Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics

Subject: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Darren Raleigh
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 05:31 PM

Hello. Crazed Harper here again. This time I'm asking for some lyrics help. It's been my intent to include one anti-war song in every concert I do. Most recently I've added Red and Gold to the list, and now I'm casting about for the next one to arrage for Celtic Harp and vocal, as that's what I do.

Anyway, I've been intending for a while to do Eric Bogle's No Man's Land, and I've just heard a version with two of the verses in German. The gist of the German lyrics is about the young people getting lied to in order to get them to pick up them rifles, boys. I probably won't include it in the same concert as All the Fine Young Men.

Anyway, the German lyrics were written by Hannes Wader. If I can get hold of the German lyrics then probably my highschool German is up to the task of singing them.

Can any here at the Mudcat help? Thanks. Extra gratitude for a rough translation of the German lyrics. It's been a long time since high school.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: bfdk
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 05:40 PM

Hannes Wader, Es ist an der Zeit

Lovely song, cracking singer-songwriter.

Subject: Add: Es Ist an der Zeit (Wader) - No Man's Land
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 06:05 PM

To ensure they don't get lost, I'll post the lyrics from the link bfdk suppllied, the robokopp Website. Does the Wader song use the same tune as Bogle uses? The lyrics express the same idea, but they're certainly not a direct translation of the Bogle song.

ES IST AN DER ZEIT
(Hannes Wader)

Weit in der Champagne im Mittsommergrün,
Dort wo zwischen Grabkreuzen Mohnblumen blüh'n,
Da flüstern die Gräser und wiegen sich leicht,
Im Wind, der sanft über das Gräberfeld streicht.
Auf Deinem Kreuz finde ich toter Soldat,
Deinen Namen nicht, nur Ziffern und jemand hat
Die Zahl Neunzehnhundertundsechzehn gemalt
Und Du warst nicht einmal neunzehn Jahre alt.
Refrain:
Ja auch Dich haben sie schon genauso belogen
So wie sie es mit uns heute immer noch tun,
Und Du hast ihnen alles gegeben:
Dein Kraft, Deine Jugend, Dein Leben.

2. Hast du, toter Soldat, mal ein Mädchen geliebt?
Sicher nicht, denn nur dort, wo es Frieden gibt,
Können Zärtlichkeit und Vertrauen gedeihn,
Warst Soldat, um zu sterben, nicht um jung zu sein.
Vielleicht dachtest du dir, ich falle schon bald,
Nehme mir mein Vergnügen, wie es kommt, mit Gewalt.
Dazu warst du entschlossen, hast dich aber dann
Vor dir selber geschämt und es doch nie getan.
Refrain:

3. Soldat, gingst du gläubig und gern in den Tod?
Oder hast du verzweifelt, verbittert, verroht,
Deinen wirklichen Feind nicht erkannt bis zum Schluß?
Ich hoffe, es traf dich ein sauberer Schuß.
Oder hat ein Geschoß dir die Glieder zerfetzt,
Hast du nach deiner Mutter geschrien bis zuletzt,
Bist auf deinen Beinstümpfen weitergerannt,
Und Dein Grab, birgt es mehr als ein Bein, eine Hand.
Refrain:

4. Es blieb nur das Kreuz als die einzige Spur
Von deinem Leben, doch hör meinen Schwur,
Für den Frieden zu kämpfen und wachsam zu sein:
Fällt die Menscheit noch einmal auf Lügen herein,
Dann kann es geschehen, daß bald niemand mehr lebt,
Niemand, der die Milliarden von Toten begräbt.
Doch längst finden sich mehr und mehr Menschen bereit,
Diesen Krieg zu verhindern, es ist an der Zeit.
Refrain:

Source: http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/Lieder/weitinde.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: bfdk
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 06:20 PM

Hannes Wader, Joe, not Weider :-)

Yes, same tune.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 12:25 AM

bfdk caught my spelling mistake and I corrected it...thanks.
I also found a video here (click).

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: breezy
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 11:30 AM

so how about a literal translation of the german words, for me and fellow non german speaking cats and all other Eric Bogle fans so we can examine the result.

Please

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Marje
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 11:55 AM

It'd be a long job to translate it all exactly, but the chorus translates, roughly, as:

"Yes, they lied to you then, as they're still doing to us now,
And you gave them everything - your strength, your youth, your life."

And as for the rest, briefly:

The first verse is fairly similar in sense to Bogle's, except that this soldier has no name, just a number and the year, 1916, and his age.

The 2nd verse, like Bogle's, wonders whether he left a sweetheart, and then decides probably not, as it looks as if he became a soldier in order to face death.

The 3rd follows Bogle's idea of wondering how the soldier died, but wallows a bit in the possible details - was he badly wounded? etc.

In the last verse the singer commits himself to peace and to striving to make sure that there will be no one prepared to fight such a war again.

