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German
Original lyrics

Das Lied von der Unzulänglichkeit menschlichen Strebens

Der Mensch lebt durch den Kopf,
der Kopf reicht ihm nicht aus.
Versuch es nur; von deinem Kopf
lebt höchstens eine Laus.
Denn für dieses Leben
ist der Mensch nicht schlau genug.
Niemals merkt er eben
jeden Lug und Trug.
 
Ja, mach nur einen Plan,
sei nur ein großes Licht!
Und mach dann noch’nen zweiten Plan,
geh’n tun sie beide nicht.
Denn für dieses Leben
ist der Mensch nicht schlecht genug,
doch sein höh’res Streben
ist ein schöner Zug.
 
Ja, renn nur nach dem Glück,
doch renne nicht zu sehr,
denn alle rennen nach dem Glück;
das Glück rennt hinterher.
Denn für dieses Leben
ist der Mensch nicht anspruchslos genug,
drum ist all sein Streben
nur ein Selbstbetrug.
 
Der Mensch ist gar nicht gut,
drum hau ihn auf den Hut.
Hast du ihm auf dem Hut gehau’n
dann wird er vielleicht gut.
Denn für dieses Leben
ist der Mensch nicht gut genug,
darum haut ihm eben
ruhig auf den Hut!
 
English
Translation1234#5

Song about the inadequacy of human planning

A man lives by the head,
but feels the head is not enough.
Just try it; off your head
subsists at most a louse.
Since for this live
man isn't clever enough.
He simply never notices
all lies and swindles.
 
Yes, just make a plan,
try to be a big shot!
And then make a second plan,
neither one will work.
Since for this live
man isn't bad enough,
but his quest for aspirations
is a nice feature.
 
Yes, just run after happiness,
but don’t run too much,
because we all run after happiness
and happiness runs behind us.
Since for this live
man isn't undemanding enough,
that’s why all his efforts
mean only fooling himself.
 
A man is not good at all,
so bang him on his head.
If you bang him hard
maybe he will become good.
Since for this live
man isn't good enough,
therefore don’t hesitate
and bang him on his head!
 

Translations of "Das Lied von der ..."

English #1, #2, #3, #4, #5

Translations of covers

Comments
LeaNder22LeaNder22    Sun, 03/12/2017 - 06:31

I am not comfortable with the first paragraph. Just had a couple of passages on my mind and wondered if there was an English translation.

Man lives by the head, ............................................................. ....(by means of his)
but feels the head is not enough.
Just try it, off your head
subsists at most a louse.
Since for this live
man isn't clever enough.
Never he notices thus .............................................. (maybe there is a better substitute for "eben" then thus?? - it's not completely superfluous*)
all the lies and deceptions.

* it surely is used to keep up the rhythm partly, but it is also a refers to the preceding two lines, more specifically 'isn't clever enough'.

I vaguely understand what made you choose "any" in the last line. Never seems to almost enforce 'any' in the following line. But 'not any'? Is that really what he means? There is a head, but it is simply not big or good enough to recognize all the lies and the deceptions out there. Not all, but surely some.

AldefinaAldefina
   Wed, 13/06/2018 - 11:08

Sorry for the late replay. I appreciated your suggestions and I made some changes in my translation, also in other parts of this song that you didn't mention. You may want to have a look.

I tried to interpret “Denn für dieses Leben ist der Mensch nicht schlau genug.” and similar (almost) repetitions my way and I came to the conclusion it was not needed. Hope it’s much better now.

Thanks! :)

FreigeistFreigeist
   Sun, 24/03/2019 - 06:07

I have a few suggestions to improve the translation and make it adapt somewhat closer to the original:

>"sei nur ein großes Licht!"
try to be a big shot

>" Und mach dann noch’nen zweiten Plan,
geh’n tun sie beide nicht."
And then make a second plan
neither one will work

>"ist ein schöner Zug."
is a nice feature

>" Denn für dieses Leben
ist der Mensch nicht anspruchslos genug,"
Because for this life
man isn't undemanding enough (alt.: humble, modest)

BosgladeBosglade    Sun, 28/04/2019 - 00:03

I’ve had a try to keep as close as possible to the original German but using some English idioms to convey the ideas of the song.

AldefinaAldefina
   Sun, 12/05/2019 - 17:20

Thank you, Hans, for the suggestions. :) I used them.

In fact I wasn’t sure how to translate “sei nur ein großes Licht”. Literal translation would have sounded very strange in my opinion, so I thought it was an idiom that I never came across, but I wasn’t able to find such an idiom. I wrote “if only for a show”, because it fitted well with the following lines. In my Polish translation I wrote something different - “to show your cleverness”. “Big shot” is an idiom (BTW, I never heard it before) meaning an “important, successful, or influential person” and I think it’s indeed the best solution.