What would you not like? | Not for a thousand Thaler would I like it

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from Volkslieder (Folksongs)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Was möchtest du nicht?

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Ich möcht vor tausend Thaler nicht,
Daß mir der Kopf ab wär,
Da spräng ich mit dem Rumpf herum,
Und wüßt nicht, wo ich wär,
Die Leut schrien all und blieben stehn:
Ei guck einmal den! Ei guck einmal den!

Confirmed with Des Knaben Wunderhorn. Alte deutsche Lieder gesammelt von Achim v. Arnim u. Clemens Brentano, Neue Ausgabe, Dritter Band, Berlin: Expedition des. v. Arnimschen Verlags, 1846, page 437.

Text Authorship:

from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Was möchtest du nicht?", appears in Des Knaben Wunderhorn [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 Hanns Eisler (1898 - 1962), "Was möchtest du nicht?", 1929 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "What would you not like?", copyright © 2013, (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: 6
Word count: 40

What would you not like?

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Not for a thousand Thaler would I like it
If my head were removed.
Then I would have to hop about with my torso,
And would not know where I am.
The people would all scream and stop [to stare]:
Oh look at him!  Oh look at him!

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2013 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) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Was möchtest du nicht?", appears in Des Knaben Wunderhorn
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2013-07-31
Line count: 6
Word count: 48