Overall, I'd say it's a less impressive lyric than Bogle's. It lacks Bogle's clever use of rhetorical devices and telling little details, especially at the end (it's all happened again ... and again, and again", etc). But the sentiments are broadly similar.

Marje

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: michaelr
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 07:13 PM

Breezy, here you go:

It Is Time (Hannes Wader)

Far in Champagne in mid-summer green
Where between grave-crosses poppies are blooming
The grasses whisper and softly sway
In the wind softly caressing the graveyard.
On your cross I find, dead soldier,
Not your name, only numbers, and someone has
Painted the number nineteen hundred and sixteen
And you weren't even nineteen years old.

Chorus:
Yes, they lied to you exactly
As they're still doing to us today,
And you gave them everything:
Your strength, your youth, your life.

Did you, dead soldier, ever love a girl?
Surely not, for only where there is peace
Can tenderness and trust flourish.
You were a soldier in order to die, not to be young.
Maybe you thought, I'll fall soon enough,
I'll take my pleasure as it comes, by force
You were determined to do that, but then
You were ashamed of yourself, and never did.

Soldier, did you go believing and willing to your death?
Or did you – desperate, embittered, savage –
Not recognize your real enemy until the end?
I hope you met with a clean shot.
Or did a missile tear your limbs to shreds
Did you scream for your mother until the last,
Did you run on on the stumps of your legs,
And does your grave hold more than a leg, a hand

All that's left is the cross as the only trace
Of your life, but hear my vow
To fight for peace and be vigilant:
Should mankind fall for lies again
It could come to pass that soon no one will live
No one to bury the billions of dead.
But more and more people are preparing
To prevent this war; it is time.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Bugsy
Date: 08 Jan 10 - 01:18 AM

Tell me michaelr, did you use the "translate" button on this page to get the English version of Hans Wader's song?

It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense somehow.


Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 08 Jan 10 - 05:49 AM

FWIW, I have heard a version in Dutch as well. it was recorded by the group Wolverlei during the seventies.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: oldhippie
Date: 08 Jan 10 - 07:25 AM

Joe, do you know of a CD recording of the youtube video?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: michaelr
Date: 08 Jan 10 - 10:52 AM

did you use the "translate" button on this page...?

Hardly. German is my first language, and I translated Wader's text line by line. If it doesn't make sense, I am not to blame.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Jan 10 - 06:24 PM

Hi, Oldhippie-
I didn't find a CD recording available in the United States. There are, however, several MP3 versions available for download at Amazon. Interestingly, it is identified as having [explicit] lyrics.

More and more European recordings are becoming available in the US as MP3s - at reasonable prices. It may not be worthwhile to ship CDs to the US, but downloading makes distribution very efficient.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Bugsy
Date: 08 Jan 10 - 08:17 PM

"German is my first language, and I translated Wader's text line by line. If it doesn't make sense, I am not to blame."

Indeed you are not, and the fact that it is translated line by line is nmost probably why it doesn't scan.

No offence meant.

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: michaelr
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 01:19 AM

Bugsy, "scan" is a vague term. If you need clarification on the meaning of Wader's text, I'll be happy to oblige.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Reinhard
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 01:58 AM

Michael, Bugsy didn't critisize you ;-) He just said that while translating songs line by line retains the meaning it certainly looses metre and rhyme; which makes the translation look clumsy. And that is exactly why Hannes Wader didn't translate Eric Bogle's lyrics but re-created the song with his own words.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Marje
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 05:00 AM

And I'll come to Michael's defence here: his translation is accurate. There are two reasons it doesn't read as well as the English version: first, literally translated poetry doesn't rhyme or scan, but also - crucially here - the German text is at time clumsy, and nowhere near as cleverly writeen as Bogle's version.

Marje

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 07:29 PM

I doubt 'clumsy' is a term often applied to Hannes Wader's lyrics, but then, 'clever' isn't either. That just isn't his style. He has a more straightforward, sometimes agitatory approach than Eric and has brought his own background to the song, but I don't see that either version can be pronounced 'better' or worse'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Bugsy
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 08:56 PM

Well I certainly didn't mean to start an argument and definitely not one where people take sides.

Let's just say, I withdraw all comments about the song and leave it at that.

Life's too short and there's too much else to do than argue over a matter like this.


Cheers


Bugsy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: michaelr
Date: 09 Jan 10 - 10:51 PM

I don't see any argument. We're just chatting here. No need to withdraw anything, Bugs; I did not feel criticized by your post.

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: breezy
Date: 10 Jan 10 - 05:36 AM

To marje I say thanks

To Michaelr , many tanks.

being used to finding translations from welsh to english strange this one seems pretty good to me.

