I'm an American who has lived most of his adult life in Germany and works as a translator and English instructor. Over the past decade, I've done all types of translations- many technical, many advertisements- but also numerous "out of the ordinary" ones such as love letters for those willing to pay relatively good money to make themselves well understood. One thing I've never done, however, is the translation of a rhyming German text into English which also rhymes.
The purpose of this diary is simply to give the reader access to the lyrics of a nice Rammstein song: Amerika (and, furthermore, to see if I'm up to the translation challenge). Sure, you can find a translation of the lyrics here, but I find it doesn't express the same sentiment of the song, imho. That said, it is indeed more accurate when it comes to the literal translation. (I decided to put the Skittles part in
all on my own).
Wunderbar = wonderful
Refrain:
We're all living in America,
Amerika is wunderbar.
We're all living in America,
Amerika, Amerika.
We can dance, if you’ll let me lead (position at 32sec)
And though you spin your axis through your own might, (35 sec)
you’ll let me control you a bit as soon as you’re in need(39 sec)
Don't worry, I’ll show you how to do it right: (43 sec)
We’ll dance round lovingly, munching our Skittles (47 sec)
As freedom rings out from a thousand fiddles (51 secs)
Song sheets? - They're delivered courtesy of the White House (55 sec)
And approaching Paris... it's Mickey Mouse!(58 secs)
Refrain:
We're all living in America,
Amerika is wunderbar.
We're all living in America,
Amerika, Amerika.
All my steps are really quite fine-
They’re sure to keep you from stepping out of line
Don’t want to dance? Hey, that’s not very funny.
You may not know that you have to, sonny.
We’ll dance round lovingly, munching our Skittles
As freedom plays itself out from a thousand fiddles
And Santa Claus brings toys to Africa
And approaching Paris is... Mickey Mouse!
We're all living in America...
Refrain:
We're all living in America,
America is wunderbar.
We're all living in America,
Amerika, Amerika.
We're all living in America,
Coca-Cola, Wonderbra,
We're all living in America,
Amerika, Amerika.
This is not a love song,
this is not a love song.
I don't sing my mother tongue,
No, this is not a love song.
We're all living in America,
Amerika ist wunderbar.
We're all living in America
Coca-Cola, Sometimes war
As you can see, I couldn't get the Santa Clause part to rhyme. Maybe someone can help me there (you don't have to know German to try!)
Hhhm... people sometimes forget that America was already predisposed to being labled a bully, even before Bush came galloping out from behind a turd on his little imaginary horse and proved all the stereotypes right in the eyes of much of the outside world. It's no coincidence, for example, that the person in this video is wearing an American sweater:
As for songs that see America in a light I prefer, see my previous diary:
America, Coming Home