Dear Heino enthusiasts from all over the world, I think it's time I told you something about my favourite Heino songs. As this is an international website, I suppose many of you will have trouble understanding Heino's lyrics anyway, so you might be interested in having some of them explained. And if you speak German fluently, well, you might still like to read them schwarz auf weiß (or braun, considering the design of Kasper's site) and give them a thought or two, or maybe even read them aloud to your family and friends!
Plus it's high time the poetic genius of the likes of Adolf von Kleebsattel, Martin Stonsdorf or Jung / Schatz / Röckelein get some kind of appreciation in the www. Try a search engine on one of the names, and you'll know what I mean. (I'll resist the attempt of translating the names, but let me tell you this much: Adolf von Kleebsattel does not exactly mean "Adolf of the Sticky Saddle"! And no prizes for finding out why the given name Adolf looks familiar to you!)
My little exposition takes the form of a guided tour of a 1990 set of 3 LP's (which also used to be available as 3 CD's or 2 MC's) called
Das Allerbeste von Heino
The Very Best of Heino
It's supposed to be a 25th anniversary collection, since Heino started his recording career in the mid-60's, and the record sleeve claims it's...
Ein volles, ein tolles Programm
A full, a smashing programme
...which I can only confirm! Like in this short exposition, I'll mix original text, translation and commentary. I've only picked out the parts I found most interesting, so some of the songs from the sampler aren't even mentioned here. Please bear the following in mind:
Excerpt:
Holla-dia-dia-holladi-holladi-ho
Commentary:
This is self-explanatory, folks! Get with it...
Excerpt:
In der ersten Hütte, da ham wir zusammen gesessen,
In der zweiten Hütte, da ham wir zusammen gegessen,
In der dritten Hütte hab ich sie geküßt,
Keiner weiß, was dann geschehen ist!
Tentative translation:
In the first hut we sat together,
In the second hut we ate together,
In the third hut I kissed her,
Nobody knows what happened next!
Commentary:
This is not a documentation of amnesia but a suggestive frivolity:
Of course he himself knows what happened, and we can guess,
can't we? I'd like to know if they needed a fourth hut for that,
though.
Excerpt:
La Montanara und Fujiyama,
Berge sind überall schön!
Gletscher und Sonne,
Herzen voll Wonne,
Herrlich, die Sterne zu seh'n!
Tentative translation:
La Montanara and Fujiyama,
Mountains are always beautiful,
Glacier and sun,
Hearts full of joy,
Great to see the stars!
Commentary:
Yes, the original formulation also sounds a little, well, helpless
in its presumed praise of the beauties of nature, but that's what makes
it so very charming! Plus it's amazing to see how fast the sun can give
way to the stars when you're brainstorming about the mountains!
Excerpt:
Wir trinken vom Bach, der so klar und so rein,
Zur Not darf's auch Bier aus 'nem Maßkrug sein!
(Eins, zwei, g'suffa!)
Tentative translation:
We drink from the creek so clear and so pure,
If necessary, we also accept beer from a jug!
(One, two, drink it!)
Commentary:
Talk about tongue in cheek! By the way, "Eins, zwei, gsuffa"
is a Bavarian toast that probably has no direct English equivalent. Well,
I tried my best...
Excerpt:
Grüne Palmen, blaues Meer,
Alles das gefällt mir sehr,
Doch am schönsten ist die Welt,
Wenn der Schnee ganz leise fällt!
Tentative translation:
Green palms, blue sea,
I like all that very much,
But the world is most beautiful
When the snow falls quietly!
Commentary:
Another example of the audacious simplicity I adore so much about these
texts! Also note how every item is listed with a colour, like in the famous
descriptions of "Die schwarze Barbara" or "Mohikana Shalali"!
Excerpt:
Ja, ja, die Katja, die hat ja Wodka im Blut,
Feuer im Herzen und die Augen voll Glut
Ja, ja, die Katja, die hat ja nur eines im Sinn:
Sie schaut Dich nur an, und Du bist hin!
Tentative translation:
Oh yeah, Katia has vodka in her blood,
Fire in her heart and a blaze in her eyes,
Oh yeah, Katia has only one thing on her mind:
She just looks at you, and you're gone!
Commentary:
The "ja" in "die hat ja" is actually redundant and means
something like "you know". But of course it's useful in constructing the
mind-boggling rhyme "Katja"/ "hat ja", one of the most audacious
constructions you will ever find in a Schlager!
Excerpt:
Beim alten Bill in Oklahoma,
Da ist die ganze Nacht was los,
Denn nirgends auf der Welt,
Da kriegt man für sein Geld
So viel Musik und schöne Mädchen!
