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MMD > Archives > July 2003 > 2003.07.29 > 10Prev  Next


Politically Incorrect Music Box Tunes
By Daniel Schmutz

-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD --

I have found the lyrics to the song "Ham se nicht den kleinen Cohn
geseh'n?".  An interesting issue is that this song was also recorded
(22.01.1929) by the "Comedian Harmonists" in a medley called "Anno
dazumal - medley, part II".  Interesting because some members of the
"Comedian Harmonists" were Jews.  I found that information at
http://www.anum.tuwien.ac.at/~dirk/harmonists/lyrics.htm.

The text of the song in German [sung with a Berlin accent]:

  Ha'm sie nicht den kleinen Cohn jeseh'n?
  Sah'n sie ihn denn nicht vorueberjeh'n?
  In des Volkes Menge da kam er ins Gedraenge.
  Da ham'se nun den Schreck: Der kleine Cohn ist weg!

  Einst sang man gern vom kleinen Cohn,
  heut' gibts nur Fox und Char-les-ton!
  Sing halleluja, halleluja ...

A try of a translation (my English is not very good):

  Haven't you seen little Cohn?
  Haven't you seen him passing by?
  In the crowd he got into the crush.
  Now you are shocked: Little Cohn is away!

  Once we liked to sing about little Cohn,
  today there's only the Fox Trot and Charleston!

Maybe someone else can make a better translation.

The verse of this song tells about a man who flees from his wife
after a side leap [an amorous fling with a young lady!].

Regards

Daniel Schmutz,
Berne, Switzerland
dschmutz@gmx.ch.geentroep [delete ".geentroep to reply]

 [ Your English is very good, indeed, Daniel; thanks for writing to us.
 [
 [ Poor little Cohn (or Cohen)!  Lots of gentle jokes were told about
 [ him (as in the double-entendre song by the Comedian Harmonists),
 [ in both both German and English language songs.  In the 1927
 [ hit, "(I Scream - You Scream - We All Scream for) Ice Cream", is
 [ a slapstick pun on the ice cream cone:
 [
 [   Iceberg, Lindberg, Sol Berg and Ginzberg,
 [   Ice cream Cohen!
 [
 [ The title "Hab'n Sie nicht den kleinen Cohn geseh'n?" appears in
 [ in tune lists compiled by Kevin McElhone for Polyphon 11" discs
 [ and Ariosa 18-note discs.  Adjacent titles seem to be turn-of-
 [ the-century songs, so I guess der kleine Cohn's troubles began
 [ long before the 1920s; see
 [   http://mmd.foxtail.com/MMMedia/poly11.html and
 [   http://mmd.foxtail.com/MMMedia/18nAriosaList.html
 [
 [ -- Robbie


(Message sent Wed 30 Jul 2003, 00:29:59 GMT, from time zone GMT+0200.)

Key Words in Subject:  Box, Incorrect, Music, Politically, Tunes

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