Words to Lili Marlene
Navret66
Marlene.,
One of my brothers was a foot soldier in the Fifth Army in Italy, and makes
mention of this song quite often... Hopefully, someone on the net can help me
out.
Thanks in advance....
an answer on this net would be fine.
Lee Russell
Lili Marlene
Vor der Kaserne, vor dem grossen Tor,
Stand eine Laterne und steht sie noch davor.
So wollen wir uns wiedersehn,
Bei der Laterne wolln wir stehn,
Wie einst Lilli Marleen, wie einst Lilli Marleen.
Unsre beiden Schatten, sie sehn wie einer aus,
Dass wir so lieb uns hatten, dass sah man
gleich daraus.
Und alle Leute wolln es sehn,
Dass wir bei der Laterne stehn,
Wie einst Lillli Marleen, wie einst Lilli Marleen.
Schon rief der Posten: "Sie blasen
Zapfenstreich!
Es kann drei Tage kosten!" -- " Kamerad, ich
komm ja gleich!"
Da sagten wir auf Wiedersehn,
Wie gerne wollt ich mit dir gehn,
Mit dir, Lilli Marleen, mit dir, Lilli Marleen.
Deine Schritte kennt sie, deinen zieren Gang.
Alle Abend brennt sie, mich vergass sie lang.
Und sollte mir ein Leids geschehn,
Wer wird bei der Laterne stehn,
Wie einst Lilli Marleen, wie einst Lilli Marleen?
Aus dem stillen Raume, aus der Erde Grund,
Hebt mich wie im Traume dein verliebter Mund.
Wenn sich die spaeten Nebel drehn,
Werd ich bei der Laterne stehn,
Wie einst Lilli Marleen, wie einst Lilli Marleen.
The following information was kindly provided by Dan Hancock
Based on a German poem of 1915, this song became a favorite of both
German and
American troops during the Second World War, both in English and in
the original German.
A curious example of a song transcending the hatreds of war, American
troops particularly
liked Lili Marlene as sung by the German-born actress and singer,
Marlene Dietrich.
The song first went on the air in the summer of 1941. It really was
the British in North Africa
who adopted the song and made it popular among the Allies. Marlene
Dietrich, who always
knew a good thing when she saw it, simply jumped on the band wagon
and cashed in on it
after the Americans arrived in North Africa in 1943. Or perhaps it
was an idea of the OWI
(U.S. propaganda agency) with the aim of stealing the Germans'
thunder and making the
song sound like an American one. The English version of the song,
whoever wrote it, is a
somewhat fanciful and embellished translation of the German original
-- both versions of
course only inches away from pure Kitsch!
The lyrics in English:
"Underneath the lantern by the barrack gate, Darling I remember the
way you used to wait,
'Twas there that you whispered tenderly, That you loved me, You'd
always be, My Lili of the
lamplight, My own Lili Marlene."
"Time would come for roll call, Time for us to part, Darling I'd
caress you and press you to
my heart, And there 'neath that far off lantern light, I'd hold you
tight, We'd kiss "good-night,"
My Lili of the lamplight, My own Lili Marlene."
"Orders came for sailing somewhere over there, All confined to
barracks was more than I
could bear; I knew you were waiting in the street, I heard your feet,
But could not meet, My
Lili of the lamplight, My own Lili Marlene."
"Resting in a billet just behind the line, Even tho'we're parted your
lips are close to mine;
You wait where that lantern softly gleams, Your sweet face seems to
haunt my dreams, My
Lili of the lamplight, My own Lili Marlene."
Marlene Dietrich did a variation on the lyrics, probably to endear
the song to the troops of
the day:
"...When we are marching in the mud and cold, And when my pack seems
more than I can
hold, My love for you renews my might, I'm warm again, My pack is
light, It's you Lili
Marlene, It's you Lili Marlene..."
German soldiers actually probably never heard Marlene Dietrich`s
version of the song during
the war though, since she had gone to America when Hitler seized
power in Germany. They
listened to a version performed by Lale Andersen which was played as
the last song every
day by the "Soldatensender Belgrad" (army broadcast station
Belgrade). The song became
very famous and was adopted by many other "Soldatensendern".
There are indications that there are more than 10 different German
versions of the text! Many
of these other versions were foremd when adopted to the current
theatre of war, thus
creating songs like "Lili Marlene in Africa", "Lili Marlene at the
Eastern Front", etc.
