That was a rather unique song. I was surprised because of the reference to France and also the Rhine, Bavaria, and Cambridge. Then there's the guy who dies? I'm not sure I understand what I was hearing. Maybe I need to get some sleep!
It's a protest song, an anti-war song. There's an explanation of the meaning of the song and the history it explores here: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=18708 The closing lyrics: "The couples pass by me, they're looking so good Their arms round each other, they head for the woods They don't care who Ernst Roehm was, no reason they should Just a shadow that hangs in the air
But I thought I saw him cross over the hill With a whole ghostly army of men at his heel And struck in the moment it seemed to be real like before On the last day of June 1934"
Okay--I had to google the lyrics. I'm still a bit confused, but that was the night of the long knives! Ernst Roehm was a former close associate of Hitler's who was known to like young boys and instead of being executed Roehm was supposedly given the option to commit suicide. (I had a semester on Hitler and the Nazis in college so some of this came back to me.) But what Roehm has to do with this song, I'm not sure. Appears to be that everyone thinks there will be no more wars and, in reality, things are just starting up again with Hitler and his brown shirts. It's a haunting song.
Because this blog does not consist of a single focus topic I chose the name Divers and Sundry where "Divers" means being of many and various kinds, and "Sundry" means consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds.
That was a rather unique song. I was surprised because of the reference to France and also the Rhine, Bavaria, and Cambridge. Then there's the guy who dies? I'm not sure I understand what I was hearing. Maybe I need to get some sleep!
ReplyDeleteIt's a protest song, an anti-war song. There's an explanation of the meaning of the song and the history it explores here: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=18708 The closing lyrics: "The couples pass by me, they're looking so good
DeleteTheir arms round each other, they head for the woods
They don't care who Ernst Roehm was, no reason they should
Just a shadow that hangs in the air
But I thought I saw him cross over the hill
With a whole ghostly army of men at his heel
And struck in the moment it seemed to be real like before
On the last day of June 1934"
Okay--I had to google the lyrics. I'm still a bit confused, but that was the night of the long knives! Ernst Roehm was a former close associate of Hitler's who was known to like young boys and instead of being executed Roehm was supposedly given the option to commit suicide. (I had a semester on Hitler and the Nazis in college so some of this came back to me.) But what Roehm has to do with this song, I'm not sure. Appears to be that everyone thinks there will be no more wars and, in reality, things are just starting up again with Hitler and his brown shirts. It's a haunting song.
ReplyDeleteThat there are always wars is tragic. I'm surprised there aren't more anti-war protest songs these days.
Delete