Song meaning of Der Junge auf dem weissen Pferd by Westernhagen

The song "Der Junge auf dem weissen Pferd" by Westernhagen tells the story of a man named Hilde reflecting on his past relationship. The lyrics reveal a sense of resignation and acceptance that comes with the passage of time and the realization that certain things can never be the same again. Hilde acknowledges that twenty years have passed, and both he and his partner have changed. There is a sense of self-awareness as he admits that his hair is thinning, and his partner has lost her sex appeal.

The song captures the melancholic nostalgia of looking back on a relationship that was far from perfect. Hilde admits that he was never the kind of man who would do everything for his partner or shower her with gestures of affection. He is bluntly honest about his flaws, often being drunk and lacking the romantic gestures that seem to be expected. Despite this, Hilde acknowledges that his partner endured his imperfections, never even stooping to physical violence when he smelled like another woman.

The central theme of the song is the realization that the youthful fantasies and idealized love portrayed in movies and fairy tales are far from reality. The line "Der Junge auf dem weißen Pferd, der kommt nicht mehr" ("The boy on the white horse, he's not coming anymore") represents the dashing knight in shining armor who will never arrive to rescue them from their banal reality. Hilde admits that such fairy tales are illusionary and that the man on the white horse is nothing more than a figment of the imagination.

In essence, the song describes the bittersweet acceptance of a flawed and imperfect relationship, where both partners have learned to live with each other's shortcomings and have come to recognize that the idealized love depicted in stories is just a fantasy. The lyrics speak to the universal truth that love requires resilience, compromise, and an acceptance of each other's imperfections.