Free as a bird | Free as a bird and without cares

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by Julius Wolff (1834 - 1910)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Vogelfrei

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Vogelfrei und sorgenlos 
Treib' ich mich durch's Weite,
Und die Welt, die Welt ist groß 
In der Läng' und Breite.

Wo kein Weg und wo kein Steg,
Weiß ich mich zu finden,
Grade zu geht's oder schräg,
Flott in allen Winden.

Wo ich geh' und wo ich steh',
Kann ich selig werden,
Denn nach meinem Wohl und Weh 
Fragt kein Mensch auf Erden.

Meinen Waizen seh' ich blühn
Auch im kleinsten Städtchen,
Mir sind alle Wirthe grün
Und nicht gram die Mädchen.

Kann ich nur ein lustig Lied
Singen oder geigen,
Wird auch sonder Unterschied
Alles mir zu eigen.

Hier ein Kännlein, dort ein Kuß,
Schlafen oder Zechen,
Und in allem Überfluß
Brauch' ich nichts zu blechen.

Leicht Gepäck und leichten Schritt,
Leichten Sinn auch hab' ich,
Manch ein Herzchen nehm' ich mit,
Und von dannen trab' ich.

Um kein ungelegtes Ei
Kümmr' ich mich daneben, 
Sorgenlos und vogelfrei,
Das ist Spielmannsleben.

Confirmed with Julius Wolff, Singuf. Rattenfängerlieder, Dritte vermehrte Auflage, Berlin: G. Grote'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1883, pages 10-11.

Text Authorship:

by Julius Wolff (1834 - 1910), "Vogelfrei", appears in Singuf: Rattenfängerlieder [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 Hermann Brune (1856 - 1922), "Vogelfrei", op. 21 no. 6, published 1885 [ voice and piano ], from Lieder aus Julius Wolff's Dichtungen für 1 Singstimme mit Pianoforte, no. 6, Hannover, Schmorl & von Seefeld [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl Kleemann , "Vogelfrei", op. 6 (Vier Lieder) no. 2, published 1885 [ voice and piano ], Berlin: Simrock [sung text not yet checked]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Free as a bird", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2012-05-04
Line count: 32
Word count: 152

Free as a bird

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Free as a bird and without cares
I betake myself through the expanses,
And the world, the world is large
In length and in breadth.

[Even] where there is no road and no path,
I know how to find my way,
[Whether] it goes straight ahead or off to the side,
Fleet whatever winds may blow.

Wherever I go and wherever I stand,
I can be happy,
For no one on earth cares
About my weal and woe.

Fortune smiles upon me
Even in the smallest town;
All innkeepers look favourably upon me,
And the girls are not cross with me.

If I can only sing or 
Fiddle a merry song,
Everything, no matter what,
All comes to belong to me.

Here a tankard, there a kiss,
Sleeping or carousing,
And in all the surplus
I do not have to pay a thing.

I travel lightly with a light step,
I am also light-hearted;
Many a sweetheart I take along,
And then I tramp off.

Besides, I do not worry
At all about the future;
Without cares and free as a bird,
That is the life of a minstrel.

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2020 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 Julius Wolff (1834 - 1910), "Vogelfrei", appears in Singuf: Rattenfängerlieder
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2020-10-01
Line count: 32
Word count: 189