Tentative translation:
Old Bill's place in Oklahoma
Is crammed all night,
'Cause you're not going to get
More music or pretty girls for your money
Anywhere else in this world!
Commentary:
Anybody living in Oklahoma is urged to check this place out, it sure
sounds interesting! By the way, I must say that the slightly tricky topics
involved in this song are handled admirably frankly! Well what the hell,
if you got more money, you gotta get more pretty girls, right? That's the
way it's gotta be in the land of the brave and the free!
Excerpt:
Karamba, karacho, ein Whisky,
Karamba, karacho, ein Gin,
Verflucht, Sakramento, Dolores,
Und alles ist wieder hin!
Tentative translation:
Caramba, [karacho], a whisky,
Caramba, [karacho], a gin,
Damn, sakramento, Dolores,
And everything's ruined again!
Commentary:
This one's kind of hard to translate! "Karacho" is some kind
of sound word, if I may put it that way, and it usually stands for a big
bang or a terrible mess; probably stems from "Krach", a German word
for noise. It may not make much sense in the context of this song but it
makes for a nice alliteration, doesn't it?
Editor's note: According to another worshipper, Juan Carlos (Hansi) Dominguez-Braun, this word is a Germanized version of the Spanish word "carajo", alternatively used by Spaniards to say "hell", "God-dammit" or "shit" as an expletive. During WW2, the Spanish soldiers of the famous "Blue Division" infected their German comrades in arms with their word "Carajo". German soldiers of all ranks began using this word, and it became part of colloquial German lingo ever since.
Yet another worshipper, Johannes Pfeiffer, suggests that it isn't anything military or "hell", "God-dammit" or "shit". It's just a another word for a fast speed with power and force. Maybe a little bit similar to "Hurry up". For example, "I drive with "Karacho"" (though it isn't common to say so in good old Germany).
Excerpt:
Die Caballeros tragen Sombreros
In Tampico,
Die Señoritas, die tragen nie was
In Tampico!
Tentative translation:
The caballeros wear sombreros
In Tampico
The señoritas never wear anything
In Tampico!
Commentary:
Like, wow! And "Señoritas" and "tragen nie was"
is almost as good a rhyme as "Katja" and "hat ja"!
Excerpt:
Und der Häuptling sprach, mein Bruder,
Eine Squaw verläßt Dich nie!
Tentative translation:
And the chief spoke, my brother,
A squaw will never leave you!
Commentary:
Yes, that's the kind of women we want! And they're all out there in
the Promised Land! (And to think I'm stuck with a European wife...)
Another excerpt:
Dort, wo die blauen Berge steh'n,
Da hab' ich sie zuerst geseh'n:
Rote Feder, schwarzes Haar,
Blaue Augen wunderbar,
Rote Lippen, stolzer Blick,
Weit ist der Weg zurück!
Tentative translation:
Where the blue mountains stand,
There I first saw her:
Red feather, black hair,
Blue eyes, wonderful,
Red lips, proud glance,
The way back is far!
Commentary:
Another example of the emotional power of primary colours: Red feather,
black hair and blue eyes? Oh, wonderful indeed! And if you're wondering
about the meaning of the enigmatic line about "the way back", just remember
how nicely "Blick" and "zurück" rhyme!
Excerpt:
Don Pedro lädt ein,
Tequila und Wein,
Muchachos, das Fest muß gelingen,
Drum laßt die Gitarren erklingen
Und alle Amigos singen!
Amigo, Siesta,
Wir feiern Fiesta
Am Strande von Copa Cabana,
Dann machen wir durch bis Mañana,
Und das noch mit allen Schikana!
Tentative translation:
Don Pedro invites,
Tequila and wine,
Muchachos, the party must succeed,
Therefore let the guitars sound
And all amigos sing!
Amigo, siesta,
We celebrate fiesta
On the beach of Copa Cabana,
Then we go on until mañana,
And we pull out all the stops!
Commentary:
Well, it should have been "mit allen Schikanen" instead of
"mit allen Schikana", but that would not have fit in with Mañana,
rhymewise. Other than that, I'll have to admit that this is one
of my favourite Heino songs: Ah, the wealth of "authentic" detail, and
the liberal sprinklings of native language! Although, come to think of
it, aren't they supposed to speak Portuguese in Brazil, instead of Spanish?
Aww, come on, Don Pedro is probably a Mexican immigrant or something. Maybe
that's why he's so nervous about the success of his party!
