• Reinhard Mey

    3. Oktober '91 → English translation

  • 2 translations
    English, Turkish
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October 3, '91

An unusual breath of holiday is situated on the city.
No traffic, no noise, the rails of the tram shine dimly
in the morning sun. Still a late summer idyll!
The shops are closed, all the flags are still.
for twenty-four years Mehmet has been in the foundry.
for twenty years he has been here every day.
Today he has no hurry. He can see the ceremony in a TV-shop on the shop window in passing there.
three dozen times the President from the monitor wall,
and it is a question of law and freedom - for everyone in this country
 
More than half of his life he works here.
Two daughters and a son grew up in the Ruhr area.
The gentlemen like him, still and conscientiously,
three rooms and a Ford Escort, yes, Mehmet did it,
with overtime Money he had also a visit to Turkey.
an inebriated's touches on him, a small pushing,
and the man turns back by babbling, stinking beer and sweaty,
and Mehmet doesn't see the blade flashing behind him
for no reason, and, like one demented, the stranger stabs at him,
and the picture is dark red and it falls like a stone.
 
And the people on the street? All of them have seen
all the respectable citizens, who stand in a semi-circle around him.
No one has helped him, nobody thought to help him,
to comfort him, no one kneels to him.
and on the TV they sing the verse of the unity.
And the emergency ambulance comes after a whole eternity.
And they clean the patch, where he was just yet.
And in fact, it was for all but a good day today -
but since the 24 hour news is the day not good anymore,
since there are only pain and grief, and I just want to cry
 
Original lyrics

3. Oktober '91

Click to see the original lyrics (German)

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