Ein Lied: Über sieben Brücken von Karat

Karat (German for "carat") is a German rock band, founded in 1975 in East Berlin, then part of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Karat's second album, titled Über sieben Brücken (Over Seven Bridges) and released in 1979, brought the band a great deal of attention. The title track Über sieben Brücken mußt Du geh'n (Over seven bridges you must go) is still the band's best-known song. Its deeply moving personal reflection introduced Karat to audiences outside of East Germany.

Click below to listen to the song (if you open it in a new window you can read the lyrics along).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emm3lEB__gs&feature=related

Karat: Über sieben Brücken

Manchmal geh' ich meine Straße ohne Blick,
Manchmal wünsch' ich mir mein Schaukelpferd zurück,
Manchmal bin ich ohne Rast und Ruh,
Manchmal schließ ich alles Türen nach mir zu.

Sometimes I walk along my street without noticing anything,

Sometimes I wish my rocking horse back,

Sometimes I cannot rest at all,

Sometimes I close all doors behind me.

Manchmal ist mir kalt und manchmal heiss,
Manchmal weiss ich nicht mehr, was ich weiss,
Manchmal bin ich schon am Morgen müd,
Und dann such ich Trost in einem Lied.

Sometimes I am cold and sometimes hot,

Sometimes I don’t know anymore what I know,

Sometimes I am already tired in the morning,

And then I am seeking comfort in a song.

Über Sieben Brücken mußt du geh'n,
Sieben dunkle Jahre überstehn,
Sieben Mal wirst du die Asche sein,
Aber einmal auch der helle Schein.

Over seven bridges you must go,

Seven dark years you must survive,

Seven times you will be the ashes,

But once you will be the bright light.

Manchmal scheint die Uhr des Lebens still zu steht'n,
Manchmal scheint man immer nur im Kreis zu geh'n,
Manchmal ist man wie vom Fernweh krank,
Manchmal sitzt man still auf einer Bank.

Sometimes the clock of life seems to stand still,

Sometimes you seem to go around in circles,

Sometimes you are almost ill with the travel bug,

Sometimes you sit still on a bench.

Manchmal greift man nach der ganzen Welt,
Manchmal meint man, daß der Glücksstern fällt,
Manchmal nimmt man, wo man lieber gibt,
Manchmal haßt man das, was man doch liebt.

Sometimes you reach out for the whole world,

Sometimes you think that your lucky star is falling,

Sometimes you take where you prefer to give,

Sometimes you hate what you actually love.

Über Sieben Brücken mußt du geh'n,
Sieben dunkle Jahre überstehn,
Sieben Mal wirst du die Asche sein,
Aber einmal auch der helle Schein.

Over seven bridges you must go,

Seven dark years you must survive,

Seven times you will be the ashes,

But once you will be the bright light.

Ein Lied: Griechischer Wein von Udo Jürgens

Udo Jürgens (born Udo Jürgen Bockelmann, 30 September 1934, Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria, is an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spans over fifty years. He has written more than 800 songs and sold over 100 million records.

He is credited with broadening German-language pop music beyond the traditional postwar ‘schlager’ in the 1960s by infusing it with a modern pop appeal. His exceptionally tuneful compositions and sophisticated arrangements attract fans of all ages, and even in his 70s he continues to fill the largest concert venues in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The song ‘Griechischer Wein’ is a reflection on the life of the Greek guest workers who came to Germany in the 1950s to help rebuild the economy. Many of them went back to Greece after a few years, but a considerable number stayed in Germany and then brought their families over.

Click below to listen to the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lRkongtKCY

Udo Jürgens: Griechischer Wein

Es war schon dunkel, als ich durch Vorstadtstraßen heimwärts ging.
Da war ein Wirtshaus, aus dem das Licht noch auf den Gehsteig schien.
Ich hatte Zeit und mir war kalt, drum trat ich ein.

The streets were dark when I walked home on suburban streets. There was an inn from which the light shone onto the pavement. I had some time and I was cold, so I went in.

Da saßen Männer mit braunen Augen und mit schwarzem Haar,
und aus der Jukebox erklang Musik, die fremd und südlich war.
Als man mich sah, stand einer auf und lud mich ein.

There were men with brown eyes and black hair, and from the juke box there came music that sounded foreign and southern. When they saw me, one of them stood up and invited me.

Griechischer Wein ist so wie das Blut der Erde.
Komm', schenk dir ein und wenn ich dann traurig werde, liegt es daran,
daß ich immer träume von daheim; du mußt verzeih'n.
Griechischer Wein, und die altvertrauten Lieder.
Schenk' nochmal ein! Denn ich fühl' die Sehnsucht wieder;
in dieser Stadt werd' ich immer nur ein Fremder sein, und allein.

Greek Wine is just like the blood of the earth. Come, have a drink, and when I get sad later on it is only because I keep on dreaming of home; please forgive me. Greek Wine, and the old and familiar songs, pour once again! Because I can feel the longing again; in this town I will always be a stranger, and alone. [Refrain]

Und dann erzählten sie mir von grünen Hügeln, Meer und Wind,
von alten Häusern und jungen Frauen, die alleine sind,
und von dem Kind, das seinen Vater noch nie sah.

