About the Citizen Guard | Today my father heads off to the citizen guard

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possibly by Johanna Kinkel (1810 - 1858)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Von der Bürgerwache

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Heut zieht der Vater auf die Wacht
Und schirmt das Vaterland die ganze Nacht.
In fester Hand hält er das Bajonett
Derweil die Mutter liegt im warmen Bett.

Jetzt sitz' ich gern noch auf dem Schoos,
Doch das wird anders bin ich einmal gross,
Dann schwing' ich hoch die Fahne schwarzgoldroth
Und für die Freiheit geh ich in den Tod.

Text Authorship:

possibly by Johanna Kinkel (1810 - 1858) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Johanna Kinkel (1810 - 1858), "Von der Bürgerwache", op. 20 no. 10, published 1849, from Anleitungen zum Singen. Übungen und Liedchen für Kinder von drei bis sieben Jahren, no. 10, B. Schott's Söhne, Mainz [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "About the Citizen Guard", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2009-12-21
Line count: 8
Word count: 60

About the Citizen Guard

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Today my father heads off to the [citizen] guard
And protects the Fatherland the whole night long.
In his strong hand he holds his bayonet
While my mother lies in her warm bed.

Now I still like to sit upon someone’s lap,
But that will change when someday I am grown;
Then I shall brandish the black-gold-red flag
And for freedom I would go to my death.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2015 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) possibly by Johanna Kinkel (1810 - 1858)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2015-01-19
Line count: 8
Word count: 67