Excerpt:
Das schönste Mädchen in den Bergen,
Das heißt Sioux-City-Sue,
In einem Wigwam in Montana
Wohnt sie im Land von Winnetou.
Tentative translation:
The prettiest girl in the moutains
Is called Sioux City Sue,
She lives in a wigwam in Montana
In the land of Winnetou.
Commentary:
If this text looks familiar to you, you've probably seen it as a scroll
text on the bottom of the Worship Page. I'd like to mention that Winnetou
is a popular indian character from the German pulp novels of Karl May.
I don't remember if he was really supposed to live in Montana, though.
Another excerpt:
Lagerfeuer, Feuerwasser, Abendrot,
Von Süden weht der Wind,
Und mein Blick, der geht nach Westen,
Wo die Büffelherden sind.
Tentative translation:
Campfire, fire water, sunset,
The wind comes from the south,
And my glance is wandering westward,
Where the buffalo herds are roaming.
Commentary:
I'm particularly fond of the "Lagerfeuer" / "Feuerwasser" construction
but the narrative use of the compass is also impressive. And of course
the image of the buffalo herds lends the song a welcome touch of grandeur!
Excerpt:
Und am Morgen in der Dämmerstunde
Hab ich sie noch einmal heiß geküßt,
Keiner weiß, wie lang die Dämmerstunde
Für uns beide noch geworden ist!
Und wir sangen so schön,
Das konnt' jeder versteh'n,
Und wir sangen so schön,
Das konnt' jeder versteh'n!
Tentative translation:
And in the morning at the twilight hour
I kissed her wildly once more,
No one knows how long the twilight hour
Has been for us!
And we sang so beautifully,
Everybody could understand that,
And we sang so beautifully,
Everybody could understand that!
Commentary:
No one knows? Well, we already know this kind of mock amnesia from
"Blau
blüht der Enzian", don't we? But the part about the beautiful
"singing" is definitely more daring than anything in "Enzian", not
to say, err, more explicit!
Excerpt:
Holdrio-jowi-jowi-di-ja-ha-ha.
Phonetic transcription:
Holdrio-yovee-yovee-dee-juh-huh-huh.
Commentary:
Sounds great, huh?
Excerpt:
Herz, Schmerz, und dies und das,
Ja, das ist uralt!
Kuß, Schluß, und sonst noch was,
Das kennt mancher bald!
Denn seit mehr als tausend Jahren
Hat ein jeder mal erfahren:
Ganz ohne Liebe
Kann man nicht durchs Leben geh'n!
Und da hilft auch keine Reue,
Man fällt immer rein aufs neue,
Liebe, ja Liebe,
Die ist immer wieder schön!
Tentative translation:
Heart, pain, and this and that,
That is as old as the hills,
Kiss, breakup, and whatever,
Many people get to know that soon!
Since for more than a thousand years
Everybody has had to experience
That you can't live your life
Quite without love!
And there's no use regretting
You'll fall for it again and again,
Love, yes love
Is always beautiful!
Commentary:
There's something askew about the tone of this: It sounds rather careless
and uninvolved, considering the claimed importance of the subject matter.
Yet again, that's what makes this song so interesting to me. Obviously,
the brevity of the lines posed a problem to the authors, and the effect
is probably involuntary, but still it is kind of startling!
Excerpt:
Sie war so süß, und sie hieß Lulalei,
Und tanzte den Hula-Wackedu-Wackedei,
Wenn wir uns wiederseh'n,
Wenn wir uns wieder-wiederseh'n,
Dann singt das Meer für uns beide ganz leise Aloa-he.
Hula-hula-hula-la-la-lala,
Hula-hula-hula-la-la-lala,
Hula-hula-hula-la-la-lala,
Hula-hula-hula-la-la-aloa...
Tentative translation:
She was so sweet, and she was called Lulalei,
And she danced the hoola [wackedu wackedei],
When we meet again,
When we meet again, again,
The sea will sing a gentle aloa-he for us.
Hoola hoola hoola la la lala,
Hoola hoola hoola la la lala,
Hoola hoola hoola la la lala,
Hoola hoola hoola la la aloah...
Commentary:
Ever heard of a dance called "Hula-Wackedu-Wackedei"? Don't
worry, nobody has outside this song. It's supposed to sound playful, and
I'm pretty sure the authors thought of the verb "wackeln" when they
invented it, and that is, well, let's say "wag". The idea is probably an
exotic dance along the lines of a belly dance. I don't need to elaborate
on the erotic implications of that, I suppose? (After all, why would
the sea sing an aloa-he?)
