system overloads, system overloads
Fighting these adverse conditions loading for the expedition
Everyone must go, everyone must go
The fools that think the worst is over
They won't live to be much older
Why do they remain, why do they remain
Everything is ready
Everyone that's coming has been safely brought on board
The time has come
To leave again
Activate
The Noah plan
Returning to
The universe
Give out the word
Abandon earth
Magnetic fields surrounding us and pounding and increasing
As the ship is taking off, ship is taking off
The electronic shields protect us from the heat
We're slowly breaking lose, slowly breaking lose
The ship is lifting higher, the earth is growing smaller
As we leave the atmosphere, leave the atmosphere
We watch the earth get closer, getting closer, getting closer
As it drifts into the sun
The time has come
To leave again
Activate
The Noah plan
Returning to
The universe
Give out the word
Abandon earth
The time has come
To leave again
Activate
The Noah plan
Returning to
The universe
Give out the word
Abandon earth
The time has come
To leave again
Activate
The Noah plan
Returning to
The universe
Give out the word
Abandon earth
Here's the German version, performed live in '83.
Nach vielen Tausend Jahren hat
(After many thousands of years)
Die Erde nun den Menschen satt
(The earth was lush with people)
Sie gibt die Atmosphäre auf
(she dismissed the atmosphere)
Und schaltet die Computer aus
(and switched off the computer)
Die erste Fehlinformation
(The first misinformation)
Verursacht dann, die erste Kettenreaktion
(lead to/caused the first chain reaction)
Die Wüste lebt
(The desert lives)
Der Seismograph schlägt aus und zeigt uns das Problem
(The Seismograph rebounds and shows us the problem)
Doch die Gezeiten sind dran schuld, Gezeiten sind dran schuld
(Yet the tide is at fault, tide is at fault)
Der Wissenschaftler hat's geseh'n, er rätselt um das Phänomen
(The scientist has seen it, he speculates about the phenomenon)
Und bittet um Geduld, bittet um Geduld
(and pleads for patience, pleads for patience)
Indessen kämpft man weiter, um Sprossen an der Leiter
(meanwhile conflict springs up around the leader)
Von der Hierarchie, von der Hierarchie
(For the hierarchy, for the hierarchy)
Doch wenn man jetzt nicht aufpasst, den Augenwinkel aufmacht
(Yet if one does not pay attention now out of the corner of your eye it unfolds)
Dann kämpft man um Nichts
(Then one struggles over nothing)
Alarmsignal, die Sonne brennt
(Alert, the sun burns)
Heißer als man sie kennt
(Hotter than one knew)
Alarmsignal, die Steppe bebt
(Alert, the steppe shakes)
Die Luft vibriert, die Wüste lebt
(The air vibrates, the desert lives)
Die Sonne steht seit 198 Stunden regungslos
(The sun stands motionless for 198 hours)
Auf drei Uhr nachmittags, drei Uhr nachmittags
(At three in the afternoon, three in the afternoon)
Junge Mädchen, ältere Frauen die Blässe weicht
(Young girls, old ladies, the smooth pallor)
Sie werden braun, denn das ist angesagt, das ist angesagt
(They would be brown, for that is said, that is said)
Die Schönheitsindustrie stellt sich ganz blitzschnell ein auf sie
(The beauty industry deploys itself completely lightning fast on it)
Und jeder sucht nach dem Gewinn sucht nach dem Gewinn
(And everyone seeks after the profit)
Alles ist ganz easy, alles ist ganz happy
(Everything is completely easy, everything is completely happy)
Denn das Wetter ist so schön
(Because the weather is so beautiful)
Magnetfelder, die bauen auf und bauen ab und machen schlapp
(Magnetic fields, they establish and cultivate and become limp)
Das macht uns ganz nervös, manche ganz nervös
(That makes us completely nervous, some completely nervous)
Die Elektronik spinnt, die Zeit, die zeit verrinnt
(The electronics spin, the time, the time trickles)
Probleme ungelöst, Probleme ungelöst
(Problem unsolved, problem unsolved)
Die Luft wird immer dünner, die Hitze immer schlimmer
(The air will always become thinner, the heat always worse)
Jeder gibt dem andern schuld, gibt dem andern schuld
(Everyone blames the other, blames the other)
Der Wissenschaftler rätselt noch und rätstelt noch und rätselt noch
(The scientist puzzle still, and puzzle still, and ouzzle still)
Und bittet um Geduld
(And plead for patience)
Alarmsignal, die Sonne brennt
(Alert, the sun burns)
Heißer als man sie kennt
(hotter than one knew)
Alarmsignal, die Steppe bebt
(Alert, the steppes shakes)
Die Luft vibriert, die Wüste lebt (die Wüste lebt)
(The air vibrates, the desert lives [the desert lives])
Alarmsignal, die Sonne brennt
(Alert, the sun burns)
Heißer als man sie kennt
(hotter than one knew)
Alarmsignal, die Steppe bebt
(Alert, the steppes shake)
Die Luft vibriert, die Wüste lebt
(The air vibrates, the desert lives)
Alarmsignal, die Sonne brennt
(Alert, the sun burns)
Heißer als man sie kennt
(Hotter than one knows)
Alarmsignal, die Steppe bebt
(Alert, the steppes vibrate)
Die Luft vibriert, die Wüste lebt
(the air vibrates, the desert lives)
Eeh oh (eeh oh)
Eeh oh (eeh oh)
Eeh oh (eeh oh)
Yeah oh (eeh oh)
Yeah oh (yeah oh)
Yeah oh (yeah oh)
Yeah oh (yeah oh)
Yeeeeeeah oh, ooh oh, ooh oh, ooh yeah
Ooh, oh ooh, oh ooh, oh yeah
Ooh, oh ooh, oh ooh, oh yeah
Oooooooh yeah!
In 2003 he released Raumnot 6 v 6, which relaunched his career after a nearly ten year break from music. I couldn't find the 2003 version so you get the 2004 dance remix.
He redid it again in 2020 for his 2021 album Vis Viva and it has even more haunting undertones.
He keeps coming back to this song and it keeps being disturbingly relevant.
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