I heard the Russian translation of this song by Psoi Korolenko, so I wanted to find the original. The Russian version seems less nostalgic and more ironic, it doesn't leave the impression that the singer actually misses the times of totalitarianism, only that he has good memories from this time.
I feel like this is supposed to be ironic as well, to an extent. I feel like Khan is trying to play the part of a bitter, older man, who has fonder memories of the time than he has in the newer society, as they have found that society under neo-liberal capitalism is not much better than totalitarian socialism. If one is to have much of their life upturned and destroyed with no chance of going back, only to find themselves in a new system which also doesn't allow them to be free, of course they are going to have nostalgia for how it was before East Germany and West Germany unified. He was not free in either society, but he grew up and made his good memories in one simply for the fact that's where he spent his youth and early adulthood. Now he has to adopt a new way of life that is unenjoyable and fake on the surface, and in many ways just as crushing and debilitating underneath. He sees his old way of life being sold in gift shops and antique stores simply because of where he is, *former* communist East Berlin.
I think it's less about missing the times of 'totalitarianism' and more about, as the Russian joke goes, "Everything they told us about communism was a lie, but everything they told us about capitalism was true." - That is, living under dictatorship, they idealised the West, but after the old society was overturned, suffering and exploitation continue under neoliberal capitalism, and if many rights were won, also many living conditions are lost. With so many people unemployed in East Germany, of course they'll look back to the time everyone had a job - even if a state-enforced one.
from F.Klein I followed you over the border down to the Spree you were standing alone by the water waiting for me we wandered along by the river the towers were shrouded in haze we kissed by the wire and they all held their fire in the good old bad old days can't you see just lovely it couldn't have been when the whole world was closed like a door I remember those nights down in old east Berlin with the microphones listening under the floor and every stamp in this passport of mine was a record of kisses you gave yes we suffered in style and it's all in the file in the good old bad old days lai da dai... all the streetlights were waltzing together crimson and green and your dress was as gray as the weather oh what a dream we built up a city of whispers and classified war dossiers i gave you control of my papers and soul in the good old bad old days yes wasn't it miserable wasn't it grand when the world had an iron divide and people could take a political stand just by singing a song for the opposite side now nobody cares who you are anymore and nobody cares what you say it's liberty's curse but was it really much worse in the good old bad old days now Alyosha is gathering flowers every May and the statue of Marx by the tower is facing the other way by the wall is a souvenir table with hammers and sickles displayed on new watches that work and they're sold by a Turk in these good boring bad new days now I'm working for euros and drinking alone where we used to spend marks at the bar and weeds have grown over the border of stone that cuts through the town like a surgical scar and now so many streets on this faded old map are like names written over a grave yes it makes me so sad cause it wasn't so bad in the good old bad old days lai da dai... so don't look for a final solution here in Berlin for capitalist prostitution comes from within and don't worry about revolution we'll just keep the aesthetic clichés in this market of fleas selling klezmer CDs for the good old bad old days so Genossen, tavarishchi let's make a toast to a time when the state knew your name yes we all say na zdrovye, l'chaim und Prost to that braver old world where we all are the same where nobody loses and everyone wins just as long as each comrade obeys but that's all in the past so let's raise up a glass to the good old bad old days yes that's all in the past so let's raise up a glass to the good old bad old days lai da dai...
Daniel Kahn (the guy singing( is himself American, but the band he founded and is apart of (called "Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird") is based in Berlin, Germany, and they (often) make Klezmer music in Yiddish, but also in English and German.
and people could take a political stand just by singing a song for the opposite side now nobody cares who you are anymore and nobody cares what you say it's liberty's curse :D
Гениально! Спасибо за все, жаль, что старое зло стало современным. Свобода - это глагол!
Талантливый мальчик! И сколько страсти!
Daniel Kahn is a talent !! Salute from Moscow !!
this makes me wish i could play accordion
+sleuthed Makes me wish I could do something ....anything !!!
This makes me wish that the GDR still exists. :,(
@@maggusmala i have been waiting years for this comment
I wished that 15 years ago, and now I do.
Everytime I hear this song I think of you my dear friend, RIP Jack Faucette.
A special new talent, one that I predict will last down the years. Check his other songs, Freedom Is A Verb and Coney Island are good starts.
This made me realize I’ve never heard Daniel Kahn speak German...
Rosen auf den Weg Gestreut, my friend!
Yiddish, not German.
@@ilanasharon30 nah, I’ve heard him speak Yiddish before. This sounds more like German.
@@ilanasharon30 He speaks both. He's better at German than Yiddish.
@@ilanasharon30 at the beginning where he explains what the song is about, he‘s speaking german, not yiddish
verdammt schön
With Jake Shulman-Ment on violin! Wonderful.
Whe are all the same ! Great song ! Great moral ! good old dad old days
Fantastic witty song, the irony is superb, Daniel is a genius.
Great one! I heard it at first in russian and went to search the original
Если не сложно - скиньте ссылку пожалуйста Russian version. Might be Psoy Kirilenko?
@@ilanasharon30 Да, Псой Короленко
th-cam.com/video/VZrnqK-pkE8/w-d-xo.html
@@sophia111188 Большое спасибо, что откликнулись. Давно искала. Новогодние поздравления!
Прелестно!!! C'est magnifique!!!!
masterpiece!
This is so beautiful!!!
When you have a bad case of Ostlagie
this version is better than the one on the album for some reason, more of an open mic night song?
