Seine Heimat war die See – Bilingual Lyrics German/English

• By: Santiano
• Album: Haithabu - Im Auge des Sturms

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the evocative world of German maritime folk-rock with Santiano's "Seine Heimat war die See." This song offers a rich linguistic experience, providing an excellent opportunity to learn German vocabulary related to the sea, travel, and profound human emotions. Its poetic lyrics and powerful storytelling make it a special piece for language learners, as it beautifully demonstrates how German can convey deep sentiment and vivid imagery through its unique sound and structure.

[English]

His hand on the rudder, on his ship

His face marked by rough voyages

He has traveled the whole world

He was born for the sea

His eyes looked fearlessly into the storm

Because his home was the sea

His home was the sea

In the distant distance under the light of the stars

You could see him standing on the bridge

His home was the sea

His home was the sea

In the distant distance under the light of the stars

You could see him sinking alone

He was our captain

From the Cape of Storms to Tierra del Fuego

He knew the constellations of the South

Where no one else has been

That's where his course always led

He remained loyal to his ship until the end

Because his home was the sea

His home was the sea

In the distant distance under the light of the stars

You could see him standing on the bridge

His home was the sea

His home was the sea

In the distant distance under the light of the stars

You could see him sinking alone

He was our captain

His hand on the rudder, he still stands today

His gaze directed forward, for eternity

Sheltered by the tidal current

Brought home to the depths

He lonely keeps his last anchor watch

Because his home was the sea

His home was the sea

In the distant distance under the light of the stars

You could see him standing on the bridge

His home was the sea

His home was the sea

In the distant distance under the light of the stars

You could see him sinking alone

He was our captain

...

[German]

Die Hand am Ruder, auf seinem Schiff

Von rauer Fahrt gezeichnet, sein Angesicht

Alle Welt hat er befahren

Für das Meer war er gebor'n

Seine Augen blickten furchtlos in den Sturm

Denn seine Heimat war die See

Seine Heimat war die See

In der weiten Ferne unterm Licht der Sterne

Sah man ihn auf der Brücke steh'n

Seine Heimat war die See

Seine Heimat war die See

In der weiten Ferne unterm Licht der Sterne

Sah man ihn einsam untergeh'n

Er war unser Kapitän

Vom Kap der Stürme bis Feuerland

Des Südens Sternenbilder war'n ihm bekannt

Dort wo keiner sonst gewesen

Dahin führte stehts sein Kurs

Seinem Schiff hielt er die Treue bis zum Schluss

Denn seine Heimat war die See

Seine Heimat war die See

In der weiten Ferne unterm Licht der Sterne

Sah man ihn auf der Brücke steh'n

Seine Heimat war die See

Seine Heimat war die See

In der weiten Ferne unterm Licht der Sterne

Sah man ihn einsam untergeh'n

Er war unser Kapitän

Die Hand am Ruder, steht er noch heut

Den Blick nach vorn gerichtet, in Ewigkeit

Vom Gezeitenstrom geborgen

In die Tiefe heimgebracht

Hält er einsam seine letzte Ankerwacht

Denn seine Heimat war die See

Seine Heimat war die See

In der weiten Ferne unterm Licht der Sterne

Sah man ihn auf der Brücke steh'n

Seine Heimat war die See

Seine Heimat war die See

In der weiten Ferne unterm Licht der Sterne

Sah man ihn einsam untergeh'n

Er war unser Kapitän

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Hand /hant/ A1	noun - hand
Ruder /ˈʁuːdɐ/ B1	noun - rudder, oar
Schiff /ʃɪf/ A1	noun - ship
Fahrt /faːɐ̯t/ B1	noun - journey, voyage
gezeichnet /ɡəˈzaɪ̯çnət/ B2	adjective - marked, characterized verb - to draw, to sign
Angesicht /ˈanɡəzɪçt/ B2	noun - face
Welt /vɛlt/ A1	noun - world
Meer /meːɐ̯/ A1	noun - sea
Augen /ˈaʊ̯ɡən/ A1	noun - eyes
Sturm /ʃtʊʁm/ B1	noun - storm
Heimat /ˈhaɪ̯maːt/ B1	noun - homeland, home
Ferne /ˈfɛʁnə/ B1	noun - distance, far away
Licht /lɪçt/ A1	noun - light
Sterne /ˈʃtɛʁnə/ A1	noun - stars
Brücke /ˈbʁʏkə/ B1	noun - bridge, (ship's) bridge
einsam /ˈaɪ̯nzaːm/ B1	adjective - lonely, solitary
Kapitän /kapiˈtɛːn/ A2	noun - captain
Treue /ˈtʁɔɪ̯ə/ B2	noun - loyalty, fidelity
Tiefe /ˈtiːfə/ B1	noun - depth
Ankerwacht /ˈaŋkɐˌvaχt/ C1	noun - anchor watch

Key Grammar Structures

• Seine Heimat war die See

  ➔ Past tense of 'sein' (was) to describe a past state

  ➔ 'war' is the past tense of 'sein', meaning 'was' in English, indicating a past state or condition.

• Von rauer Fahrt gezeichnet, sein Angesicht

  ➔ Participle phrase 'gezeichnet' as an adjective, describing 'fahrt'

  ➔ 'gezeichnet' is a participle used here as an adjective to describe the noun 'fahrt' (journey), implying it is marked or characterized by harshness.

• Alle Welt hat er befahren

  ➔ Present perfect tense with 'haben' + past participle 'befahren' indicating completed action

  ➔ 'haben' is the auxiliary verb used with the past participle 'befahren' to form the present perfect tense, expressing an action completed in the past.

• Seinen Schiff hielt er die Treue bis zum Schluss

  ➔ Dative case 'Seinen Schiff' as the object, with verb 'hielt' (held), expressing loyalty or fidelity to the ship

  ➔ 'Seinen Schiff' uses the dative case to indicate the object of loyalty, with 'hielt' being the past tense of 'halten' (to hold), expressing he kept faith or loyalty to his ship.

• Denn seine Heimat war die See

  ➔ Conjunction 'Denn' introduces reason or explanation, with 'war' indicating past tense of 'sein'

  ➔ 'Denn' means 'because' or 'for', providing a reason for the statement, and 'war' is the past tense of 'sein' (was).

• In der weiten Ferne unterm Licht der Sterne

  ➔ Prepositional phrase indicating location in distant space under the stars

  ➔ This phrase uses prepositions 'in' and 'unter' to describe the setting in the distant space beneath the stars.

• Sah man ihn einsam untergeh'n

  ➔ Imperfect tense with 'sah' (saw) indicating a past observation of someone fading away

  ➔ 'sah' is the past tense of 'sehen' (to see), used here to describe observing someone fading away in the past.

• Hält er einsam seine letzte Ankerwacht

  ➔ Present tense 'Hält' (holds) + reflexive pronoun 'er' (he) + possessive 'seine' (his)

  ➔ 'Hält' is the third person singular present tense of 'halten' (to hold), and 'er' (he) is the subject; 'seine letzte Ankerwacht' refers to his last watch at anchor.