E B's song has been a basis for this one and if it works in german then dat ees gut

Michealr , thanks again for going to all that trouble, happy new year








To Bugsy , I say


sorfahtofit

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Marje
Date: 10 Jan 10 - 05:39 AM

Me neither, I'm not out for an argument. Translating a song or poem is never easy - something is almost always lost. I ws just defending Michael's translation, which was perfectly OK, and it wasn't his fault if the end result of two stages of translation (English-German-English) lacked something in comparison to the original.
I don't think Eric Bogle would be anything but flattered that so much trouble has been taken to take his song to a wider audience.

Marje

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: oggie
Date: 10 Jan 10 - 04:42 PM

There is also a version that I have of Wader, the Sands Family and Dick Gaughan singing it live with a mix of german and english verses.

Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: GUEST,Gulliver
Date: 10 Jan 10 - 05:33 PM

Thanks for translating this, Michael. I started but you've done a better job than I could. Don

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Bugsy
Date: 10 Jan 10 - 07:34 PM

sorfahtofit?

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Jan 10 - 02:25 PM

Of course a fluent human translator is always best, but if you ever need to use a computer translation, I recommend Google Translate. It gives a better translation than Babel Fish, and it has more languages to choose from.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: oldhippie
Date: 12 Jan 10 - 03:38 PM

I'm just glad Mr Wader wrote and recorded it, regardless how it translates. The recording in German will work in conjunction with Eric's original.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Wolfgang
Date: 13 Jan 10 - 10:22 AM

Michael's translation follows very closely (and very well translated) the German lyrics. That makes the translation sometimes sound a bit clumsy. When he had the choice between a more elegant translation sacrificing the line structure and a more verbatim translation Michael has chosen the verbatim version. I would have done the same.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 07:10 AM

TO AY SA ORAS NG
(Hannes mananampisaw)

Malayong sa Champagne rehiyon sa midsummer berde,
May mamulaklak kung saan ang libingan tumawid sa pagitan ng poppies,
Dahil ang grasses lihim na usapan at gumiwang-giwang bahagyang
Sa hangin, ang maamo strokes sa lupa libing.
Sa iyong cross ko mahanap ang isang patay na sundalo
Ang iyong pangalan ay hindi lamang ang mga numero, at may taong nag -
Ang bilang Neunzehnhundertundsechzehn lagyan ng kulay
At kayo ay hindi kahit na labinsiyam na taong gulang.
Chorus:
Oo, kayo masyadong na-lied sa, sila lang
Tulad ng ginagawa nila sa amin pa rin ngayon,
At binigyan mo ang lahat ng mga ito:
Ang iyong lakas, ang iyong kabataan, ang iyong buhay.

2. Hast ikaw, patay na sundalo, kapag mahal ng isang girl?
Malamang hindi, dahil lamang sa kung saan may kapayapaan,
Maaari maging maunlad lambing at pagtitiwala,
Ay ka ng isang sundalo upang mamatay para hindi na kabataan.
Siguro ka-iisip sa iyo, na ako nang mahulog sa lalong madaling panahon
Lumabas aking kasiyahan, kung paano ito ay may karahasan.
Para sa mga ito ikaw ay tinutukoy na kayo pero pagkatapos
Napapahiya ng iyong sarili at ito ay hindi kailanman.
Chorus:

3. Sundalo, ang isang paniniwala at ikaw nagpunta maluwag sa kalooban sa kanilang pagkamatay?
O ikaw ay may malubha, mapait, bulgar,
Ang iyong mga tunay na kaaway ay hindi kinikilala hanggang sa katapusan?
Umaasa ako na ito nakilala mo ang isang malinis na pagbaril.
O kaya ay may isang bala natastas ang iyong mga limbs,
Nakarating na cried para sa iyong ina sa huling;
Sigurado weitergerannt sa iyong stumps,
At ang iyong mga libingan, ito ay nagsasangkot ng higit pa sa isang paa, ang isang kamay.
Chorus:

4. May naiiwan lamang sa krus bilang lamang ang bakas
Sa pamamagitan ng iyong buhay, ngunit makinig sa aking panunumpa,
Upang makipag-away para sa kapayapaan at upang maging mapagbantay:
Kung ang sangkatauhan sa muli nakuha sa pamamagitan ng kasinungalingan,
At ito ay maaring mangyari na sa lalong madaling panahon sa isang walang buhay
Walang isa na buries ang bilyon-bilyong mga namamatay.
Subalit na mayroong higit pa at mas maraming tao ang gustong
Upang maiwasan ang digmaan, ito ay tungkol sa panahon.
Chorus:

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: oldhippie
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 07:26 AM

Please clarify what the above post is.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 07:51 AM

I note, from that page bfdk gave us with the words of Hannes Wader's version, that while it provides a link to Eric Bogles original, it marks this as "Irischer Text". Strange how the notion that this is an Irish song to start with has established itself.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: No Man's Land with German lyrics
From: Marje
Date: 14 Jan 10 - 11:49 AM

Even more odd is the fact that "Irischer Text" would suggest that it's not in the English language but in Gaelic.

I'm sure Aeric O'Bogle would be amused.

Marje