Arg Tot Frohlockt Kein Kind

Bethlehem's 'Arg Tot Frohlockt Kein Kind' is a haunting exploration of madness, decay, and the grotesque. The lyrics are filled with disturbing and surreal imagery, painting a picture of a world where sanity has been abandoned. The song opens with the unsettling image of a child born in a plastic bag, immediately setting a tone of unnatural and morbid fascination. This is further emphasized by the mention of a 'Zitzenkuss' (nipple kiss), which is rarely laughed at, suggesting a perverse and twisted sense of humor.

The recurring themes of death and decay are evident throughout the song. The narrator speaks of riding a snake deep into dead bodies and biting a worm out of excess, consuming all its envious followers. This imagery evokes a sense of revulsion and horror, highlighting the narrator's descent into a macabre and nightmarish reality. The desire for chaos and destruction is also apparent, with the narrator expressing a wish for sausages to pile up on someone's withered hair and a longing to run amok.

The song also delves into themes of insanity and perversion. The narrator enjoys playing sick tunes with someone's insane brood and warns of the dangers of inbreeding. The closing lines of the song suggest a complete break from reality, with the narrator closing the door to reality and never wanting to miss it again. The imagery of 'tough pitch in an oak barrel' adds to the sense of entrapment and suffocation. Bethlehem's use of dark, surreal, and grotesque imagery in 'Arg Tot Frohlockt Kein Kind' creates a chilling and unsettling atmosphere, reflecting the band's signature style of blending black metal with elements of doom and dark ambient music.