Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers

Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: Mrrzy
Date: 12 Dec 19 - 11:25 AM

Man, I had this by the Clancies or the Dubliners and always though it was about the Troubles. Mom was totally tonedeaf but I'll ask my uncle about it. They survived the camps.

Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 12 Dec 19 - 11:30 AM

Here a Dutch (or in this case, Flemish) version:

Rum : Moorsoldaten

Rum was a Flemish group active during the seventies. Through their Argentinian band member they were also responsible for putting La Partida out in the wider international folkscene.

Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 12 Dec 19 - 01:18 PM

Rum was also the first I heard play 'De Berendans' during the early seventies or so. Perhaps we can blame them for that one as well.

But hey did a nice job on the Moorsoldaten and many other things, Wiet van der Leest's musettes on the tenor guitar were always great.

Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: Jack Campin
Date: 31 Jan 25 - 06:03 PM

Very detailed history of the origins of the song, and how it soon changed a bit:

https://holocaustmusic.ort.org/places/camps/music-early-camps/moorsoldatenlied/

Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: Jack Campin
Date: 31 Jan 25 - 07:10 PM

Another detailed history:

https://www.hf.uni-koeln.de/39725

Parallels between Börgermoor and Guantanamo intended.

Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: GerryM
Date: 31 Jan 25 - 09:57 PM

This essay makes reference to a Yiddish version (but doesn't actually give the version, nor any link to it): https://townhallseattle.org/artist-in-residence-maia-brown-seeking-a-song/

Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: GerryM
Date: 31 Jan 25 - 10:11 PM

The Yiddish translation seems to be called "Zumpland" according to scattered references online, but still no luck finding lyrics, recording, etc.

Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Jan 25 - 10:50 PM

Hmmm. I'm not having any luck with a Yiddish version yet.
My favorite German interpreter of the song is Hannes Wader. His lyrics are almost the same as the German version in the Digital Tradition, but the DT version has more verses and a few different words.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-boCKJsDe5U

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DIE MOORSOLDATEN (DT Lyrics)
(Johann Esser und Wolfgang Langhoff (Tr. Frank))
Melodie - Rudi Goguel

Wohin auch das Auge blicket,
Moor und Heide nur ringsum.
Vogelsang uns nicht erquicket,
Eichen stehen kahl und krumm.

Cho: Wir sind die Moorsoldaten,
Und ziehen mit dem Spaten,
Ins Moor.

Hier in dieser öden Heide
Ist das Lager aufgebaut,
Wo wir fern von jeder Freude
Hinter Stacheldraht verstaut.

Morgens ziehen die Kolonnen
In das Moor zur Arbeit hin.
Graben bei dem Brand der Sonne,
Doch zur Heimat steht der Sinn.

Heimwärts, heimwärts jeder sehnet,
Zu den Eltern, Weib und Kind.
Manche Brust ein Seufzer dehnet,
Weil wir hier gefangen sind.

Auf und nieder gehn die Posten,
Keiner, keiner, kann hindurch.
Flucht wird nur das Leben kosten,
Vierfach ist umzäunt die Burg.

Doch für uns gibt es kein Klagen,
Ewig kann's nicht Winter sein.
Einmal werden froh wir sagen:
Heimat, du bist wieder mein:

Dann ziehn die Moorsoldaten
Nicht mehr mit dem Spaten
Ins Moor!

@German @WWII
filename[ PEATBOG2
TUNE FILE: PEATBOG
CLICK TO PLAY
WH
apr00

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Here is the entry from the Traditional Ballad Index:

Moorsoldaten, Die (Peat-Bog Soldiers)

DESCRIPTION: German: The prisoners, trapped in a concentration camp, carry their spades to work in the moors and bogs. There is no escape; they can only keep working. But the winter (of despair) will eventually end, and they can reclaim their corrupted homeland
AUTHOR: unknown (see notes)
EARLIEST DATE: 1933 (reported written that summer at Borgermoor)
KEYWORDS: war prisoner hardtimes abuse political foreignlanguage
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Scott-TheBalladOfAmerica, pp. 354-355, "Die Moorsoldaten (Peat-Bog Soldiers)" (2 texts (1 English, 1 German), 1 tune)
Fireside-Book-of-Folk-Songs, p. 210 "The Peat-Bog Soldiers" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 307, "Peat Bog Soldiers" (1 text)
DT, PEATBOG*
ADDITIONAL: Shoshana Kalisch with Barbara Meister, _Yes, We Sang!: Songs of the Ghettos and Concentration Camps_, Harper & Row, 1985, pp. 92-96, "Moorsoldten / Peat Bog Soldiers" (1 German text plus the "Peat Bog Solders" translation, 1 tune)
NOTES [106 words]: This is properly a German folksong, but the English translation has become so popular in revival circles that it probably belongs here.
Most sources list this as anonymous, but Kalisch says the German words are be "Esser," adapted by Wolfgang Langhoff, and the music by Rudi Goguel.
Klaisch, p. 92, claims that it was the "first song ever written in a Nazi concentration camp" (Borgermoor). That strikes me as unlikely, but it is very probably the most popular. Kalisch adds that some people had a false impression that it came from the Spanish Civil War, because it was recorded by Ernst Busch who fought in the International Brigade. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.1
File: SBoA354

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Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: r.padgett
Date: 01 Feb 25 - 02:26 AM

Surprised no mention of Swan Arcade harmony group Dave and Heather Brady/Bradley and Jim Boyes of Bradford who sang with gusto ~ Heather I believe taught German ~ they popularised this in the 1970s

Ray

Subject: RE: Origins: Peat Bog Soldiers
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 01 Feb 25 - 05:13 AM

Mixed bag:

“...That same year [1935] while passing through London, the composer Hanns Eisler and singer Ernst Busch met a German who had been “freed” from Börgermoor, who gave them the lyrics and sang them the melody with a few approximations….”

“According to the authors, he was apparently a Gestapo informant.”
[Inge Lammel and Günther Hofmeyer, eds., Lieder aus den faschistischen Konzentrationslagern (Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister, 1962)]
On Discogs:Ernst Busch – 6 Songs For Democracy

Note: Both the American's Keynote and Stinson record labels were de facto Stalinist franchises (Amkino, NKVB, GUGB &c. &c.) The movie (below) would/should have been running in their American cinemas at the time.

Mudcat Zhankoye thread mentioned above: Origins/lyrics: Hey Zhankoye

The Yiddish-Soviet titles are closer to “Swamp” soldiers.

Same late 1930s Lefty-v-Nazi theme, no song (soundies were still new tech.) Peat-Bog Soldiers. Ukrainian actor Ivan Koval-Samborsky (1893 – 1962)(Walter in the film) was himself a Soviet political prisoner before the movie even premiered. It's available on yTube and Archive.org if that's your thing.

But, faded-jaded memory says this one might be closer to the North American's Organization for Jewish Colonization in Russia and Birobidzhan.
(Biro-Bidjan in Yankee-English)