Lyrics of Bismarck by Sabaton
From the mist, a shape, a ship, is taking form
And the silence of the sea is about to drift into a storm
Sign of power, show of force
Raise the anchor, battleship’s plotting its course
Pride of a nation, a beast made of steel
Bismarck in motion, king of the ocean
He was made to rule the waves across the seven seas
To lead the war machine
To rule the waves and lead the Kriegsmarine
The terror of the seas
The Bismarck and the Kriegsmarine
Two thousand men, and fifty thousand tons of steel
Set the course for the Atlantic with the Allies on their heel
Firepower, firefight
Battle Stations, keep the targets steady in sight
Into formation, the hunt has begun
Death and damnation, the fleet is coming
He was made to rule the waves across the seven seas
To lead the war machine
To rule the waves and lead the Kriegsmarine
The terror of the seas
The Bismarck and the Kriegsmarine
At the bottom of the ocean, the depths of the abyss
They are bound by iron and blood
The flagship of the navy, the terror of the seas
His guns have gone silent at last
Pride of a nation, a beast made of steel
Bismarck in motion, king of the ocean
He was made to rule the waves across the seven seas
To lead the war machine
To rule the waves and lead the Kriegsmarine
The terror of the seas
The Bismarck and the Kriegsmarine
To lead the war machine
To rule the waves and lead the Kriegsmarine
The terror of the seas
Bismarck and the Kriegsmarine
To lead the war machine
To rule the waves and lead the Kriegsmarine
The terror of the seas
Bismarck and the Kriegsmarine
Historical Background
In short: The song is about the mighty german battleship Bismarck in World War II.
Bismarck – The Rise and Fall of Germany’s Super Battleship
Some war machines are built to conquer. Others become legends in their own destruction.
Sabaton’s Bismarck isn’t just a song about a battleship—it’s a story of power, ambition, and an inevitable fall. The Bismarck, pride of the Nazi Kriegsmarine, was meant to dominate the seas.
Instead? It became the most hunted ship in naval history.
Let’s dive into the rise and fall of the most feared battleship of World War II.
The Creation of a Sea Monster
“Pride of a nation, a beast made of steel, Bismarck in motion, king of the ocean.”
The Bismarck was a floating fortress—the biggest battleship Germany had ever built.
- 50,000 tons of steel
- Eight 15-inch guns
- Thick armor that made it nearly unsinkable
It was designed to break the British Navy, to dominate the Atlantic, and to cut off Allied supply lines.
The British had ruled the seas for centuries. Hitler wanted that to change.
And in May 1941, the hunt began.
The Hunt for the Bismarck
“Set the course for the Atlantic with the Allies on their heel.”
The Bismarck, alongside the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, set sail for the Atlantic. The mission? Sink Allied convoys. Starve Britain. Win the war.
But the British weren’t about to let that happen.
On May 24, 1941, the Royal Navy intercepted Bismarck near Iceland. The battle that followed was short and brutal.
- Bismarck obliterated HMS Hood—Britain’s pride and strongest battlecruiser—in minutes.
- Only 3 men survived out of 1,418.
- The Royal Navy was shocked—and out for blood.
“Into formation, the hunt has begun, death and damnation, the fleet is coming.”
Churchill’s orders? “Sink the Bismarck!”
Now, the hunter became the hunted.
The Final Stand
“At the bottom of the ocean, the depths of the abyss, they are bound by iron and blood.”
The Bismarck tried to escape. It almost did.
But a lucky torpedo hit from a British Swordfish plane jammed its rudder. The battleship could no longer maneuver.
By May 27, 1941, the British fleet caught up.
- HMS Rodney and HMS King George V unleashed hell.
- Bismarck was pounded by over 400 shells.
- It took 2771 men down with it.
The most powerful battleship ever built was now a wreck on the ocean floor.
Why Bismarck Still Hits Hard
This wasn’t just another naval battle. It was a turning point.
- The Kriegsmarine never recovered. After Bismarck, Germany never again challenged British naval supremacy.
- It was a lesson in overconfidence—Bismarck was powerful, but alone and outnumbered, it stood no chance.
- It became one of the most legendary warships in history—because even in defeat, it refused to go down easy.
“His guns have gone silent at last.”
The Bismarck’s story is proof that power means nothing if you’re outgunned, outnumbered, and outmaneuvered.
The Lesson?
You can be the biggest, strongest, and most advanced—but if you don’t have a strategy to back it up,
you will sink.
And the Bismarck?
It was the deadliest battleship that never got to fulfill its purpose.
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