The song was particularly popular with the men in Rommel's
Afrikakorps. It was played over
and over again on its own radio station in Tripoli, which of course
could also be picked up by
the guys in the British 8th Army. Much to the discomfiture of
Generals Auchinlech and
Montgomery, they liked that "Nazi song" so much that they kept
humming and whistling it
all over the North African desert. After the war, the song's fame was
perpetuated by Vera
Lynn who sang it in every NAAFI concert she gave for British BAOR
(British Army of the
Rhine) soldiers stationed in pre-NATO Germany, to thunderous applause
and stomping feet.
rmacd...@microd.com
Russell <Pcl...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
Based on a German poem of 1915, this song became a favorite of both
> German and American [and British] troops during the Second World War, both in
> English and in the original German.
One of the best examples of this was a classic Bill Mauldin cartoon with Joe
playing his harmonica in the dark and Willy peeking over the top of the hole
saying:
"Th' krauts ain't followin' ya so good on 'Lili Marlene' tonight, Joe. Ya think
maybe somethin' happened to their tenor?"
--
Richard A. Macdonald, E.A.
SSG (Ret), USA, ADA (16P34)
Dedicated follower of Fra. Luca Pacioli, Master Juggler
"Gib mir Schokolade und niemand wird verletzt!!!
Kurt Bowker
jumped on the band wagon and cashed in on it after the Americans
arrived in North Africa in 1943. Or perhaps it was an idea of the OWI
(U.S. propaganda agency) with the aim of stealing the Germans' thunder
and making the song sound like an American one.
I have an Album that my dad collected, that was made by a government
branch, It is marlene Dietrich singing Lili Marlene, plus a bunch of
American songs that were translated into German and sung to the German
people over the radio in Europe. I don't think it was her personally trying
to cash in on a good thing, I think US proganda wanted to use her to sing
these songs to persuade the German people not to fight against Americans.
Sincerely,
kurt bowker
kjbo...@email.msn.com
Martin Petersen
Anyway, I remembered having it in my "The real ultimate little fake
book".
Here it is:
By Mack David.
(Though the German tune, the chorus at least, is by Norbert Schultze.
The German text is by Hans Leip.)
Would you like to hear the story
of a girl that many soldiers know?
It's a tale of love in alle its glory.
They tell when the lights are soft and low.
Chorus 1:
Underneath the lamp post by the barrack gate
Standing all alone ev'ry night you'll see her wait.
She waits for a boy who marched away
And tho' he's gone, she hears him say
"Oh promise you'll be true
Fare thee well, Lili Marlene
Till I return to you
Fare thee well, Lili Marlene."
With a kiss she gave her promise
To be constant as the stars above.
Ever'y soldier knows she's kept her promise
And she has been faithful to her love.
Chorus 2:
Underneath the lamp post by the barrack gate
Standing all alone ev'ry night you'll see her wait.
For this is the place a vow was made
And breezis sing her serenade
"Oh promise you'll be true
Fare thee well, Lili Marlene
Till I return to you:
Fare thee well, Lili Marlene."
Summer soon gave way to autumn
Then came winter with his snow white beard
Once again she faced a lonely springtime
But night after night she still appeared
(To chorus, doesn't say if it's 1 or two ...)
Tho' each tale must have en ending
No one knows just what the end will be.
But tonight when twilight is descending
If you'll come along here's what you'll see:
(To chorus, doesn't say if it's 1 or two ...)
M.J.Powell
Sung by Lana Andersen.
Mike
ses...@my-dejanews.com
navr...@aol.com (Navret66) wrote:
> I wonder if anyone on the net can tell me the lyrics for the song Lili
> Marlene.,
> One of my brothers was a foot soldier in the Fifth Army in Italy, and makes
> mention of this song quite often... Hopefully, someone on the net can help me
> out.
> Thanks in advance....
>
> an answer on this net would be fine.
>From http://www.snowcrest.net/rcaguila/lieder/lmarlene.htm
Lili Marlene
Lyrics: Hans Leip, Music: Norbert Schultze
Vor der Kaserne, vor dem gro_en Tor
stand eine Laterne, und steht sie noch davor.
So wolln wir einst uns wiederseh'n
bei der Laterne woll'n wir steh'n
wie einst Lili Marlene, wie einst Lili Marlene.
Unsre beiden Schatten sah'n wie einer aus
da_ wir lieb uns hatten, das sah man gleich daraus.
Und alle Leute solln es seh'n
wenn wir bei der Laterne steh'n,
wie einst Lili Marlene, wie einst Lili Marlene.
