From: Sinclair Hart (slobak@bcn.net)
Date: Fri Apr 09 1999 - 12:46:32 PDT
It is news to me that Lili Marlene may have been sung during WWI. Lala Anderson's version touched the hearts of the German soldiers in North Africa, and did the same thing for the allies later. I remember the heart-rending words and feelings the song evoked when overseas and far away from loved ones. In May of 1945, we were living in captured German barracks in Regensburg, guarding General Patton's headquaters at the end of WWII. On the plaster walls of the barracks' stairs were words from Lili Marlene " Schon rief der posten, Sie bliesen Zapfenstreif. Es kann drei tage kosten, cam'rade ich komm ja gleich. Not sure what Zapfenstreif was, which the "postebn" was calling. But the warning in the next words is "It can cost you three days (presumably in the guardhouse), and the answer "I'm coming right away, my friend". If there are those who know German, I hope they will complete the translation. Ronald Gillen wrote: > Tim Merry wrote: > > > > ============= snip ========================================== > > "Underneath the lamp-light, by the barrack gate..." > > (title was LILI MARLENE, originally a German song - > > 'Unter der Laterne, etc' - which the British 8th Army > > in North Africa seem to have adopted. I think that's > > the story.) > ================= snip ======================================== > > Tim, > > If my memory serves me correctly LILI MARLENE was a WWI song that > carried on into WWII as it was popular with soldiers from both sides > sung in both english and german. > > Regards ..... Ron Gillen