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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
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