And then they told me of green hills, the sea and the wind, of old houses and young women who are alone; and of the child that has never seen his father.
Sie sagten sich immer wieder: Irgendwann geht es zurück.
Und das Ersparte genügt zu Hause für ein kleines Glück.
Und bald denkt keiner mehr daran, wie es hier war.

They always told themselves: One day we will go back. And the savings will be enough for a little happiness back home. And soon nobody will remember what it was like over here.

Griechischer Wein ist so wie das Blut der Erde … [Refrain]

Greek Wine is just like the blood the earth … [Refrain]

Ein Lied: Mensch von Herbert Grönemeyer

Herbert Arthur Wiglev Clamor Grönemeyer (born April 12, 1956) is a German musician and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He starred as war correspondent Lieutenant Werner in Wolfgang Petersen's movie Das Boot, but later concentrated on his musical career. His fifth album, 4630 Bochum (1984) and his 20th album Mensch, (Human) (2002) are the best-selling German-language records of all time. He lives and works in London but remains extremely successful in all German-speaking countries.

Click below to listen to the song 'Mensch' and read the German lyrics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HvgCucmeaY

The following translation is more literal than poetic and is just intended to help you understand the song. The word 'Mensch' can be translated into English as man or human.

Herbert Grönemeyer: Mensch

Right now is right
Right now is good
Nothing's really important
After low tide comes high tide
On the beach of life
Without reason, without understanding
Nothing is in vain
I build my dreams on the sand

And it is, it is okay
Everything on the way
It's a sunny time
Unburdened and free
And man is called man
Because he forgets, because he represses
Because he's enthusiastic and toughens up
He warms up when he tells tales
And because he laughs, because he lives, you're missed

The firmament has opened up
Cloudless and ocean blue
And telephone, gas, electricity
Unpaid and that's all right
Share your peace with me
Even if it's only borrowed
I don't want your love
I only want your word

And it is, it is okay
Everything on the way
It's a sunny time
Clear and easy
And man is called man
And because he errs, and because he struggles
Because he hopes and loves
Because he empathizes and forgives
And because he laughs, and because he lives, you're missed
Oh, because he laughs, because he lives, you're missed

Oh, its okay
Everything on the way
It's a sunny time
Clear and easy
And man is called man
Because he forgets, because he suppresses
And because he's enthusiastic and believes
Depends on and trusts
And because he laughs, because he lives, you're missed

Oh, it's quite okay
It hurts the same all over
It's a sunny time
Without any plan, without accompaniment
And man is called man
Because he remembers, because he struggles
Because he hopes and loves
Because he empathizes and forgives
And because he laughs, and because he lives, you're missed
Oh, because he laughs, and because he lives, you're missed

Ohh, lalalay...

   - from the MENSCH CD (2002)

Ein Lied: 99 Luftballons von Nena

A song: 99 red balloons by Nena

This is an 80s classic by the German singer Nena.
You can listen to the song and read the German lyrics on YouTube.
Nena: 99 Luftballons

A little story about the history of the song:

While at a June 1982 concert by the Rolling Stones in West Berlin, Nena's guitarist Carlo Karges noticed that balloons were being released. As he watched them move toward the horizon, he noticed them shifting and changing shapes, where they looked nothing like a mass of balloons but some strange spacecraft (referred to in the German lyrics as a "UFO"). He thought about what might happen if they floated over the Berlin Wall to the Soviet sector.

Both the English and German versions of the song tell a story of 99 balloons floating into the air, triggering an apocalyptic overreaction by military forces. The music was composed by Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, the keyboardist of Nena's band, while Karges wrote the original German lyrics.

Having achieved widespread success in Germanic Europe and Japan, plans were made for the band to take "99 Luftballons" international with an English version by Kevin McAlea, titled "99 Red Balloons", which has a more satirical tone than the original. The English version is not a direct translation of the German but contains a somewhat different set of lyrics.

Here are the lyrics (remember, it is not a literal translation):

Hast Du etwas Zeit für mich Dann singe ich ein Lied fuer Dich Von 99 Luftballons Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont Denkst Du vielleicht grad' an mich Dann singe ich ein Lied fuer Dich Von 99 Luftballons Und dass sowas von sowas kommt	You and I in a little toy shop Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got. Set them free at the break of dawn 'Til one by one, they were gone. Back at base, bugs in the software Flash the message, Something's out there. Floating in the summer sky. 99 red balloons go by.
99 Luftballons Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont Hielt man fuer UFOs aus dem All Darum schickte ein General Eine Fliegerstaffel hinterher Alarm zu geben, wenn es so war Dabei war da am Horizont Nur 99 Luftballons	99 red balloons. Floating in the summer sky. Panic bells, it's red alert. There's something here from somewhere else. The war machine springs to life. Opens up one eager eye. Focusing it on the sky. Where 99 red balloons go by.
99 Duesenjaeger Jeder war ein grosser Krieger Hielten sich fuer Captain Kirk Das gab ein grosses Feuerwerk Die Nachbarn haben nichts gerafft Und fuehlten sich gleich angemacht Dabei schoss man am Horizont Auf 99 Luftballons	99 Decision Street. 99 ministers meet. To worry, worry, super-scurry. Call the troops out in a hurry. This is what we've waited for. This is it boys, this is war. The president is on the line As 99 red balloons go by.