Aufruhr [Freedom Time] [English translation]

Chorus x 2: Fetsum:

People are crying out

It’s freedom time

The people are dying now

For freedom time

There’s rebellion out there, Orient to Occident 1

taking country after country, continent after continent

while Al Jazerra, N-TV, and Fox bring it (to you).

I’ll let Gil Scott-Heron resonate from my speakers.2

From Tahir to Plaza del Sol,3

the masses slogans’ from Syntagma Square4

and it always gets to be more and they don’t have a choice, crying: What is freedom,

which is political and not social;

and where the future

that gets lost under the mountain of debt,

which they’ll never shoulder

just to be left to the younger generation.

At some point, you won’t be able to kick the can

any further down the road.5

At some point, whoever’s down will

no longer be able to bow down

and on distant streets the jasmine blossoms.

I’ll close the window in cool Berlin

because springtime always gets here late;

maybe, if the winds for once have turned

in the south.

Chorus x 2: Fetsum:

The people are crying out

It’s freedom time

The people are dying now

for freedom time

In the face of death, they flee to Italy.

Our climate’s changing like the Arab Spring.6

Earthquakes, typhoons, nuclear catastrophes,

attacks, stock market crashes, every day before our eyes

the media’s channeling what we people think,

what we pay attention to,

and what we limit ourselves to.

They don’t want to talk; they want to keep us down.

Divide and conquer, governing is the art of dividing;

but on distant streets the jasmine blossoms

I’ll close the window in cool Berlin

because springtime always gets here later

maybe, if the winds for once have turned

in the south.

Chorus x 2: Fetsum:

The people are crying out

It’s freedom time

The people are dying now

for freedom time

Patrice:

And I can feel the wind

As I’m looking out my window

Carrying melodies of spring

While a new sun is shining

Everyone’s in spin

Everybody mingle

Freedom starts within

It’s time my people sing

And I sit at the kitchen table in cold Berlin

with pencil and paper

and can escape everyday life

and no one knocks on the door,

nobody comes to collect on anything.7

Images pass by, like Gil Scott Heron’s melodies.

Chorus x 2: Fetsum:

The people are crying out

It’s freedom time

The people are dying now

for freedom time

1. Orient to Occident = from east to west.2. Gil Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues, and soul, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. See link below.3. Tahir = Tahrir Square (Liberation Square) also known as "Martyr Square" is a major public town square in Downtown Cairo, Egypt. Tahrir Square was the focal point of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution against former president Hosni Mubarak. See link below.

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Plaza del Sol, Madrid, Spain, was the location of protests due to the high unemployment rate (close to 25%) and austerity measures in recent history.4. Syntagma Square is the oldest and socially most important square of post-Ottoman Athens. Between 2010-2012, the Square has been the focus of mass protests, including an occupation of the square with tents and other provisions due to the worsening economic situation because of the Greek government-debt crisis. See link below.5. Straight translastion: Irgendwann lässt sich das Dunkel nicht mehr bunt einfärben = At some point, you won’t be able to color it pretty anymore. “Kicking the can down the road” is how the news media describes the current scenario.6. Straight translation: Unser Klima wandelt sich, wie Frühling in Arabien = Our climate’s changing like spring in Arabia. „Like the Arab Spring“ gives that phrase a double meaning because the “Arab Spring” also known as the “Arab Revolution,” is what this song is about.7. Vollziehen: “from the courts Vollzieher = nm. enforcer, one who enforces, executer, one who puts plan into action, consummator, completer.” Usually a court representative who either collects things from people or serves people with papers, among other duties. See link below.