I dedicate this song to all my viewers who love the "old country" German folk songs. This is an old song that has a lot of meaning (please forgive my poor pronunciation and foreign accent). I have sung both the German and English verses together. I am singing three-part harmony. I hope you like it. ^^
Legend claims this song goes back to the Bundshuh rebellion of 1525 when the peasants rebelled against their oppression by the Swabian princes. The revolt was a failure, and serfdom continued for another three hundred years in Germany (the words to this song first appeared on leaflets in 1780).
The concept of "freedom of thought" has nearly always been considered dangerous, and the song was banned for many years before the 1848 revolution, especially as it was seen to be associated with the ideals of the French Revolution. It was widely sung in pre-Hitler Germany and brought to the USA by German immigrants fleeing Nazi-Germany. It is also said to have been sung in German concentration camps between 1933 and 1945. The original lyricist and composer are unknown.
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Lyrics: Die Gedanken Sind Frei (Thoughts Are Free)
Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten,
sie fliegen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger erschießen
mit Pulver und Blei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
Die Gedanken Sind Frei, my thoughts freely flower,
Die Gedanken Sind Frei, my thoughts give me power,
No Scholar can map them, no hunter can trap them,
No man can deny, Die Gedanken Sind Frei!
Ich denke was ich will und was mich beglücket,
doch alles in der Still', und wie es sich schicket.
Mein Wunsch und Begehren kann niemand mir wehren,
es bleibet dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
I think as I please and this gives me pleasure,
My conscience decrees this right I must treasure,
My thoughts will not cater to duke or dictator,
No man can deny, Die Gedanken Sind Frei!
Und sperrt man mich ein im finsteren Kerker,
das alles sind rein vergebliche Werke.
Denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken
und Mauern entzwei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
And should tyrants take me and throw me in prison,
My thoughts will burst free like blossoms in season,
Foundations will crumble and structures will tumble,
And free men will cry, Die Gedanken Sind Frei!
Drum will ich auf immer den Sorgen absagen
und will mich auch nimmer mit Grillen mehr plagen.
Man kann ja im Herzen stets lachen und scherzen
und denken dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei!
And now I renounce forever my sorrows,
And never again to fret my tomorrows,
I'll always have laughter and joy ever after,
For in my heart I'll sing, Die Gedanken Sind Frei!
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