Очень талантливо! Спасибо!
Wonderful.
Merci magnifique
I heard the Russian translation of this song by Psoi Korolenko, so I wanted to find the original. The Russian version seems less nostalgic and more ironic, it doesn't leave the impression that the singer actually misses the times of totalitarianism, only that he has good memories from this time.
> the times of totalitarianism
Ah yes, past tense.
I think this one is just as ironic, it's just a bit more subtle- remember the "remember how lovely it couldn't have been" line?
Псой поёт хуже, но Даниэлю мешает визгливая скрипка
I feel like this is supposed to be ironic as well, to an extent. I feel like Khan is trying to play the part of a bitter, older man, who has fonder memories of the time than he has in the newer society, as they have found that society under neo-liberal capitalism is not much better than totalitarian socialism. If one is to have much of their life upturned and destroyed with no chance of going back, only to find themselves in a new system which also doesn't allow them to be free, of course they are going to have nostalgia for how it was before East Germany and West Germany unified. He was not free in either society, but he grew up and made his good memories in one simply for the fact that's where he spent his youth and early adulthood. Now he has to adopt a new way of life that is unenjoyable and fake on the surface, and in many ways just as crushing and debilitating underneath. He sees his old way of life being sold in gift shops and antique stores simply because of where he is, *former* communist East Berlin.
I think it's less about missing the times of 'totalitarianism' and more about, as the Russian joke goes, "Everything they told us about communism was a lie, but everything they told us about capitalism was true." - That is, living under dictatorship, they idealised the West, but after the old society was overturned, suffering and exploitation continue under neoliberal capitalism, and if many rights were won, also many living conditions are lost. With so many people unemployed in East Germany, of course they'll look back to the time everyone had a job - even if a state-enforced one.
I wonder if if anyone has translated this song into German.
I will be seeing you in Berlin again Mr. Kahn!
BRILLIANT!
Awesome!!!
Душевно...
Genial!
I wish I had someone to go down to the Spree with
פילע דאַנק
וווּנדערלעך!!!
For those who didn't hear the song that inspired this melody.
th-cam.com/video/2WkOR2ZN2N8/w-d-xo.html
Does anyone have the lyrics?
from F.Klein
I followed you over the border
down to the Spree
you were standing alone by the water
waiting for me
we wandered along by the river
the towers were shrouded in haze
we kissed by the wire
and they all held their fire
in the good old bad old days
can't you see just lovely it couldn't have been
when the whole world was closed like a door
I remember those nights down in old east Berlin
with the microphones listening under the floor
and every stamp in this passport of mine
was a record of kisses you gave
yes we suffered in style
and it's all in the file
in the good old bad old days
lai da dai...
all the streetlights were waltzing together
crimson and green
and your dress was as gray as the weather
oh what a dream
we built up a city of whispers
and classified war dossiers
i gave you control
of my papers and soul
in the good old bad old days
yes wasn't it miserable wasn't it grand
when the world had an iron divide
and people could take a political stand
just by singing a song for the opposite side
now nobody cares who you are anymore
and nobody cares what you say
it's liberty's curse
but was it really much worse
in the good old bad old days
now Alyosha is gathering flowers
every May
and the statue of Marx by the tower
is facing the other way
by the wall is a souvenir table
with hammers and sickles displayed
on new watches that work
and they're sold by a Turk
in these good boring bad new days
now I'm working for euros and drinking alone
where we used to spend marks at the bar
and weeds have grown over the border of stone
that cuts through the town like a surgical scar
and now so many streets on this faded old map
are like names written over a grave
yes it makes me so sad
cause it wasn't so bad
in the good old bad old days
lai da dai...
so don't look for a final solution
here in Berlin
for capitalist prostitution
comes from within
and don't worry about revolution
we'll just keep the aesthetic clichés
in this market of fleas
selling klezmer CDs
for the good old bad old days
so Genossen, tavarishchi let's make a toast
to a time when the state knew your name
yes we all say na zdrovye, l'chaim und Prost
to that braver old world where we all are the same
where nobody loses and everyone wins
just as long as each comrade obeys
but that's all in the past
so let's raise up a glass
to the good old bad old days
yes that's all in the past
so let's raise up a glass
to the good old bad old days
lai da dai...
thanks m8
@@steeltoecommunist6980 Thank you!
Anybody have an idea of the chords in the song??
Different lyrics but same music: muzland.info/songs.html?auth=827&song=1
Lyrics are the same, but translated to russian. Wonderful song...
Lyrics are the same, but translated to russian. Wonderful song...
Фром раша виз лав! ))
Are they german and singing in English please someone please tell me
Daniel Kahn (the guy singing( is himself American, but the band he founded and is apart of (called "Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird") is based in Berlin, Germany, and they (often) make Klezmer music in Yiddish, but also in English and German.
@@tsunami2998 Daniel Kahn is jewish- Me too.
uh oh i like this performance better than the official one
that i listen to EVERY DAY
and people could take a political stand
just by singing a song for the opposite side
now nobody cares who you are anymore
and nobody cares what you say
it's liberty's curse
:D
Don't look for a Final Solution here in Berlin...
Sounds kinda creepy when sung by a Jew.
Great song. Horribly done recording sadly.
Да, там ему самое место....🤣
Even tho, I’m a fervent anti communist, I sympathize a lot with the Ostalgie sentiment
witty as fuck. good job
gave me cancer
good :)
Perhaps don't play songs using a nuclear reactor.
L