Für Frauen ist das kein Problem
It’s not a problem for women – "Für Frauen ist das kein Problem" by Max Raabe
March 8 is International Women’s Day (Internationaler Frauentag or Weltfrauentag in German), a day celebrating women around the world and their countless contributions to society.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another German song that more enthusiastically celebrates all women are capable of than “Für Frauen is das kein Problem” (“It’s not a problem for women”) by cabaret-style singer Max Raabe.
In the song, Max praises women for all they can accomplish gleichzeitig (at the same time): find the keys, purchase shoes on sale, lead a courtroom trial, transfer money, run a marathon, earn a doctorate – and that’s just the first verse! The theme is underscored by the song’s music video, where a women-led Feuerwehr (fire department) is seen rescuing the band from a burning building.
Für Frauen ist das kein Problem
It’s not a problem for women
Sowas machen sie mit links
They could do it with their left hand!
So sings Max Raabe when detailing all the challenges that women take on head-first daily. When someone says they could do something “mit links” in German, they are saying it is so easy, they could perform the task with their left hand. And if you’re afraid of offending your left-handed friends with this phrase, you can convey the same meaning with “etwas im Schlaf können” – to be able to do something in your sleep.