Friday, September 12, 2008

Kleiner Junge

I just heard this wonderful song for the first time and wanted to pass it along. My translation is at top and the original in German is underneath.

Small Boy
Udo Lindenberg

When he was a little boy

and he wouldn't want to eat

his mom said that many children where starving

He was shocked and ran to his piggy bank

With all of his money he asked his mother what they must do

But she answered that with his few pennies and the world's many wars she wasn't sure that he could do anything

The world has always been twisted

she said, so we must move on even if it makes us sad

but he thought that when he gre older he would be different

he cried all night

"what is with God"

and his mother answered

"He had the heavens to make and is far away"

"what about the Pope"

"He has a lot to think about, his birth control bans brings babies into the world that must immediately die"

"and what about the politicians"

"Many are total criminals, they lie , cheat, steal, and declare war.

They make people into murderers and babble their way to power"

The small boy would grow bigger

And his ego grew like a Palestinian refugee's ghetto

As big as a planet, but just as distant

He was different, he was big now, but his conscience had not shrunk

and if he became angry and screamed and wept in the office

They just laughed him out

insaneasylum, insaneasylum, insaneasylum

What is with God, with the Pope, the politicians, the terrorists?

What is with you?

Kleiner June
Udo Lindenberg
Als er ein kleiner Junge war

und mal nix essen wollte, sagte Ma

daß viele Kinder hungrig sind und sterben

er war so geschockt und dachte: so'n Wahnsinn

und rannte zu seinem Sparschwein hin

da war sein ganzer Reichtum drin

„Mutter, wir müssen was tun!"

„Mit deinen paar Groschen," sagte Ma

„kriegste diese Welt leider auch nicht klar

das ist hier nun mal so'n bekloppter Planet

wo die Menschheit schon immer total durchdreht

daran wirst du dich gewöhnen, damit muß man leben

auch wenn es manchmal traurig macht."

Doch er beschloß, wenn ich mal groß bin, werde ich das ändern

und heulte die ganze Nacht

„WAS IST MIT GOTT?" und Mutter sagt:

„Der hat den Himmel zugemacht, ist abgereist, ist ganz weit weg

und kümmert sich'n Dreck"

„UND WAS IST MIT DEM PAPST?" und Mutter sagt:

„Der hat schon viele auf dem Gewissen

durch sein Pillenverbot kommen Babies zur Welt

obwohl man weiß, daß sie gleich wieder sterben müssen"

„UND WAS IST MIT DEN POLITIKERN?"

„Viele von denen sind totale Verbrecher

sie lügen, betrügen und erklären den Krieg

machen Menschen zu Mördern und labern vom Sieg"



Kleine Jungs werden größer

und wenn's dann immer mehr um das Ego geht

ist ein palästinensisches Flüchtlingsghetto

bald so weit weg wie der fernste Planet

doch bei ihm war das anders - er wurde groß

doch sein Gewissen wurd' nicht kleiner

und wenn er mal ausflippte, schrie und weinte, im Büro, einfach so

lachten sie ihn aus

Psychiatrie - Irrenhaus Psychiatrie - Irrenhaus

Und was ist mit Gott? mit dem Papst, mit den Politikern, den Terroristen?

Und was ist mit dir?

The Politics of Stupidity

My non-political friends are always surprised to hear it, but I can't stand election time. It is true, I am more involved, informed, and interested in what goes on in the political world than anyone else I know, but my interest in politics is of an intellectual and humanistic nature. I am committed to understanding an issue before I make a decision and I am concerned before anything else with the humanitarian implications of that issue.

The politics of election time are the antithesis of the politics I have an interest in. Election time is the the dream of every bigot and pedant. It is a time when the affairs of government descend from partial to complete stupidity. It is a time when facts become irrelevant to convenient lies. It is a time when the complex nature of issues is cast aside in favor of bumper sticker slogans and television ads. It is a time when compassion for fellow humans is a treasonous offense if they belong to a nation or religion on the wrong side of the tribalistic U.S vs. Them divide. It is a time for the typically brain dead partisans to flock around their suddenly infallible candidate. It is a time for uninformed individuals to decide in a few days issues that the most compassionate and brilliant people would struggle with for years. It is a time that I can't wait to be over.

Instead of focusing on actual issues politicians, pundits, and citizens are concerned about lapel pins, religion, teen pregnancies, war stories, and many other non-issues. Instead of trying to run a nation politicians are trying to run poll numbers. I don't have anything against having elections, with all its flaws this is still the most effective political system devised to date, I am begging everyone, though, to please dispense with the drama and THINK!