Laibach Apologie Lyrics:
Seit wann, Soehne der Wahrheit, seid ihr Brueder der Nacht?
Was hat eure Haende blutrot gemacht?
Der Ausbruch in der Nacht ist die Bluete des Leids,
mit ihr kann nichts entschuldigt sein.
Nicht zerschlagen laesst sich der Luegenaltar, der Altar
der die Form vervielfacht immerdar.
Unbeflecktes Bildnis, Lichter ohne Pein,
schauriger Naechte Schutz allein
Des Geistes Kinder sind wir und Brueder der Nacht,
deren Versprechen nicht zustande gebracht.
Wir sind schwarze Geister von dieser Welt,
besingen des Kummers verrueckte Gestalt
Die Erlaeuterung ist die Peitsche, und du tropfest Blut:
Zum hundertsten Male zersplittert der Spiegel der Welt,
eure Mueh' ist vergeblich; wir haben die Nacht ueberwunden.
Unsre Schuld ist beglichen
und unser das Licht

[English translation:]
Since when, sons of truth, are you the brothers of night?
What colours your hands with the redness of blood?

The explosion in the night is the flower of woe,
nothing can be jusified by it.
The altar cannot be destroyed,
the altar of lies, that multiplies shapes.
[ Find more Lyrics on www.mp3lyrics.org/41S6 ]

The spotless picture, the painless lights,
the only harbours of the terrible night.

We are the children of the spirit and the brothers of strength,
whose promises are not fulfilled.
We are the black ghosts of this world,
we sing the mad image of woe.

The explanation is the whip and you bleed:

Break the mirror of the world for the hundredth time,-
all your efforts are in vain. We have overcome the night:
our debt has been paid
and the light is ours.


["Laibach-Apologie" (or "Apologija Laibach" as
the Slovenian original version is called) was
written in 1982 by then frontman of the band, Tomaz
Hostnik, who committed suicide in December that year.
I believe it was his suicide note.
It doesn't appear as a song on this album, only as a poem
(translated into German) in the CD booklet, but it appears
on at least three other Laibach albums. A live version
is found on "Baptism - Krst Pod Triglavom"
(their score for a theatre production). A studio version is
found on "Trans Slovenia Express", a 1994 collection
of Slovenian bands covering Kraftwerk songs,
and on the 1987 album "Slovenska Akropola",
released in former Yugoslavia only.)
(There is a much better English translation
in the book "Neue Slowenische Kunst", but I don't have it.)
NSK translation has been added.]
Lyrics: Apologie, Laibach [end]