A chorister today sang Where Have All the Flowers Gone? at Harry Patch' funeral (the last Uk survivor of the Western Front). I have been listening/watching the song on YouTube.
I present two versions. One by Joan Baez (to me the person whose music has meant more to me than any other) and then by Marlene Dietrich. Marlene sang the song in both English and German, but I give the German version. A salute to Harry Patch who hated all war.
JOAN BAEZ - Where have all the Flowers Gone?
MARLENE DIETRICH - Sag mir wo die Blumen sind? {It was written by Pete Seeger, but made a worldwide hit by Marlene)
DEUTSCH/GERMAN
Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind,
wo sind sie geblieben?
Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind,
was ist geschehn?
Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind,
Mädchen pflückten sie geschwind.
Wann wird man je verstehn,
wann wird man je verstehn?
Sag mir, wo die Mädchen sind
Männer nahmen sie geschwind.
Sag mir, wo die Männer sind
Zogen fort, der Krieg beginnt.
Sag, wo die Soldaten sind
Über Gräbern weht der Wind.
Sag mir, wo die Gräber sind
Blumen blühen im Sommerwind.
Sag mir, wo die Blumen sind
Mädchen pflückten sie geschwind.
ENGLISH
Tell me where the flowers are
where have they lived on?
Tell me where the flowers are
what has been done?
Tell me where the flowers are
Tell me where the flowers are
what has been done?
Tell me where the flowers are
Young girls plucked them hastily.
When will they ever see,
when will they ever see?
Tell me where the young girls are ...
Men they took them hastily.
Tell me where the men all are ...
Moved away, the war begins.
Tell me where the soldiers are ...
Over gravestones wafts the wind.
Tell me where the graves all are ...
Flowers bloom in summer wind.
Tell me where the flowers are ...
Young girls plucked them hastily.
1 comment:
I had absolutely no idea that Where Have All the Flowers Gone? was popularized by Marlene Dietrich, though she popularized a lot of other things. The only versions I'm familiar with are the Joan Baez/Pete Seeger ones. The original is supposed to have been lifted, sort of, from a Russian novel where a roughly similar song was sung.
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