Sumisu – Bilingual Lyrics German/English

• By: Farin Urlaub
• Album: Endlich Urlaub!

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the German language through Farin Urlaub's "Sumisu," a tribute to The Smiths that encapsulates youthful melancholy and musical solace. Explore German vocabulary related to emotions and music, while understanding cultural references to 1980s youth culture and musical influences.

[English]

Our days were dark

Our shirts were black

We were always hanging out in the corner of the schoolyard, trading

Deeply disappointed looks

And whenever we were sad

We were pretty sad quite often

We went to your place

And there we listened to The Smiths

Our nights were lonely

Our hearts were heavy

There was no one who could or wanted to understand us

And so we got closer

And whenever we were sad

We were pretty sad quite often

I held you in my arms

And then we listened to The Smiths

Sometimes also The Cure or New Order

But mostly The Smiths

...

[German]

Unsere Tage waren dunkel

Unsere Hemden waren schwarz

Wir standen ständig auf dem Schulhof in der Ecke und wir tauschten

Tief enttäuschte Blicke aus

Und immer wenn wir traurig waren

Traurig waren wir ziemlich oft

Gingen wir zu dir nach Hause

Und da hörten wir die Smiths

Unsere Nächte waren einsam

Unsere Herzen waren schwer

Es gab niemanden, der uns verstehen konnte oder wollte

Und so kamen wir uns näher

Und immer wenn wir traurig waren

Traurig waren wir ziemlich oft

Nahm ich dich in meine Arme

Und dann hörten wir die Smiths

Manchmal auch The Cure oder New Order

Aber größtenteils die Smiths

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Tage /ˈtaːɡə/ A2	noun - days
Hemd /hɛmt/ A2	noun - shirt
schwarz /ʃvaʁts/ A2	adjective - black
stand /ʃtɛnt/ A2	verb - to stand
enttäuschte /ɛntˈtɔʏʃtə/ B1	adjective - disappointed
Blicke /ˈblɪkə/ B1	noun - glances
traurig /ˈtʁaʊrɪç/ A2	adjective - sad
Hause /ˈhaʊzə/ A2	noun - home, house
Nacht /naxt/ A2	noun - night
Herz /hɛʁts/ B1	noun - heart
verstehen /fɛɐˈʃtɛːən/ B2	verb - to understand
Näher /ˈnɛːɐ/ B1	adjective - closer
Arme /ˈaʁmə/ A2	noun - arm
hörten /ˈhøːʁtən/ A2	verb - to hear
Smiths /smiːθs/ B2	noun - The Smiths (band name)

Key Grammar Structures

• Unsere Tage waren dunkel

  ➔ Past tense of 'sein' (were)

  ➔ The sentence uses the **past tense** of the verb 'sein' (to be), which is 'waren' for plural subjects.

• Wir standen ständig auf dem Schulhof in der Ecke

  ➔ Imperfect tense + prepositional phrase indicating location

  ➔ The verb 'standen' is in the **imperfect** tense of 'stehen' (to stand), describing a past habitual action.

• Und immer wenn wir traurig waren

  ➔ Subordinate clause with 'wenn' for habitual past actions

  ➔ The phrase 'wenn wir traurig waren' is a **conditional clause** indicating a habitual past situation.

• Und da hörten wir die Smiths

  ➔ Temporal clause with 'da' (because/when) + simple past tense

  ➔ The word 'da' functions as a **temporal/conjunctive adverb**, linking the action to a previous event or reason, with the main verb in the simple past.

• Und immer wenn wir traurig waren, Traurig waren wir ziemlich oft

  ➔ Repetition of the conditional past structure with inverted word order for emphasis

  ➔ This repetition emphasizes the habitual nature of feeling sad, using inverted word order for stylistic effect.