Excerpt:
Heio, heio, heio-heio-heio-ho,
Heio, heio-ho, heio-ho.
Commentary:
This is pronounced "Hi-o, hi-o, ...". It's not a greeting, although
my two year-old son usually says something quite similar.
Excerpt:
Alpenrausch und Enzian
Haben's vielen angetan,
Und das schöne Edelweiß
Liebt ein jeder heiß!
Doch viel schöner als die drei
Ist ganz ohne Schmeichelei
Eine Alpenkönigin
Tief in Kärnten drin...
Tentative translation:
[Alpenrausch] and gentian
Have enchanted many people,
And everybody loves
The beautiful edelweiss!
But even more beautiful than the three of them
Is (without flattery)
An alp queen
Deep in the heart of Carinthia...
Commentary:
Alpenrausch is yet another flower, but I don't know an English
name for it. (Ruthless characters might be inclined to translate the German
name as "alp intoxication"!) By the way, what I like best about these lines
is the naive assertion that everybody should be enthusiastic about the
mentioned flowers, and the artless way of stating it.
Excerpt:
Früher lebt' ich noch im wilden Westen,
Gold zu finden war mein großes Ziel,
Bis ich eines Tages den Indianern
In die roten Hände fiel!
Der Navajo, der kennt kein' Scherz,
Er wollte nur mein gold'nes Herz!
Jajaja, ja, die Sonne von Mexico,
Das war die wildeste Rothaut der Navajo,
Heut noch brennt mein Herz lichterloh,
Denk' ich an Navajo-o-o!
Tentative translation:
Early on I used to live in the Wild West,
Finding gold was my high aim,
Until one day I fell
Into the red hands of the red indians!
Navajo knows no joke,
Navajo wanted my golden heart!
Yeah-yeah-yeah, yes, the "Sun of Mexico",
That was the wildest redskin among the Navajo,
Even today my heart still catches fire
Each time I think of Navajo-o-oh!
Commentary:
Now, here's a great example of an ironic Heino song (also cf. "Die
lustigen Holhackerbub'n")! Apparently, Sonne von Mexico is one
of the earliest of Heino's hits. The original recording must be some three
years older than the version on this sampler, and if I remember correctly,
it also features slightly different lyrics.
I'd like to explain one joke that I could not translate: "Kennt kein' Scherz" (knows no joke) is a pun on "kennt kein' Schmerz" (knows no pain), an old cliché about red indians. By the way, a more literal translation of the original text would run "The Navajo knows no joke, he wanted my golden heart": I tried to avoid this kind of gender mix as I thought Sonne was supposed to be a woman, but maybe the gay subtext is not coincidental? Has anybody ever thought of that?
Excerpt:
In den Bergen suchen wir nach Gold,
Wo es stürmt und wo der Donner grollt,
Fürchten keine Indianer, nicht Apatschen, Mohikaner,
Unser allerbester Freund, das ist der Colt!
Und wir singen Yippie-yippie-yeh,
Und wir singen Yippie-yippie-yeh,
In den grünen Fernen, in den blauen Bergen
Suchen wir den Schatz im Silbersee!
Tentative translation:
We're searching for gold in the mountains
Where there's storm and where the thunder roars,
We fear no indian, neither Apache nor Mohican,
Our very best friend is the colt!
And we sing Yippie-yippie-yeh,
And we sing Yippie-yippie-yeh,
In the green distance, on the blue mountains
We are lookin for the treasure of Silver Lake!
Commentary:
Have you ever noticed how many "Western" songs Heino has recorded during
his career? Here's yet another example! You will have no trouble figuring
out the stuff about the gold and the red indians but maybe you're missing
an allusion in the last line of this text: Der Schatz im Silbersee
(The Treasure of Silver Lake) is the name of one of Karl May's most popular
pulp novels about the Wild West. Hint: If you're interested in a truly
campy German film experience, you should try to track the 1962 movie
down!
Excerpt:
Ein kleiner Garten vor der Stadt,
Ein bißchen Sonnenschein,
Wer heutzutag noch sowas hat,
Der kann zufrieden sein!
Tentative translation:
A small garden in the suburbs,
A little sunshine,
If you still have that nowadays,
You can be content!
Commentary:
This is an unusual song for Heino; usually he's much more adventurous,
travelling around the world and picking exotic flowers, if you see
what I mean and I think you do! Well, this time around he finds that there's
really no place like home, which is actually quite a common theme in German
"Volksmusik" as represented by myriads of other musicians. And hey,
why not? Let him take a little rest for a while! I'm quoting this particular
piece of lyrics because it exposes the combination of complacency and resentment
so typical of the genre with truly artistic elegance: While it still pretends
to praise the little haven in the suburbs, it's really complaining about
the modern times already!
