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Die Gedanken sind Frei (text and music: anonymous)
Dean Engelhard writes in his complete collection of cohen songs (ftp.uwp.edu
/pub/music/lyrics) that Cohen had performed this german folk song.
It was never released on CD (as much as I know).
The song was written between 1780 and 1800, at the time of the French
Revolution.
Possible accompaniment patterns:
C C
1 a 2 a 3 a 1 a 2 a 3 a
e:--------------------|--------0-----0-----|
B:--------1-----------|--------1-----1-----|
G:-----0-----0-----0--|-----0-----0-----0--|
D:--------------2-----|--------------------|
A:--3-----------------|--3-----------------|
E:--------------------|--------------------|
p i m i p i p i a i a i C
m m
3 a 1 2 3 a
---------------||--------------0-----|
---------------||--1-----1--------1--|
---------0--0--||--------------------|
The melody: ---------------||--------------------|
---------------||--------------------|
---------------||--------------------|
Die Ge- dan- ken sind
G7 C
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 a
e:---------------|---------------|----------------|-------------0-----|
B:---------------|---------------|----------------|--1-----1-------1--|
G:--0---------0--|------------0--|------------0---|-------------------|
D:---------------|--3----0-------|--2-------------|-------------------|
A:---------------|---------------|-------3--------|-------------------|
E:---------------|---------------|----------------|-------------------|
frei wer kann sie er- ra- ten? Sie flie- hen vor-
G7 C G7
1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 a
e:-----------------|-----------------|------------------|------------------|
B:-----------------|-----------------|---------------1--|--0------3-----0--|
G:--0-----------0--|--------------0--|------------------|------------------|
D:-----------------|--3-----0--------|--2---------------|------------------|
A:-----------------|-----------------|--------3---------|------------------|
E:-----------------|-----------------|------------------|------------------|
bei, wie naech- li- che Schat- ten. Kein Mensch kann sie
C G7 C
1 2 3 a 1 2 3 a 1 2 3
e:--------0---------|----------------|----------0--------|
B:--1------------1--|--0----3-----0--|--1------------1---|
G:------------------|----------------|-------------------|
D:------------------|----------------|-------------------|
A:------------------|----------------|-------------------|
E:------------------|----------------|-------------------|
wis- sen, kein Jae- ger er- schies- sen mit
F C G7
1 2 a 3 a 1 2 3 a 1 a 2 3
e:--------------------|----------------0--|--0----------------|
B:----------0---1-----|------------1------|-----3---1----0----|
G:--2----2---------2--|--0----------------|-------------------|
D:--------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
A:--------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
E:--------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
Pul- ver und Blei, die Ge- dan- ken sind
C
1 2 Da capo
e:--------------||
B:--1----------*||
G:--------------||
D:-------------*||
A:--------------||
E:--------------||
frei.
C G7 C
Die Gedanken sind frei! Wer kann sie er-raten?
G7 C
Sie fliegen vorbei wie naechtliche Schatten.
G7 C G7 C
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jaeger er-schiessen
F C G7 C
mit Pulver und Blei. Die Ge-danken sind frei!
[Thoughts are free! Who can guess them?
They fly along like nightly treasures
No man can know them
No hunter can shoot them
With powder and lead
Thoughts are free!]
C G7 C
Ich denke, was ich will und was mich be-gluecket,
G7 C
doch alles in der Still und wie es sich schicket.
G7 C G7 C
Mein Wunsch und Be-gehren kann niemand ver-wehren,
F C G7 C
es bleibet da-bei: Die Ge-danken sind frei!
[I think about what I want and what makes me happy
But everything quietly, and just how it comes.
To my wish and desire
Nobody can oppose,
It stays this way:
Thoughts are free!]
C G7 C
Und sperrt man mich ein im finsteren Kerker,
G7 C
das alles sind rein ver-gebliche Werke,
G7 C G7 C
denn meine Ge-danken zer-reissen die Schranken
F C G7 C
und Mauern ent-zwei: Die Ge-danken sind frei!
[And if they lock me in a dark dungeon
That is something that can be forgiven
Cause my thoughts
Tear up the bars
And walls.
Thoughts are free!]
C G7 C
Ich liebe den Wein, mein Maedchen vor allen,
G7 C
sie tut mir allein am be-sten ge-fallen.
G7 C G7 C
Ich bin nicht al-leine bei meinem Glas Weine,
F C G7 C
mein Maedchen da-bei: Die Ge-danken sind frei!
[I love wine, my girl most of all,
Only me she pleases best
I am not alone
With my glass of wine
My girl is with me:
Thoughts are free!]
C G7 C
Drum will ich auf immer den Sorgen ent-sagen
C G7 C
und will mich auch nimmer mit Grillen mehr plagen.
G7 C G7 C
Man kann ja im Herzen stets lachen und scherzen
F C G7 C
und denken da-bei: Die Ge-danken sind frei!
[That's why I will never worry anymore
And I will never tease myself with whims anymore
Because in one's heart
One can keep laughing and joking
While thinking
Thoughts are free!]
Adi.Heindl@chemie.uni-regensburg.de
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