by
Lion Feuchtwanger (1884 - 1958)
Das Lied von den Braunen Inseln
Language: German (Deutsch)
Available translation(s): ENG
Das ist von den braunen Inseln das Lied,
Die Männer sind schlecht und die Weiber sind krank.
Und eine Äffin macht dort den Betrieb
Und die Felder verdorren im Öl-gestank.
Gehst hin, Freddy? Ich nicht, Teddy,
Der Dollar allein macht das Herz nicht froh.
Gehst hin, Freddy? Ich nicht, Teddy,
Ich wenn Affen sehen will, ich geh in Zoo.
Das sind die braunen Inseln, mein Jung,
Die Weiber sind krank und the Männer sind schlecht.
Eine Äffin hält dort das Ganze in Schwung.
Und wer kommt ist gesund, und wer geht ist geschächt.
Wer kommt ist gesund und wer geht ist geschächt.
Die Äffin regiert in Bett und Fabrik.
Die Äffin hat Geld und die Äffin hat Recht.
Und das Mannsvolk pariert in Bett und Fabrik.
Petroleum stinkt und die Insel stinkt.
Sie stinkt nach gelben und schwarzem Mann.
Doch der Dollar stinkt nicht, den das Erdöl bringt
Und gegen die Äffin kann keiner an.
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Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Shawn Thuris) , "Song of the Brown Islands", copyright ©, (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: 20
Word count: 155
Song of the Brown Islands
Language: English  after the German (Deutsch)
This is the song of the brown islands:
The men are poorly and the women are sick.
And a monkey runs the works
And the fields wither under the stench of oil.
Going there, Freddy? Not me, Teddy,
The dollar alone won't make a happy heart.
Going there, Freddy? Not me, Teddy,
If I want to see monkeys, I'll go to the zoo.
These are the brown islands, my son:
The women are sick and the men are poorly.
A monkey runs everything there.
And who comes is well and who goes is weak.
Who comes is well and who goes is weak.
The monkey reigns in bed and factory.
The monkey has gold and the monkey is right.
And parries the men in bed and factory.
Petroleum stinks and the island stinks.
It stinks of a man gold and black.
But the dollar that the oil brings doesn't stink,
And no one can resist the monkey.
Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © by Shawn Thuris, (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:
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 157