Roter Stern Lyrics in English by In Extremo, Hansi Kürsch
Taigameer is a compound word combining "Taiga" (the vast boreal forest region) and "Meer" (sea). It's a vivid and somewhat poetic term that evokes the immense, almost ocean-like expanse of the taiga.
In the context of "Roter Stern," it paints a picture of the vast, cold, and wild landscapes of Eastern Europe or Russia, reinforcing the song's themes of ruggedness and the harsh beauty of the region. It's a unique word that immediately transports the listener to the song's setting.
In Extremo and Hansi Kürsch (the Blind Guardian singer) raise a glass to a far-off, snowy East that is poor in money and rich in welcome. The first line sets the tone: "Wir haben nichts, der Zar ist fern" (We have nothing, the Tsar is far away). Their pockets hold "Speck und Knoblauch" (bacon and garlic), and the red star overhead "segnet unsere Wodkaflaschen" (blesses our vodka bottles), which is a cheeky image: the old Soviet symbol turned into a drinking blessing.
The heart of the song is hospitality. Guests get "Salz und Brot" (salt and bread), the traditional Russian welcome, and these people "verschenken selbst das letzte Hemd" (give away even their last shirt), a German idiom for giving everything you have. The chorus sums the place up in five words: "Warmes Herz und raue Sitten" (warm heart and rough manners). Then come the "In Zobelpelz gehüllte Tanten" (aunts wrapped in sable fur), fiery schnapps from giant glasses and the "endlos weiten Taigameer" (endlessly wide sea of taiga), the Siberian forest pictured as an ocean. It is a folk-metal drinking song, loud and a bit over the top, and the chorus is very easy to sing along with.
