You know whom I mean! | You know whom I mean

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by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Ihr wisst ja, wen ich meine

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Ihr wißt ja, wen ich meine, 
Sie singt wie ihr so fein: 
Auf! auf! und grüßt die Eine 
Mir schön, ihr Vögelein! 

Noch rascher mögt ihr Lüfte 
Wohl fliegen zu ihr hin: 
O sagt's ihr, süße Düfte, 
Wie treu, wie treu ich bin! 

Am schnellsten seid ihr Strahlen 
Mit euerm goldnen Licht: 
Küßt mir zu tausend Malen 
Ihr heitres Angesicht! 

Ihr wißt ja, wen ich meine, 
Wen ich im Herzen trag', 
An wen ich denk' alleine 
Den lieben langen Tag!

Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, page 192.

Text Authorship:

by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Ihr wißt ja, wen ich meine!", appears in Liederbuch, in 2. Liebeslieder, no. 218 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Franz Wilhelm Abt (1819 - 1885), "Ihr wisst ja, wen ich meine", op. 343 (2 Lieder für eine Singstimme mit Pianoforte) no. 1, published 1868 [ voice and piano ], Offenbach, André [sung text not yet checked]
by Alwin Blättermann , "Ihr wisst ja, wen ich meine", published 1893 [ men's chorus ], Leipzig: Klemm [sung text not yet checked]
by Ernst Paul Flügel (1844 - 1912), "Ihr wisst ja, wen ich meine", op. 5 (Sieben Lieder für 1 Singstimme mit Pianofortebegleitung) no. 3, published 1879 [ voice and piano ], Berlin, Bote & Bock [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "You know whom I mean!", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-01-09
Line count: 16
Word count: 80

You know whom I mean!

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

You know whom I mean,
Like you, she sings so sweetly:
Be off! be off! and nicely greet
The One for me, ye birdlets

Even more swiftly, ye breezes,
You could fly over to her:
Oh, sweet scents, tell her
How faithful, how faithful I am!

Ye sunbeams are the quickest
With your golden light:
Kiss her bright face for me
A thousand times!

For you know whom I mean,
Whom I carry in my heart,
Of whom alone I think
All the livelong day!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 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) by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Ihr wißt ja, wen ich meine!", appears in Liederbuch, in 2. Liebeslieder, no. 218
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-04-14
Line count: 16
Word count: 85