For the hell of it; Corporal Schnapps, a hero of my childhood. by Tankobite

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Tankobite

For the hell of it; Corporal Schnapps, a hero of my childhood.
Monday, March 3, 2008

Mine heart ish proken into little pits,
I tells you friend what for;
Mine schweet-heart, von coot patriotic kirl,
She trives me off mit der war.
I fights for her der pattles of te flag,
I schtrikes so prave as I can;
Put now long time she nix remempers me,
And coes mit another man.

CHORUS: Ach! Mein fraulein!
You ish so ferry unkind!
You coes mit Hans to Zhermany to live,
And leaves poor Schnapps pehind,
And leaves poor Schnapps pehind.

I march all tay, no matter if der schtorm
Pe worse ash Moses' flood;
I lays all night, mine head upon a schtump,
And "sinks to schleep" in der mud.
Der nightmare comes -- I catch him ferry pad --
I treams I schleeps mit der ghost;
I wakes next morning frozen in der ground,
So schtiff as von schtone post.

CHORUS

They kives me hartpred, tougher as a rock --
It almost preaks mein zhaw;
I schplits him sometimes mit an iron wedge,
And cuts him up mid a saw.
They kive me peef, so ferry, ferry salt,
Like Sodom's wife, you know;
I surely dinks they put him in der prine
Von huntred year aco.

CHORUS

Py'n py we takes von city in der south --
We schtays there von whole year;
I kits me sourcrout, much as I can eat,
Und blenty loccar pier.
I meets von laty repel in der schtreet,
So handsome effer I see:
I makes to her von ferry callant pow --
Put ah! She schpits on me.

CHORUS

"Hart times!" You say, "what for you folunteer?"
I told you, friend, what for:
Mine schweet-heart, von goot patriotic kirl,
She trove me off mit der war.
Alas! Alas! Mine bretty little von
Vill schmile no more on me;
Put schtill I fights de pattles of te flag
To set mine countries free.

CHORUS

No real point behind this; don't have any thing to say or any fiction bits to throw out.

COMMENTS

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 9:13 AM

TANKOBITE

Actually no; its a song of the American Civil War, about a German who probably fled during the 1848 revolutions and joins the army at the behest of his girlfriend who proceeds to ditch him and go to back to Germany. He resigns himself to the loss and decides to stick with the army and fight the war out until the country is free again (touch of abolitionism there). The funny spelling is because it was meant to be sung in a fake accent. It was one of my favorite songs as a kid.

Here's a bit about it
http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/union/songs/schnapps-exp.html

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 8:11 AM

MSB

OK I assume this is one of those drinking songs that makes sense at some point...

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