Schon rief der Posten "Sie bliesen Zapfenstreich!
Es kann drei Tage kosten, Kamrad ich komm sogleich."
Da sagten wir "Auf Wiederseh'n"
wie gerne wollt ich mit dir gehen,
mit dir Lili Marlene, mit dir Lili Marlene.
Deine Schritte kennt sie, deinen zieren Gang
alle Abend brennt sie, doch mich verga_ sie lang.
Und sollte mir ein Leid gescheh'n,
wer wird bei der Laterne steh'n
mit dir Lili Marlene, mit dir Lili Marlene?
Aus dem stillen Raume, aus der Erde Grund
hebt mich wie im Traume dein verliebter Mund,
Wenn sich die spdten Nebel drehn
bei der Laterne werd ich stehn,
wie einst Lili Marlene, wie einst Lili Marlene.
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casita
http://www.hwy56.com/jackcull/ddodgers.htm
Any who served in Italy should remember this.
Put Your Name Here
popular with the British 8th Army, and became popular with Americans, as
well. I suspect it was just a matter of having a popular American singer
put it on a record to make it available.--
Ellicott McConnell
Kurt Bowker <KJBo...@email.msn.com> wrote in article
<0e384244416...@msn.com>...
: Marlene Dietrich, who always knew a good thing when she saw it, simply
Bob Burke
always appealed to me as being the more poignant. I seem to recall being told
that the song (or tune) actually originated in Poland, however I can't remember
where I heard this and if it deserves any credence.
Vera Lynn sang the following version:
Underneath the lantern, by the barrack gate
Darling you remember the way you used to wait
'twas there that you whispered tenderly,
That you loved me, you'd always be
My Lili of the Lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
Time would come for roll-call, time for us to part
Darling I'd caress you and press you to my heart
And there 'neath that far off lantern light,
I'd hold you tight, we'd kiss goodnight
My Lili of the Lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
Orders came for sailing, somewhere over there
All confined to barracks, 'twas more than I could bear
I knew you were waiting in the street,
I heard your feet, but could not meet
My Lili of the Lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
Resting in a billet, just behind the line
Even though we're parted, your lips are close to mine
You wait where that lantern softly gleams,
Your sweet face seems, to haunt my dreams
My Lili of the Lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
My Lili of the Lamplight
My own Lili Marlene
Bob
different drummer
<mi...@pickmere.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>The song first went on the air in the summer of 1941.
>
>Sung by Lana Andersen.
The song was written in WW1 when Hans Leip (sp?) was stationed in
barracks in Berlin. The "real" Lili Marlene was two girls - Lili
worked in a greengrocers and Marlene who was a doctors daughter.
The Swedish singer Lala Andersen recorded the song some time before
1941, but it did not "take off".
When the Germans invaded Yugoslavia they took a box of records to play
on Radio Belgrade. This powerful station was to be used for
propaganda purposes. However, when the box was opened most of the
records had been smashed in transit. This meant that Lili Marlene got
A LOT of air time. It was taken up by the German Army and spread from
them to the Allies in North Africa.
This information comes from a prog. about the song that was on tv in
the 1970s, at which time I made a few notes.
replace the "dot" with "." to reply
Dirk Lorek
wrote:
>The Swedish singer Lala Andersen recorded the song some time before
>1941, but it did not "take off".
Lale Andersen was German (her last name indicates that her father's family
had Danish origin though), you confuse her with Zara Leander who was
Swedish.
Dirk
______________________________________________________________________
What am I, Life? A thing of watery salt, held in cohesion by unresting
cells,which work they know not why, which never halt, myself unwitting
where their Master dwells. - John Masefield -
Bob Burke
the words of the song, a Wave File by Marlene Deitrich singing it and also a
Midi File of the tune.
The URL is http://home.inreach.com/hancock/lili.html
Bob
casita
always be the D-Day Dodger lyrics. It's the only way I ever heard it
sung. Some veterans of that campaign felt that it was treated as little
more than a sideshow for the main event.
casita
Get into the kites,
Down the fu**ing runway,
And off into the night,
We've left the flarepath far behind,
It's fu**ing dark,
But never mind,
We're pressing on regardless,
For the Wingco's DFC............
M.J.Powell
Doesn't scan very well..
Out of the briefing
Straight into the kite,
Taxi to the runway and off into the night,
We've left the flare-path far behind
But we don't care, we don't mind.
We're pressing on regardless
For the Wing Commander's O.B.E.!
Scans better anyway!
Mike
>
--
M.J.Powell.