There's another possible meaning: in German the word Pilzkopf (mushroom head) means the haircut that the Beatles wore in their early days - the so-called "moptop". So the song might also be describing the profound effect that seeing the Beatles play had on members of Can: "When I saw the moptops, I was born (to new possibilities in music and life) and dead (to my old way of life).
There's another possible meaning: in German the word Pilzkopf (mushroom head) means the haircut that the Beatles wore in their early days - the so-called "moptop". So the song might also be describing the profound effect that seeing the Beatles play had on members of Can: "When I saw the moptops, I was born (to new possibilities in music and life) and dead (to my old way of life).
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilzkopf