Erfurt und Gera English translation
von Nina Hagen

Dear mourning congregation
We have gathered here today
To mourn the passing of our beloved Christian Kiesling from Erfurt
Let us now give the deceased our last respects and ask the Lord in heaven for mercy on his soul

There stands a tombstone by the highway
Between Erfurt and Gera
There a poor soul died in a car accident
It was a pretty hard, heavy one
Oh, Christian
Died on the highway
A few weeks earlier, he had just fled
From the East to the West
The escape attempt was the best

It was his first trip back and right there it broke his neck
From Wessi Land to West Berlin
Between Erfurt and Gera
Fate played the teacher


Born in Erfurt, lost in Erfurt, he ran away with a group of seven
And all from Erfurt, in Erfurt deceased, only the beloved memory remains for me
He was a braggart, show-off, immediately bought by the tabloids
Spending money, living the playboy life, drowned in Erfurt
Hey, quiet, or I'll call the People's Police, and the spirit of Walter Ulbricht
There stands a tombstone by the highway
Between Erfurt and Gera

So that there won't be more, I turn it on, I am a converter
And if you trade your Trabants for BMWs, you'd better listen to the little inner voice
You East Germans rush to the West to test your new cars
Now step on the brakes, no sleeping here
The funeral shroud industry is fully in trend, and everything is so beautifully colorful here
You can quickly hit rock bottom here
Oh, Christian
Died on the highway
A few weeks earlier, he had just fled
From the East to the West
The escape attempt was the best

Oh, Christian
Died on the highway, the Bild am Sonntag went all out on it
Don't let yourselves be misled, you belong to the wise ones