Ich werd' dich lieben, wenn du mich lässt
I'll love you, if you'll let me – "Wenn Du mich lässt" by LEA
Multitalented German singer-songwriter LEA seems to be friends with most of the German music industry. In addition to releasing five of her own albums since 2016 (with a sixth on the way in early October), the Kassel native also regularly showcases her artistic range by collaborating with other German musicians on all ends of the genre spectrum – from pop star Mark Forster and rapper Sido to indie pop singer Antje Schomaker and jazz/cabaret artist Max Raabe, just to name a few.
Despite her genre-spanning talents, LEA doesn’t need much more than her own voice and a simple guitar accompaniment to give us Gänsehaut (goosebumps), as evidenced by one of her most well-known songs, 2021’s “Wenn Du mich lässt” (“If you’ll let me”).
With a deceptively simple melody and hauntingly beautiful vocals, LEA expresses complex emotions through a moving declaration of unconditional love and adoration, even when the recipient may not even view themselves as lovable. The music video’s majestic natural backdrops underscore the idea of hidden beauty found in unexpected places.
Hey, ich werd' dich lieben, auch wenn du's grad' nicht kannst
Hey, I'll love you even if you can't right now
Werd' für dich lügen, auch wenn du's nicht verlangst
I'll lie for you, even if you don't ask me to
Ich würd' für dich kämpfen und wenn ich mich dabei verletz'
I'll fight for you even if I get hurt
Hey, ich werd' dich lieben, wenn du mich lässt
Hey, I'll love you if you'll let me
The song’s earnest, heartfelt refrain makes repeated use of the German conjunction wenn. Similar to wer, wenn is a bit of a “false friend” for English speakers – while it sounds identical to our own conjunction “when”, the usages of the two words only partially overlap.
Wenn is often confused with German conjunctions als and wann, which is understandable, as they can both also be translated to “when” in English. So what’s the difference between wenn, als, and wann?
Wenn in German can be translated to “when” or “if” and is most often used to express an “if-then”-type condition:
Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.
If it rains, I stay at home.Ich schlafe, wenn ich müde bin.
I sleep when I’m tired.Ich werd(e) dich lieben, wenn du mich lässt.
I'll love you, if you'll let me.
Als is used when describing something that took place in the past, and only occurs alongside verbs in the past tense:
Als ich ein Kind war, spielte ich viel draußen.
When I was a child, I played outside a lot.Ich war müde, als ich nach Hause kam.
I was tired when I got home.
(Note that als can also be used when making comparisons, as seen in "Wolke 4" by Philipp Dittberner.)
Wann is most often used in relation to timing, and often appears as a Fragewort, or question word:
Wann kommt der Zug an?
When does the train arrive?Ich weiß nicht, wann wir losfahren.
I don’t know when we’re leaving.
So, if wenn is used to express something conditional, how can it also be utilized to express unconditional love and devotion in a song? A closer look at the refrain of “Wenn Du mich lässt” look reveals a key addition that makes all the difference:
Hey, ich werd' dich lieben, auch wenn du's grad' nicht kannst
Hey, I'll love you even if you can't right now
Werd' für dich Lügen, auch wenn du's nicht verlangst
I'll lie for you, even if you don't ask me to
The addition of particle word auch (“also”) transforms our conditional wenn from “if” to “even if”: even if the song’s recipient cannot yet love themselves, LEA will still love them.
For more on the differences between wenn, als, and wann, check out this article from Study German Online.
Here are a few additional words from “Wenn Du mich lässt” to add to your vocabulary list:
unendlich - infinite
tauchen - to dive
die Schwäche - the weakness
die Kunst - the art
zum Lachen zu bringen - to make someone laugh
vorspielen - to audition
genug - enough
auffressen - to eat up
die Gedanken - the thoughts
obwohl - although
zerreißen - to tear
lieben - to love
lügen - to lie
verlangen - to demand
kämpfen - to fight
verletzten - to hurt / injure
lassen - to let
das Schweigen - the silence / the act of being silent
die Schönheit - the beauty
Wishing you an unconditionally wonderful week ahead,
Jessica
P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please consider clicking “like” and/or sharing it with someone else who may be interested in German music, language, and culture! Ganz lieben Dank!
From the Sprachmelodie Archives 🎵
For more on “false friends” in German, check out “NINA” by Nina Chuba. And for more on subordinate conjunctions like wenn, check out “Echt” by Glasperlenspiel.
Discover more German Music and Language
Check out Sprachmelodie's Spotify and Youtube accounts for playlists of all songs featured so far on the blog.