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Sie hing wie eine Latte Vom Schranke steif und stumm. Am Morgen sah's ihr Gatte, Lief nach dem Polizeipräsidium. »Meine Frau«, so schrie er, »ist verschieden...« Doch der Polizeiwachtmeister Schmidt Rollte blutig seine Augen: »Wie denn, ha'm Sie den Jeburtsschein mit?« Dieses hatte er mitnichten, Und er setzte sich in Trab, Spät entsann er sich der ehelichen Pflichten, -- schnitt sie ab. Und er legt den Strick an seine Kehle, Vor dem Spiegel, peinlich und honett. Nimmt noch einen Schluck, befiehlt Gott seine Seele -- schwapp, schon baumelt er am Ehebett.
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Henschke (1890 - 1928), as Jucundus Fröhlich Klabund, "Berliner Ballade" [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), "Berliner Ballade", 2011 [baritone and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Gary Bachlund) , "Berlin ballad", written 2011, copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Ballade berlinoise", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-01-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 89
She hung like a lump From the beam stiff and silent In the morning, her husband saw her And ran to the police headquarters "My wife," he cried, "is dead ..." But the police sergeant Schmidt rolled his bloodshot eyes: "Well then, did you bring her birth certificate with you?" This he did not have, And so he rushed off at a trot, Late remembering his conjugal duties -- and cut her down. And he put the rope on his throat, In front of the mirror, embarrassed yet respectable. Takes another sip, commended his soul to God, -- smack, now he dangles above the marriage bed.
Text Authorship:
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Berlin ballad", written 2011, copyright © 2011, (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 Alfred Henschke (1890 - 1928), as Jucundus Fröhlich Klabund, "Berliner Ballade"
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2012-01-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 104