Gunna – wgft [ft. Burna Boy]. Lyrics Meaning: Finding Strength in the Storm
Ever felt like you’re stuck in a storm, with no end in sight? That feeling of being knocked down, over and over, until you’re not even sure why you’re trying to get up anymore? We’ve all been there, wading through what feels like an endless sea of our own tears, just trying to keep our heads above water. It’s in those moments that we desperately search for a sign, a reason, a bit of light. Well, what if the pain itself was the point? What if the struggle wasn’t just an obstacle, but the actual path forward? There’s a song that paints this very picture so beautifully, and it might just change the way you look at your own dark clouds.
Decoding the Beautiful Struggle in Apache 207’s “Wolken”
Right from the get-go, Apache 207’s track “Wolken” (which means “Clouds” in German) pulls you into a world that feels both dark and deeply familiar. It’s not a song about pretending everything is okay; it’s a raw, honest look at the messy business of being human and finding your way through the darkness.
Learning to Swim in a Sea of Tears
The song opens with some incredibly powerful imagery. Apache 207 isn’t just sad; he’s in a whole other dimension of struggle. He sings about a moment after a thousand and one nights, in a valley filled with a sea of tears. Imagine that for a second. It’s not just a puddle; it’s an entire ocean of sorrow. He says:
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Irgendwann nach tausend und einer Nacht
Sometime after a thousand and one nights
Irgendwo im Meer aus Tränen im Tal
Somewhere in the sea of tears in the valley
Hat dunkeltiefes Wasser, dass ei’m steht bis zum Hals
The deep dark water, that stands up to one’s neck
Mich das Schwimmen gelehrt
Taught me how to swim
This isn’t about being saved by someone else. It’s the very thing that was threatening to drown him—the deep, dark water of his own pain—that ultimately taught him how to survive. It’s a powerful idea: our greatest challenges become our greatest teachers. He then poses a question that sets the tone for the entire song: why can we only see the stars when the sun isn’t shining? It’s a poetic way of saying that we often only discover our own strength and resilience when we’re surrounded by darkness.
A Craving for Raw Reality
Before the chorus kicks in, there’s a simple, desperate plea that hits you right in the gut. It’s a line that rejects toxic positivity and superficial happiness. Instead, he asks for something real, no matter how painful it might be.
Bitte gib mir etwas Echtes
Please give me something real
Egal, wie hässlich es auch erscheinen mag
No matter how ugly it may appear
This is a turning point. It’s the moment of acceptance. He’s no longer trying to escape the pain; he’s asking to face it head-on because he knows that authenticity, even the ugly kind, is where true growth happens.
The Symphony of Pain: Every Tear is a Note
This is where “Wolken” truly reveals its profound message. The chorus reframes every single aspect of suffering—the screams, the hits, the tears—not as random acts of cruelty, but as a necessary part of a bigger, more beautiful composition.
Even Clouds Cry Before They Rise
The core message is captured in one of the most stunning metaphors I’ve heard in a long time. Apache 207 turns pain into music and struggle into a journey upward.
Jeder laute Schrei
Every loud scream
Jeder Schlag, der trifft
Every hit that lands
Und zu Boden reißt, sind nur Melodien
And tears you to the ground, are just melodies
Auf dem langen Weg hier raus
On the long way out of here
Raus aus dieser Dunkelheit
Out of this darkness
He’s saying that all these terrible moments are just notes in the song of your escape. They are the soundtrack to your survival. And then comes the knockout punchline, the title’s meaning made crystal clear:
Sogar Wolken wein’n, bevor sie nach oben steigen
Even clouds cry before they rise
Think about it. Clouds release rain—they “cry”—and in doing so, they become lighter, allowing them to ascend higher into the sky. It’s a natural, necessary process. Our tears, our pain, our sweat… they aren’t signs of weakness. They are the very things we need to release to become lighter, to move forward, and to rise above our circumstances.
From the Bottom to the Top: The Soul’s Journey
The second verse shows us the “after” picture. It’s about what happens once you’ve learned to swim and embraced the storm. There’s a sense of freedom and a newfound perspective. He talks about feeling as free as a fish in the sea and climbing to the top of the mountain. Crucially, he’s no longer weighed down by his past.
Alte Laster zieh’ ich nicht mehr hinter mir her
I no longer drag old burdens behind me
He’s seen both sides of life—the empty plate and the lavish buffet—and it’s given him a powerful sense of inner worth that can’t be shaken by others’ judgments. This leads to his final, powerful realization about his motivation in life:
Drum mach’ ich’s nicht mehr für Applaus
That’s why I don’t do it for applause anymore
Ich mach’ es für meine Seele
I do it for my soul
After going through hell and back, the only validation that matters is internal. It’s about being true to yourself, not performing for an audience.
The message of “Wolken” is a deeply comforting and empowering one. It teaches us that pain is not a punishment, but a process. It’s a teacher, a motivator, and a purifier. The song encourages us to embrace our struggles, to see the “melodies” within our pain, and to remember that letting go—crying, screaming, sweating—is what allows us to become lighter and rise higher. It’s a reminder that authenticity is more valuable than perfection.
I absolutely love how this song transforms something as painful as suffering into a beautiful and necessary part of nature, just like a cloud releasing rain. But that’s just my take on it. What do you hear when you listen to “Wolken”? Does the metaphor of the crying clouds resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
