Großdeutschland. Stormtrooper Marches. ★★
Both of these albums were taken from historical archives. Thus, their quality is ok to quite poor. The recordings could have been cleaned up a little better, but were not. Many of these marches and songs are quite difficult to obtain. Of note, the Horst Wessel Lied is not available in Germany. It is illegal to have the tune or to play it. It was hard enough to procure here in the US. For my German friends…
Bitte zur Beachtung! Passen Sie auf! Dieses Lied ist nicht erlaubt auf Deutschland. Hör es nur mit Kopfhörer. Wenn der Staat wisst, das du dieses Lied gehören hast, kannst du bestraft sein. Du werdest in Gefängnis geworfen sein, und der Schlüssel weg geworfen. Hör auf eigene Gefahr!
01 Horst Wessel Lied (Nazi Party Anthem – choral) 1
First, a clarification. I wish to compare this song with the French and American National anthems.
| German original | English translation |
|---|---|
| Die Fahne hoch! Die Reihen fest geschlossen!SA marschiert mit ruhig, festem Schritt.Kam’raden, die Rotfront und Reaktion erschossen,Marschier’n im Geist in unser’n Reihen mit.Die Straße frei den braunen Batallionen.Die Straße frei dem Sturmabteilungsmann!Es schau’n aufs Hakenkreuz voll Hoffnung schon Millionen.Der Tag für Freiheit und für Brot bricht an!Zum letzten Mal wird Sturmalarm geblasen!Zum Kampfe steh’n wir alle schon bereit!Bald flattern Hitlerfahnen über alle Straßen.Die Knechtschaft dauert nur noch kurze Zeit!Die Fahne hoch! Die Reihen fest geschlossen!SA marschiert mit ruhig-festem Schritt.Kameraden, die Rotfront und Reaktion erschossen,Marschieren im Geist in unseren Reihen mit. | The flag on high! The ranks closed tightly!SA marches with calm, firm steps.Comrades shot by Red Frontand reactionariesMarch in spirit within our ranks.Clear the streets for the brownshirts,Clear the streets for the stormtroopers!Millions are filled with hope, when they see the swastika,The day of freedom and bread is dawning!The storm warning is sounded for the last time!We all stand ready for the fight!Soon Hitler’s flags will fly over all streets.Our bondage will only last a short time more!The flag on high! The ranks close tightly!SA marches with calm, firm steps.Comrades shot by Red Front and reactionariesMarch in spirit within our ranks. |
French National Anthem
| Allons enfants de la Patrie, | Arise, children of the Fatherland, |
| Le jour de gloire est arrivé ! | The day of glory has arrived! |
| Contre nous de la tyrannie, | Against us of tyranny |
| L’étendard sanglant est levé, (bis) | The bloody banner is raised, (repeat) |
| Entendez-vous dans les campagnes | Do you hear, in the countryside, |
| Mugir ces féroces soldats ? | The roar of those ferocious soldiers? |
| Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras | They’re coming right into our arms |
| Égorger nos fils et nos compagnes ! | To cut the throats of our sons and women! |
| Aux armes, citoyens, | To arms, citizens, |
| Formez vos bataillons, | Form your battalions, |
| Marchons, marchons ! | Let’s march, let’s march! |
| Qu’un sang impur | That an impure blood |
| Abreuve nos sillons ! | Waters our furrows! |
| Que veut cette horde d’esclaves, | What does this horde of slaves, |
| De traîtres, de rois conjurés ? | Of traitors and conjured kings want? |
| Pour qui ces ignobles entraves, | For whom are these vile chains, |
| Ces fers dès longtemps préparés ? (bis) | These long-prepared irons? (repeat) |
| Français, pour nous, ah ! quel outrage | Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage |
| Quels transports il doit exciter ! | What fury it must arouse! |
| C’est nous qu’on ose méditer | It is us they dare plan |
| De rendre à l’antique esclavage ! | To return to the old slavery! |
| Aux armes, citoyens… | To arms, citizens… |
| Quoi ! des cohortes étrangères | What! Foreign cohorts |
| Feraient la loi dans nos foyers ! | Would make the law in our homes! |
| Quoi ! Ces phalanges mercenaires | What! These mercenary phalanxes |
| Terrasseraient nos fiers guerriers ! (bis) | Would strike down our proud warriors! (repeat) |
| Grand Dieu ! Par des mains enchaînées | Great God ! By chained hands |
| Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient | Our brows would yield under the yoke |
| De vils despotes deviendraient | Vile despots would have themselves |
| Les maîtres de nos destinées ! | The masters of our destinies! |
| Aux armes, citoyens… | To arms, citizens… |
| Tremblez, tyrans et vous perfides | Tremble, tyrants and you traitors |
| L’opprobre de tous les partis, | The shame of all parties, |
| Tremblez ! vos projets parricides | Tremble! Your parricidal schemes |
| Vont enfin recevoir leurs prix ! (bis) | Will finally receive their reward! (repeat) |
| Tout est soldat pour vous combattre, | Everyone is a soldier to combat you |
| S’ils tombent, nos jeunes héros, | If they fall, our young heroes, |
| La terre en produit de nouveaux, | The earth will produce new ones, |
| Contre vous tout prêts à se battre ! | Ready to fight against you! |
| Aux armes, citoyens… | To arms, citizens… |
| Français, en guerriers magnanimes, | Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors, |
| Portez ou retenez vos coups ! | You bear or hold back your blows! |
| Épargnez ces tristes victimes, | You spare those sorry victims, |
| À regret s’armant contre nous. (bis) | Who arm against us with regret. (repeat) |
| Mais ces despotes sanguinaires, | But not these bloodthirsty despots, |
| Mais ces complices de Bouillé, | These accomplices of Bouillé, |
| Tous ces tigres qui, sans pitié, | All these tigers who, mercilessly, |
| Déchirent le sein de leur mère ! | Rip their mother’s breast! |
| Aux armes, citoyens… | To arms, citizens… |
| Amour sacré de la Patrie, | Sacred love of the Fatherland, |
| Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs | Lead, support our avenging arms |
| Liberté, Liberté chérie, | Liberty, cherished Liberty, |
| Combats avec tes défenseurs ! (bis) | Fight with thy defenders! (repeat) |
| Sous nos drapeaux que la victoire | Under our flags, shall victory |
| Accoure à tes mâles accents, | Hurry to thy manly accents, |
| Que tes ennemis expirants | That thy expiring enemies, |
| Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire ! | See thy triumph and our glory! |
| Aux armes, citoyens… | To arms, citizens… |
| (Couplet des enfants) | (Children’s Verse) |
| Nous entrerons dans la carrière[3] | We shall enter the (military) career |
| Quand nos aînés n’y seront plus, | When our elders are no longer there, |
| Nous y trouverons leur poussière | There we shall find their dust |
| Et la trace de leurs vertus (bis) | And the trace of their virtues (repeat) |
| Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre | Much less keen to survive them |
| Que de partager leur cercueil, | Than to share their coffins, |
| Nous aurons le sublime orgueil | We shall have the sublime pride |
| De les venger ou de les suivre | Of avenging or following them |
Finally, the US National Anthem (I hope you know it already!)
O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
’Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust;”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Notice that the anthems all tend toward violence, and the Nazi anthem is no worse than the French or American. The only redeeming value of the American anthem is the last stanza, which is unfortunately rarely ever sung. Francis Scott Key wrote other hymns, one which is still in the church hymn repertoire, “Lord with glowing heart I’ll praise thee”, but unfortunately is not found in many hymnals any more.
