Sunday, October 16, 2011

Was Keiner Wagt
I ran across this song in a Ravelry group, and was instantly entranced by it. I don't speak German, but the singer has a sweet, yet world-weary voice, and the tune is so lovely I had to listen several times. With the help of Bing Translator I was able to get a rough translation which I then attempted to convert to understandable English.
This song illustrates beautifully that which I tried to convey in a recent post: Go forth, and make the world better.

This song is performed by Reinhard Mey, appears on the album Mairegen (2010) and features Konstantin Wecker.



Was keiner wagt, das sollt ihr wagen
Was keiner sagt, das sagt heraus
Was keiner denkt, das wagt zu denken
Was keiner anfängt, das führt aus

 Wenn keiner ja sagt, sollt ihr's sagen
Wenn keiner nein sagt, sagt doch nein
Wenn alle zweifeln, wagt zu glauben
Wenn alle mittun, steht allein


Wo alle loben, habt Bedenken
Wo alle spotten, spottet nicht
Wo alle geizen, wagt zu schenken
Wo alles dunkel ist, macht Licht


Wo alle loben, habt Bedenken
Wo alle spotten, spottet nicht
Wo alle geizen (Alle geizen)
Wagt zu schenken (Wagt zu schenken)
Wo alles dunkel ist –Macht Licht

My translation, and all mistakes are my own:
What no one dares, then you shall dare it
What no one says, then you speak out
What no one thinks, then dare to think it
What no one starts, then you must do


If no one says Yes, you should say it
If no one says no, then you should say
When all doubt, dare to believe
When all join, stand alone


Where all praise, you have concerns
Where all mock, do not mock
Where all skimp, be generous
Where all is dark, make light

Where all praise, you have concerns
Where all mock, do not mock
Where all skimp (All skimp), Be generous (Be generous)
Where all is dark, make light

Recordings by Reinhard Mey are available here: Amazon