The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Fremde Städte" by the artist "Tonbandgerat"

The song "Fremde Städte" (Foreign Cities) by the German band Tonbandgerät depicts a sense of loss and alienation often associated with travel and life changes.

The first stanza paints a picture of arriving in an unfamiliar city at night. The protagonist and their companions are disoriented, blinded by the "bright black light" – an oxymoron conveying the surreal nature of their experience. Searching for coins for the jukebox symbolizes an attempt to find something familiar and comforting in an alien environment, but even the music offers only "the same old songs".

The chorus emphasizes the main theme of the song: "Foreign cities, new dreams, I'm losing friends". The repetition of this phrase creates a sense of inevitability of losses associated with constant change. New dreams and aspirations distance the protagonist from old friends, and this thought saddens him.

The second stanza takes us to the morning after a sleepless night. The day shatters the illusions and enchantment of darkness. The streets, which seemed so free at night, now belong to the builders - a symbol of routine and everyday life. The protagonist clings to the last moments of freedom, to the "last bottle of beer", to the "rest of the night". The spontaneous idea to go to France reflects a desire to break free from this state, to find new experiences, even if it doesn't guarantee meeting new friends or bringing back old ones.

The repetition of the chorus and the final lines "I'm losing, I'm losing friends" reinforce the feeling of sadness and loneliness. Despite the thirst for new experiences, the protagonist realizes that this comes at a high price.