Excerpt:
Zu jedem Seemann gehört ein Mädchen,
So wie der Wind zum blauen Meer,
Zu jedem Abschied eine Träne
Und die Hoffnung auf die Wiederkehr!
Tentative translation:
To every sailor there belongs a girl,
Just like the wind belongs to the blue sea,
To every leave there belongs a tear
And the hope for a return!
Commentary:
We didn't have a shanty yet, did we? Well, here's a traditional one,
refined by Martin Stonsdorf's deep philosophical lyrics. Take your time
and think about it! And after that, let's get on with the finale:
Yes, I saved this one up for the grand finale! Generally speaking, the wackiest Heino songs usually come from the 70's, but "Barcelona" is a notable exception: In fact, this is the craziest Heino song I've yet had the pleasure to witness. It took the combined brain power of two native German academics (my wife and myself) to decode the text, so I suppose if German is not your native language, you're really in need of some help! But don't worry, it's all here. We've figured it out for you to enjoy!
Please feel free to use this text as a weapon whenever you feel like it. Like, if you happen to attend a German class somewhere, you might want to try this on your teacher! Trust me, this stuff is pure linguistical dynamite!
So here's the excerpt:
In Bodega von Gonzales
Sah ein Weib ich, ganz kolossales:
Mi amore, o Dolores!
Komm und mach doch ein Kokolores!
Doch sie will nur in Sevilla,
In Sevilla, ja da will ich nicht!
Und wenn ich will in Sevilla,
Dann will sie ja in Sevilla nicht!
(...)
Pedro saß in Carlos' Kneipe,
Spielte Poker und war längst pleite,
Sein letztes Hemd, Pedro verlor es,
Doch er trug es mit Humores!
In Arena Matadores
Kämpft mit Stier, doch der macht Zores,
Und da pfeifen die Señores:
Matadores ist kapores!
The first trick in decoding the text is you have to replace some faulty terms by their correct counterparts. You see, the authors didn't bother finding words that rhymed in the first place: Instead, they just took some words that sprang to their minds and twisted them until they finally fit! So this is phase 1:
Humores becomes Humor,
Matadores becomes Matador,
kapores becomes kaputt.
Phase 2: Let's add some missing links and reorder some of the words:
In Bodega becomes In der Bodega,
ganz kolossales becomes ein ganz kolossales,
In Arena Matador kämpft mit Stier becomes In der Arena
kämpft der Matador mit dem Stier,
Matador ist kaputt becomes Der Matador ist kaputt.
Of course, some of this was supposed to sound like bad German spoken by a Spaniard. For example, nobody would seriously call a dead person kaputt (broken) except maybe gangsters. Funny, eh?
Phase 3: Next, you have to look up some antiquated vocabulary like Weib (woman) and kolossal (literally "colossal", but in this context "great"). In Germany kolossales Weib would be considered Kasinojargon, which basically means it's a formulation that pompous patriarchs might have used in the olden days of yore when they were trying to impress each other.
Zores and Kokolores are of Yiddish origin, and they mean "trouble" and "nonsense", respectively. I had to look Zores up myself, but Kokolores is still fairly common in Germany. Nevertheless it doesn't seem to make much sense in the context of the song lyrics. Maybe it should have run kein Kokolores (no nonsense) instead of ein Kokolores? Otherwise, we'll have to use our imagination to make up something that might have been implied. (Something vaguely sexual, that's for sure!)
Phase 4: Last but not least, you have to make sense of the Spanish and Italian (Mi amore is not Spanish!) ingredients of the text. But I won't translate them for you because they're supposed to stand as they are. So now it's time for our...
...tentative translation:
In bodega of Gonzales
Saw a woman, quite grand,
Mi amore, o Dolores,
Come and make some nonsense! (or: no nonsense?)
But she only wants it in Sevilla,
In Sevilla I don't want it,
And when I want it in Sevilla,
She doesn't want it in Sevilla!
(...)
Pedro sat in Carlos's pub,
Played poker and had long been broke,
His last shirt, Pedro lost it,
But he took it with humour!
In arena matador
Fights the bull, but it makes trouble,
And then the señores hiss:
Matador is broken!
One final word about the "Sevilla" part of these lyrics: The secret behind this is that Sevilla and the German Sie will ja (she wants) sound quite similar, so it's really a kind of word play in the original lyrics. Oh well, studying Heino can be quite a challenge, can't it?