scheidet comes from the verb scheiden, meaning "to separate" or "to part". It's a formal and powerful word you'll rarely hear in casual conversation, but it's famous for its use in a specific, crucial phrase.
It's the key verb in the traditional German wedding vow, "bis dass der Tod euch scheidet" (till death do you part). Rammstein dramatically builds the song's chorus around this vow, asking the ultimate question of commitment, only to have the singer respond with a resounding "Nein!" (No!). This makes scheidet a pivotal word for understanding the song's rebellious and iconic twist.
German metal band Rammstein built one of their biggest heavy tracks around a clever pun that catches anyone learning the language. When lead singer Till Lindemann belts out "Du hast mich" (You have me), German listeners hear an immediate double meaning: "du hast" (you have) sounds identical to "du hasst" (you hate). So right from the start, the track tricks your ears into wondering whether someone possesses him or absolutely despises him. Then the sentence finally finishes with "Du hast mich gefragt und ich hab' nichts gesagt" (You asked me and I said nothing), clearing up the grammar but turning the mood icy cold.
What did this person ask? Traditional wedding vows. The lyrics quote the classic promise: "Willst du bis der Tod euch scheidet / Treu ihr sein für alle Tage?" (Do you want, until death separates you, to be faithful to her for all days?). Instead of a romantic "I do," Rammstein delivers a blunt, shouted "Nein, nein" (No, no). The track takes the solemn ceremony of marriage, strips away all the sweetness, and answers lifelong commitment with total silence followed by a flat refusal.
Six men from East Germany who have never swapped a member: Rammstein came together in Berlin in 1994 with Till Lindemann singing, Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers on guitars, Oliver Riedel on bass, Christoph Schneider on drums and Christian "Flake" Lorenz on keyboards. Landers, Lorenz and Schneider came out of the East Berlin punk band Feeling B. Their debut Herzeleid (1995) pushed the German music press into coining a genre name for it, Neue Deutsche Härte.
They sing in German, roll every R, and set fire to a good deal of the stage. Sehnsucht (1997) carried "Du hast" and "Engel" abroad and every album since has gone to number one in Germany, among them Mutter, Reise, Reise and Zeit (2022), while "Sonne", "Ich will", "Amerika" and the 2019 chart topper "Deutschland" fill out the setlist. Germany's youth media board put Liebe ist für alle da on its restricted index in 2009 over the track "Ich tu dir weh"; a Cologne court overturned that in 2010. Their stadium tour ended in Gelsenkirchen in July 2024 after 135 shows, and they have not been back on the road since.