Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me

Subject: Another WW II song:
From: toadfrog
Date: 30 May 01 - 02:11 AM

Does anyone recall this? An unimportant (but guaranteed Traditional) song from World War II

My country's mean to me
I come from Germany!
My name is Fritz!
I like my sauerkraut,
It makes my ears turn out . . . .

[That's all I recall.] Sung to the tune of God Save the Queen. I guess this is an anti-German song, but not so scurrilous as many. Anyone remember any more? (Time and provenance are about the same as for Little Moron jokes; E.g. Q. "Why did the little moron bury his wife under the house?" A. "Because he wanted to play, 'I'm Walking the Floor over You'!")

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Another WW II song:
From: DougR
Date: 30 May 01 - 02:32 AM

Toadfrog, I thought I knew WWII songs pretty well, but I sure never heard that one. In what country was it popular?

DougR

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Another WW II song:
From: Joe_F
Date: 30 May 01 - 09:26 AM

My country's tired of me / I come from Germany / My name is Fritz / I love my sauerkraut / It makes my ears stick out / From every mountaintop / Let sauerkraut sprout.

My country's tired of me / I went to Germany / To see the King / His name is Donald Duck / He drove a garbage truck / Here's wishing the best of luck / In Donald's reign.

-- Pankake & Pankake, _A Prairie Home Companion Folk Song Book_

The nonrhyming last lines are perhaps meant as feeble teases.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Another WW II song:
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Mar 14 - 05:19 AM

"My country's mean to me; I'm going to Germany, to see the king. His name is Donald Duck. He drives a garbage truck."

That's all I ever heard of it, in the mid-1950s. I CAN'T believe that there wasn't more, so, I deduced about 5 years ago, based on the rhyming scheme, that it would have progressed as:

"He doesn't give a f*** about any thing." which is why I never heard more of it, growing up in a somewhat genteel suburban neighborhood, about age 5.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Another WW II song:
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Mar 14 - 05:26 AM

P.S. I should report that it was a suburb of Washington, D.C., in a new housing development (1950) filled with World War II veterans' families from all around the country. My father was one of those vets who probably was helped by the V.A. Bill to get the home loan.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Another WW II song:
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 12 Mar 14 - 06:29 AM

Interesting ditty, obviously starting in the USA as a parody of the patriotic anthem "My country, 'tis of thee". The most logical verse would be "My country's mean to me, I'll go to Germany!" The frustrated narrator either hopes to be treated better in any other country, even in Germany, or he is a soldier and wants to become a war hero and thus earn his country's respect. With attitudes towards Germany constantly changing, such folk ditties inevitably become corrupted.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Another WW II song:
From: GUEST,Tanya Lynn
Date: 05 Mar 19 - 06:55 PM

I never heard the other verses!y Daddy used to sing “I love my sauerkraut, it makes my ears stick out, from every mountainside, let sauerkraut sprout!” He lived is sauerkraut too. Lol!

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 06 Mar 19 - 07:25 AM

In New York City, circa 1960, we sang

My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of Germany,
My name is Fritz.
I am a German spy
Caught by the FBI.
Tomorrow I will die.
Oh, fiddlesticks!

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 06 Mar 19 - 07:30 AM

Now I see that I posted the above on another thread a year ago.

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 06 Mar 19 - 07:33 AM

And I also posted it in this thread,
two years ago.

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Feb 20 - 09:57 PM

Here is my Grandfather’s version.
My country tis’ of thee,
I hail from Germany, my name is Fritz.
Give me some sauerkraut, I’ll knock that Kaiser out,
Give me some franks and bier
And I’ll stay right here!

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 23 Feb 20 - 04:23 AM

Guests, please choose a nickname so that we can refer to your posts.

Also in such cases, we would appreciate if a date and place were mentioned, and if possible some hints as to how the verse was understood.

Does the last mentioned version actually predate the 1950s? And possibly even 1918? And what currency would "franks" be – Swiss?

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 23 Feb 20 - 05:56 AM

Grishka, I'm pretty sure franks are food – hot dogs (frankfurters) – and not any kind of currency.

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Feb 20 - 11:31 AM

All of these sound like they could have come from boys in the third grade in my neighborhood in Detroit in the mid-1950s.

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 24 Feb 20 - 05:04 AM

Thanks, Gerry, for enlightening us Europeans.

Joe, it is indeed the kind of ditty that boys would enjoy, but I doubt this one was made up from nothing. The versions referring to immigrants from Germany are not too difficult to understand. Those with "I'm going to Germany" etc. are more interesting, wherein "my country" would be the USA.

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Sep 21 - 06:16 PM

My mother was born in 1924. She learned the following from her Uncle Fred Christiansen who was originally from Denmark. He went back to Europe with the U.S. Army to fight the Germans during the first world war. She sang the song in school, the teacher told my grandmother and my grandmother spanked my mother. I'm a little rusty with the words.
My country, tis of thee (I'm not sure of this part)
My name is Fritz.
Give me some sauerkraut, I'll know the Kaiser out.
Give me a bottle of been and I'll stay right here.

Anyone out there familiar with this version?

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Apr 22 - 10:49 AM

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of Germany, my name is Fritz. My father was a spy, shot by the FBI, he taught me how to lie, my name is Fritz. From my father, in the 1960s. Probably sang it as a kid during WWII.

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST,Zeebee
Date: 25 Aug 23 - 06:40 AM

My country tis of thee, I come from Germany, my name is Fritz.
Give me some sauerkraut, don't leave the weiners out,

Next stanza was about fear and beer, now forgotten.

Sung as a youngster in Pittsburgh, Pa mid-1940's

Subject: RE: Req: Another WW II song: My country's mean to me
From: GUEST,Michael Meyer
Date: 17 Feb 24 - 07:39 PM

From my grandparents who came over in the late 1920's
My country tis of thee, I come from Germany. My name is Fritz.
Give me some sauerkraut, don't leave the weiners out, and give me a glass of beer and I'll stay here!