Lyr Req: German folk / childhood song

Subject: Lyr Req: German folk / childhood song
From: GUEST,JDR
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 06:08 PM

Heard a singalong song recently in Cologne - was told it is a well-known song taught at an early age. Hope you can help with some German and English lyrics - apologies for my ignorance of German language.
The first line starts rot, rot (red?)and ends die rosen (the roses?)
The second line end gerschenken (present?)
and at the end of the fourth line is jahr, jahr, jahr, jahr (years?)
Not much to go on, I know, but I hope someone can help me with this one - many thanks.
John.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: German folk / childhood song
From: Turlough
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 07:16 PM

Hm, this sounds familiar. Even though I'm not really "into" German folk, my grandparents were, and I remember this:

Rot, rot, rot, rot sind die Rosen
die ich an dich verschenke
Du bist mein Herz, du bist mein Glück
du machst mich immer noch verrückt
auch nach all den Jahren

In English, this would be something like

Red, red, red are the roses
that I give to you
You are my heart, you are my joy
you still make me crazy
even after all those years

I suppose that one of the German 'catters (Susanne?) can help you further with this.

T.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: German folk / childhood song
From: alanabit
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 04:46 AM

1.
Rot sind die Rosen,
grün ist der Kakadu,
süß ist der Zucker,
und süß bist auch Du!

Liebe ..., sei so schlau,
und werde niemals Ehefrau.
Vor der Hochzeit kriegst du Rosen,
nach der Hochzeit stopfst du Hosen.

O wandle stets auf Rosen, auf immer grüner Au
bis einer kommt in Hosen und holt dich heim zur Frau.
Vor der Hochzeit kriegst Du Rosen,
nach der Hochzeit stopfst Du Hosen.

Dank mir für diesen Reim,
die Rosen wachsen groß und klein,
sie wachsen hoch un danieder,
das Beste wünsch ich wieder.

Dir steht das Leben offen,
mögst du auf Rosen stehn,
mir bleibet nur ein Hoffen
auf frohes Wiedersehn.


2.
Rot, rot, rot sind die Rosen

Ist der Abendhimmel in Feuer und Flamme,
Kommt der Tag zur Ruhe, dann schlägt mich
Ein Mädchen schön und fein in ihren Bann.
Will mein ganzes Leben bei ihr sein
Nur für sie sing ich dies Liedchen.

Rot, rot, rot sind die Rosen
Rosen, die ich dir geben will.
Wenn unser Glück sich aus
Dem Licht des Mondes hebt,
Flüstere ich deinen Namen.
Rot, rot, rot, sind die Rosen
Rosen, die ich dir geben will
Wenn unser Glück sich aus
Dem Licht des Mondes hebt
Flüstere ich deinen Namen.

Und deine Augen sind wie Sterne in der Nacht
Dies ist das Leben, auf das ich lange gewartet habe
Ich will sie nie mehr gehen lassen
Das große Glück in meinem Leben
Lässt mich für sie dies Liedchen singen.

The second verse of the first version reminds me a bit of "Single Girl/Married girl". It's about the contrast between the passion of love before marriage compared with the mundanity of life after. The second set of lyrics is probably what you are after. I shall tactfully say that I have no current plans to include it in my set. It sounds a bit like the sort of thing they sing at Carnival!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: German folk / childhood song
From: Wolfgang
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 07:03 AM

click and scroll a bit

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: German folk / childhood song
From: GUEST,JDR
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 07:48 AM

Turlough, alanabit, Wolfgang - that's excellent - you guys really are very good - thank you so much!
Is the song called rot sind die Rosen?
I'm going to use the words, with some pictures we took in Cologne, as part of a framed souvenir to remember the happy time we had.
How do I spell the 'ya-ya-ya-ya' bit at the end - will it be ja, or jahr, or jahren, or something else? Thank you.
John.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: German folk / childhood song
From: alanabit
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 10:44 AM

"Dä Weed mät jetzz de Lampe us" ... There's some Kölsch for you! I had to stop and think about that one for a minute. It floored me at first, because in Kölsch, "weed" can also be the third person singular of "werden". It means, "The landlord is putting out the light." From the way the band looks, from the er, standard of the lyrics and the Kölsch dialect, I think we can safely assume De Boore is a Carnival group.
Call me up next time you are in Cologne, John. You can PM me through Mudcat if you join up.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: German folk / childhood song
From: GUEST,JDR
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 05:13 PM

Many thanks Alanabit. It must have been De Boore's record playing in the bar - carnival is a useful term for the genre of music we experienced, and I hope I have not offended anyone by putting the posting up - I had previously tried emailing, amongst others, the Koln Tourist Office (but maybe its not the sort of question they are used to answering) and also the Paffgen brewery. I would like to return to the city and next time hope to have a better understanding of the language and custom.
John.