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by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956)
Translation © by Sean Phillip Mabrey

Die Ballade von der sexuellen Hörigkeit
Language: German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
Da ist nun einer schon der Satan selber
Der Metzger: er! und alle andern: Kälber!
Der frechste Hund! Der schlimmste Hurentreiber!
Wer kocht ihn ab, der alle abkocht? Weiber!
Das fragt nicht, ob er will - er ist bereit.
Das ist die sexuelle Hörigkeit.
Der glaubt nicht an die Bibel, nicht ans BGB.
Er meint, er ist der größte Egoist.
Weiß, daß wer'n Weib sieht, schon verschoben ist.
Und läßt kein Weib in seine Näh:
Er soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben
Denn bevor es Nacht wird, liegt er wieder droben.

So mancher Mann sah manchen Mann verrecken
Ein großer Geist blieb in 'ner Hure stecken!
Und die's mit ansahn, was sie sich auch schwuren -
Als sie verreckten, wer brgrub sie? Huren!
Das fragt nicht, ob er will - er ist bereit.
Das ist die sexuelle Hörigkeit.
Der hält sich an die Bibel! Der ans BGB!
Er ist ein Christ und der ein Anarchist!
Am Mittag zwingt man sich, daß man nicht Sellerie frißt.
Nachmittags weiht man sich noch 'ner Idee.
Am Abend sagt man: Mit mir geht's nach oben.
Doch bevor es Nacht wird, liegt man wieder droben.

Da steht nun einer fast schon unterm Galgen
Der Kalk ist schon gekauft, ihn einzukalken.
Sein Leben hängt an einem brüch'gen Fädchen.
Und was hat er im Kopf, der Bursche? Mädchen!
Schon unterm Galgen, ist er noch bereit.
Das ist die sexuelle Hörigkeit.
Er ist schon sowieso verkauft mit Haut und Haar.
Bei ihr hat er den Judaslohn gesehn.
Und er beginnt nun zu verstehn
Daß ihm das Weibes Loch das Grabloch war.
Und er mag wüten gegen sich und toben -
Doch bevor es Nacht wird, liegt er wieder droben.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Text Authorship:

  • by Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956), written 1928, appears in Die Dreigroschenoper [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 Kurt Weill (1900 - 1950), "Die Ballade von der sexuellen Hörigkeit" [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Sean Phillip Mabrey) , "The Ballad of Sexual Addiction", copyright © 2005, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 36
Word count: 279

The Ballad of Sexual Addiction
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch) 
Now there is already a man who is Satan himself,
the butcher: he!  And all the others: cattle!
The audacious dog!  The worst whoremonger!
Who boiled him, who boils everyone?  Women.
It doesn't ask whether he's ready or not -- he just is.
That is the sexual addiction.
        He does not believe in the Bible, nor the book of middle class laws,
        he means to be the biggest egoist.
        He knows that whoever sees a woman is already compromised
        and lets no woman in his vicinity:
        he should not praise the day before the evening,
        for before it becomes night, he lies up there again.

So many a man saw many a man croak,
a great soul remained stuck in a whore!
And those who saw it, they also swore to themselves,
yet as they croaked, who buried them? Whores.
Whether they want to or not -- they are ready.
That is the sexual addiction.
        He holds himself to the Bible, he upholds the middle class codes.
        He becomes a Christian!  He becomes an anarchist!
        At midday they force themselves not to chow down on celery.
        Afternoons they embrace yet another idea.
        In the evening they say, "I'm doing so well -- I'm the top,"
        yet before it becomes night, they lay up there again.

Now one stands there almost under the gallows already,
the quicklime to put him in has already been bought.
His life hangs on brittle filaments
and what does he have in his head, that fellow?  Girls.
Already underneath the gallows, yet he is ready:
That is the sexual addiction.
        Anyway, his hide and hair have already been sold,
        he had seen her with Judas's thirty pieces of silver
        and he begins now to understand
        that a vagina was his grave hole.
        And he likes to rage against himself and rant --
        before it becomes night, he lays up there again.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2005 by Sean Phillip Mabrey, (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 Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956), written 1928, appears in Die Dreigroschenoper
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2005-01-24
Line count: 36
Word count: 311

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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