The button | There was a button on Fritz' cap

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by Hans Bötticher (1883 - 1934), as Joachim Ringelnatz

Translation © by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947)

Der Knopf

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Es war ein Knopf an Fritzens Mütze,
Der machte ungezogne Witze.
Erst strampelte er stundenlang,
Worauf er von der Mütze sprang.
Es fiel auf einen Kieselstein,
Dort schlief er ganz ermüdet ein.
Und eine Schlange sah den Schläfer;
Sie dachte sich, es sei ein Käfer.
Und weil der Käfer ihr gefiel
So fraß sie ihn mit Stumpf und Stiel.

Text Authorship:

by Hans Bötticher (1883 - 1934), as Joachim Ringelnatz [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Der Knopf", 2008 [medium voice and piano], from Kleine Wesen, no. 11 [ sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , "The button", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-09
Line count: 10
Word count: 59

The button

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

There was a button on Fritz' cap,
a cheeky, jocular, knobby chap.
At first it struggled hours long
To break the threads which held it strong.
But when it finally fell, it found a little stone
And there it slept, button tired and prone.
A snake came upon the sleeper,
For tasty beetles lure on this creeper.
Thinking it was some crunchy bug
It ate that button with a happy shrug.

Text Authorship:

by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "The button", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Hans Bötticher (1883 - 1934), as Joachim Ringelnatz
- Go to the text page.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2009-03-14
Line count: 10
Word count: 71