Komm, süsser Tod

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For the novel by Wolf Haas, see Come Sweet Death.

"Komm, Süsser Tod" (German, Come, Sweet Death in English, 甘き死よ、来たれ in Japanese) is the title of a Bach cantata or aria (BWV 478)[1], and is also the title of a song, sung in English, featured prominently in Hideaki Anno's 1997 animated film The End of Evangelion. The song is performed by Arianne, who is backed by piano, pipe-organ and various string arrangements. The chord progression of the verses is very similar to that of Pachebel's Canon (itself used in Evangelion: Death and Rebirth), and also bears a stylistic similarity to "Hey Jude" by The Beatles.

The original lyrics were written by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno for the Japanese language version of the song, and very loosely translated into English by Mike Wyzgowski; the two versions differ noticeably in emphasis and meaning^[1].

The song, although performed in a comparatively upbeat manner, alludes both to suicide and the end of the world. Judging by the tone of the lyrics, it seems to be a hypothetical apology made by Shinji Ikari at the end of the saga's events. Some speculate that, due to the German title, lyric content, and female singer, the song is in fact written from Asuka Langley Soryu's perspective; or that the apology from Shinji is generally aimed towards her. The two versions of the song support different interpretations; one of the verses of the original Japanese can be translated as:

Let's return to nothing
Let's return to nothing
That is the place filling with and full of gentleness
There is the place without the pain of truth
The place without the tremble of the heart^[2]

The verse echoes a number of sentences spoken by Rei Ayanami during the original TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion, such as "I want to return to nothing". But the official English translation reads for the corresponding verse:

I wish that I could turn back time
'cause now the guilt is all mine
can't live without
the trust from those you love.
I know we can't forget the past,
you can't forget love and pride^[3];
because of that, it's killing me inside

[edit] References

^ See for example, "About the songs: Komm süsser Tod (Come, sweet Death); FAQ": "There is 2 variants of song, Japanese and English (remastered by Hideaki Anno) They are dramastically [[sic]] different, so may be treated as different songs for one theme." Or "NEON GENESIS EVANGELION" lyrics: "Amaki shi yo, kitare" and "Komm, süsser Tod", which says "Bizarrely enough, it is sung entirely in English (by the vocalist ARIANNE), but that is not its original state. It began as verse, written by Anno himself, entitled "Amaki shi yo, kitare" (guess what that means ;;>), from which Mike Wyzgowski created the loose English adaptation that you hear in the film."
^ Translation from "About the songs: Komm süsser Tod (Come, sweet Death); FAQ"
^ Asuka's character is noted as a prideful character, whereas neither Shinji Ikari nor Rei Ayanami are noted for pride.