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Du hast

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"Du hast" is the title of a song by the German heavy metal group Rammstein. The title is commonly interpreted as "You Hate", but is really a long play on words: du hast means "you have", while du haßt, pronounced similarly (a sharper "s"), means "you hate".

As an aside, it is interesting to note that a similar pun would have been possible in Early Modern English using thou, the now-obsolete cognate of German du. "You have" would be thou hast, while "you hate" would be thou hatest.

The pun is illustrated by a comparison of the German version, a literal English translation, and the band's non-literal English version of the song.

German lyricsLiteral English translationThe band's non-literal English version
DuYouYou
Du hastYou haveYou hate
Du hast michYou have meYou hate me
Du hast mich gefragtYou have asked meYou hate me to say
Du hast mich gefragt und ich hab nichts gesagtYou have asked me and I have said nothingYou hate me to say and I did not obey
Willst du bis der Tod euch scheidetWill you until death does you partWill you until death does sever
Treu ihr sein für alle TageBe faithful to her for all daysBe upright to her forever
NeinNoNever
Willst du bis zum Tod, der scheideWill you until death which would separate*Will you 'til death be her rider
Sie lieben auch in schlechten TagenLove her also in bad daysHer lover too, to stay inside her
NeinNoNever

(*) Tod, der scheide (without capital and with a comma) means death which would separate, whereas Tod der Scheide (with a capital S and without comma) means death of the vagina.

The whole song is a play on German wedding vows (Wollt Ihr einander lieben und achten und die Treue halten, bis daß der Tod euch scheide? - Do you want to love and respect each other and to remain faithful, until death separates you?). Instead of answering with "Ja" (yes), the singer says "Nein" (no) , finally answering the question he said "nothing" to in the beginning.

"Du hast" was part of the soundtrack for the 1999 feature film The Matrix. It is from the album Sehnsucht.

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