Saturday, March 8, 2014

Cabaret Songs of Germany Reflection

"No Time" (Keine Zeit) English Translation
There may still be those who live unhurried lives
and don’t care about the hectic pace of these times.
Those who are not yet wildly obsessed
as they devour food from vending machines and make themselves sick.
However, in these frantic times, you meet few of these unhurried people.
Nowadays you stand at the vending machine,
with the token in your trembling paws.
You insert the coin, the tray revolves, and you take some bread.
Then you eat the roll at a frantic pace,
because hundreds of others are right behind you.
You chew and you chew without peace and rest
because there is a voice telling you:
"Insert token, take out bread,
for the food might soon be sold out."
One eats without finesse.
CHORUS:
No time, no time, no time.
Yes, we have no time.
Sorry, but we're always on the go,
with tongues hanging out as we run.
We have no spare time.
No time, no time, no time,
no hours nor even a second to spare.
We hardly sleep, we don’t rest.
No time, no time, no time.
Nowadays, a person doesn't have a second to spare.
Yet many even think the pace is too slow.
If you do business today, you go bankrupt before you have even started.
People don't want to waste time with the beginning,
they'd rather skip straight to the end.
In this day and age, you fall in love in the evening, are engaged at night,
and get married the next morning.
At noon you have a fight; by night you're divorced.
In negotiations between countries, before a treaty is evened signed,
it's already broken.
Because nowadays it is considered chic to be quick.
CHORUS:
No time, no time, no time.
Yes, we have no time.
Sorry, but we're always on the go,
with tongues hanging out as we run.
We have no spare time.
No time, no time, no time,
no hours nor even a second to spare.
We hardly sleep, we don’t rest.
No time, no time, no time.
 


Keine Zeit
Es soll noch Menschen geben,
die ganz gemuetlich leben und sich nicht kuemmern um das Tempo unserer Zeit.
Die noch nicht wild besessen aus Automaten fressen, bis ihnen uebel wird vor lauter Schnelligkeit.
Jedoch in diesen bewegten Zeiten, trifft man nur wenige von diesen Leuten.
Denn heut steht man im Schnellautomaten, mit der Marke im zittrigen Pfoetchen.

Oben steckt man sie rein und dann gibt’s einen Dreh, schon ist unten zum Vorschein ein Broetchen.
Und dann isst man das Broetchen in rasender Hast, denn es warten ja schon hundert andere und man kaut und man kaut, ohne Ruh ohne Rast, denn es sagt eine Stimme, der wandere.
Marke rein, Broetchen raus, schon ist dein Essen aus.
Man ist schnell ohne jede Finesse, der es schmeckt ist ganz ohne Fingresse.

Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit. Ja, wir haben keine Zeit. Es tut uns leid.
Wir sind immer auf dem Sprung, haengt uns raus schon die Zung und doch wir rennen, ja wir kennen keine Zeit.
Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Stunde und Sekunde haben wir Zeit. Ja, wir schlafen heute kaum noch, denn wir ruhen uns nicht aus. Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit.

Man laesst sich weit und breit heut nicht mehr Sekunde Zeit heut.
Es geht im Gegenteil uns noch zu langsam fast.
Machst du Geschaefte heute, bist du bereits schon pleite, bevor du ueberhaupt noch angefangen hast.
Man moecht am liebsten, ja das soll’s geben, das Ende noch vor Beginne leben.
Heut verliebt man sich abends, verlobt sich bei Nacht und vermaehlt in der Frueh sich zufriede und am Mittag da hat man bereits sich verkracht und am Abend ist man wieder geschieden.

Findet heut zwischen Laendern Verhandlungen statt und die Herren haben alles besprochen, ja dann wird noch bevor unterzeichnet man hat, der geschlossene Vertrag schon gebrochen,
denn das findt man heut chick, denn wir sind ja so quick.
Es ist gleich, ob wir heute reell sind, denn die Hauptsache ist, dass wir schnell sind.

Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit. Ja, wir haben keine Zeit. Es tut uns leid. Wir sind immer auf dem Sprung haengt uns raus schon die Zung und doch wir rennen, ja wir kennen keine Zeit.
Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Stunde und Sekunde haben wir Zeit. Ja, wir schlafen heute kaum noch, denn wir ruhen uns nicht aus. Keine Zeit, keine Zeit, keine Zeit.
"No Time" (Keine Zeit) music by Rudolf Nelson, lyrics by Herbert Nelson (1933)
Second Verse
Nowadays, a person doesn't have a second to spare.
Yet many even think the pace is too slow.
If you do business today, you go bankrupt before you have even started.
People don't want to waste time with the beginning,
they'd rather skip straight to the end.
In this day and age, you fall in love in the evening, are engaged at night,
and get married the next morning.
At noon you have a fight; by night you're divorced.
In negotiations between countries, before a treaty is evened signed,
it's already broken.
Because nowadays it is considered chic to be quick.
What the author is trying to discuss here is the fact that people are living too fast. People don't properly evaluate major life decisions, they just jump right in. The song was written in Germany in 1930, while Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party where becoming popular with the German people. The song suggests that making decisions so quickly without properly assessing the situation leads to destruction. If you open a business too quickly, it fails. When you jump into marriage, it ends in divorce. The most significant line is the "In negotiations between countries, before a treaty is even signed,/ it's already broken." This is a reference to the Treaty of Versailles (1919). Here, the allied powers signed a doctrine, that deemed Germany responsible for WWI and had to pay back all damages to the allied powers that had suffered. This treaty was meant to limit the German Powers but was not thought thoroughly enough because it didn't assess the possible negative consequences that could occur, such as the Nazi Party coming into power. 
Even though this song was written in 1933 it is still very relevant today, especially in America. People are always making poor decisions or rushing into things without fully understanding what the consequences are. When it comes to voting, a lot of Americans are guilty of voting for a party without really being well read on politics. Although, not everything politicians promise will happen it is important to know what is promised by the political party and if those promises were put into action. This is important to make sure that the government officials are working in favor of the people.  

"Chuck Out the Men" (Raus mit den Männern) English Translation

The battle for emancipation's been raging since history began
Yes, feminists of every nation want to chuck off the chains made by man
Hula girls and housemaids and wives in Maribou
hear all our voices thunder in protest
Anything that men do women can do too
and more that that we women do it best

CHORUS:  Chuck all the men out of the Reichstag
and chuck all the men out of the courthouse
Men are the problem with humanity
they're blinded by their vanity
Women have passively embraced them
when we could have easily outpaced them
Yes we should have long ago replaced them
or better yet erased them
If we haven't made our feelings clear
we women have had it up to here
As babies men all howl and bluster they cry through the night and the day
perfecting the techniques they'll muster for the times when they don't get their way
Nursie holds the monster and feeds him from her breast
and baby is contented for a bit
But when he sees his nurse is trying to get some rest
the little man decides to have a fit
CHORUS
The men get their pick of professions they're policemen or scholars or clerks
They get rich and acquire possessions like we wives who keep house for these jerks
They're ruining the country while we mop up the floor
They're flushing this whole nation down the drain
Sisters stand together, let's show these men the door
before they drive us totally insane

CHORUS
English translation copyright by © Jeremy Lawrence
 


Raus mit den Männern! (für Claire Waldoff) 
Es geht durch die ganze Historie
ein Ruf nach Emanzipation
vom Menschen bis zur Infusorie
überall will das Weib auf den Thron.
Vin Hawai-Neger bis zur Berliner Range
braust ein Ruf wie Donnerhall daher:
Was die Männer können, können wir schon lange
und vielleicht ’ne ganze Ecke mehr.

Raus mit den Männern aus dem Reichstag,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Landtag,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Herrenhaus,
wir machen draus ein Frauenhaus!
Raus mit den Männern aud dem Dasein,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Hiersein,
und raus mit den Männern aus dem Dortsein,
sie müten schon längst fort sein.
Ja: raus mit den Männern aus dem Bau,
und rein in die Dinger mit der Frau!

Es liegn in der Wiege und brüllen
die zukünft’gen Männer ganz klein.
Die Amme, die Meistrin im Stillen,
flöt die Kraft ihnen schluckweise ein.
"Chuck Out the Men" (Raus mit den Männern), by Friedrich Hollaender (1926)
Chorus
 Chuck all the men out of the Reichstag
and chuck all the men out of the courthouse
Men are the problem with humanity
they're blinded by their vanity
Women have passively embraced them
when we could have easily outpaced them
Yes we should have long ago replaced them
or better yet erased them
If we haven't made our feelings clear
we women have had it up to here
Although the songwriter, Friedrich Hollaender, is in fact a male, he writes a very feminist song about woman empowerment. However, I think the feminist message is just the scratching the surface of the song. The underlying message is the overhaul of government. "Chuck all the men out of the Reichstag/ and chuck all the men out of the courthouse/ Men are the problem with humanity/ they're blinded by their vanity" is an assessment of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party. He is subliminally trying to inform the people of Germany that Hitler should not be in office, furthermore that if he does gain power he will be the destruction of Germany. Hitler's party principles are too extreme and inhumane. 
There two very important messages here that can be utilized even today. There should be equality for men and women. Women should not allow men to dominate them. The second message is that government should not dominate the public. There should be a greater balance of power between citizens and government. He states, "Yes we should have long ago replaced them/ or better yet erased them" this suggest the idea of having no government at all. Not always does government have the citizens best interests a lot of the times the government is looking to gain more power no matter what the cost.

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