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Die Moritat von Mackie Messer

Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne
und die trägt er im Gesicht
und Macheath, der hat ein Messer,
doch das Messer sieht man nicht.
 
Und es sind des Haifischs Flossen
rot, wenn dieser Blut vergießt
Mackie Messer trägt 'nen Handschuh
drauf man keine Untat liest.
 
An der Themse grünem Wasser
fallen plötzlich Leute um
Es ist weder Pest noch Cholera,
doch es heißt: Mackie geht um.
 
An 'nem schönen blauen Sonntag
liegt ein toter Mann am Strand
und ein Mensch geht um die Ecke,
den man Mackie Messer nennt.
 
Und Schmul Meier bleibt verschwunden
und so mancher reiche Mann
und sein Geld hat Mackie Messer,
dem man nichts beweisen kann.
 
Jenny Towler ward gefunden
mit 'nem Messer in der Brust
und am Kai geht Mackie Messer,
der von allem nichts gewußt.
 
Wo ist Alfons Glite, der Fuhrherr?
Kommt das je ans Sonnenlicht?
Wer es immer wissen könnte –
Mackie Messer weiß es nicht.
 
Und das große Feuer in Soho,
sieben Kinder und ein Greis
In der Menge Mackie Messer, den
man nichts fragt, und der nichts weiß.
 
Und die minderjähr'ge Witwe,
deren Namen jeder weiß,
wachte auf und war geschändet
Mackie, welches war dein Preis?
 
Refrain1
Und die einen sind im Dunkeln
und die anderen sind im Licht
Doch man sieht nur die im Lichte,
die im Dunklen sieht man nicht
Doch man sieht nur die im Lichte,
die im Dunklen sieht man nicht
 
End2
Und nun kommt zum guten Ende
alles unter einen Hut
Ist das nötige Geld vorhanden,
ist das Ende meistens gut
 
  • 1. only in the movie
  • 2. sung at the end of the play
Translation

Ballad of Mack the Knife

And the shark, he has teeth;
he has them in his face.
And Macheath, he has a knife,
but the knife, no one sees.
 
And the shark's fins are
red when he sheds blood;
Mack the Knife wears a glove
on which no sign of a crime can be seen.
 
By the green waters of the Thames,
suddenly people drop down.
It's neither plague nor cholera,
it's said: Mack's about.
 
On a beautiful, blue-skied Sunday,
a dead man lies on the Strand,
and someone turns the corner,
the one they call Mack the Knife.
 
And Schmul Meier's still not been found,
as with many a rich man,
and his money has Mack the Knife,
against whom nothing's to be proved.
 
Jenny Towler was found
with a knife in her chest,
and down on the Embankment there's Mack the Knife,
who knows nothing of any of it.
 
Where is Alfons Glite, the cabbie?
Will he ever come to light?
Whoever might know,
Mack the Knife has no idea.
 
And the great fire in Soho,
seven children and an old man.
In the crowd, Mack the Knife, whom
one asks nothing, and who knows nothing.
 
And the underage widow,
whose name everyone knows,
woke up and was defiled.
Mack, what was your price?
 
Refrain
And some are in the dark,
and others are in the light.
But one only sees those in the light;
those in the dark, one doesn't see.
But one only sees those in the light;
those in the dark, one doesn't see.
 
End
Now, here's the happy ending,
everything reconciled.
If the readies are to hand,
the ending is generally good.
 
Comments
QuestionfinderQuestionfinder
   Sat, 25/04/2015 - 09:13

Hello, great translation.

I only have two suggestions:

Und es sind des Haifischs Flossen
rot, wenn dieser Blut vergießt

I think this is more like:

"And it's red, like the/a shark's fins
When this/the blood flows/spills/is shed"

"Ist das nötige Geld vorhanden,
ist das Ende meistens gut"

I think what Brecht might mean here is

"If the missing money is returned
then it didn't turn out so bad after all."

His works almost always have very strong political connotations, he was a neo-Marxist, so poking fun at the wealthier classes was something he enjoyed doing. He might be saying something "as long as they get their money back, the bourgeoisie doesn't care how many people makcie the knife kills."

robert.tucker.794robert.tucker.794
   Sat, 25/04/2015 - 10:15

One should realize it's not about the shark spilling its/his own blood.

Regarding money, I think it means that with money you can get anything done. Those in the light and those in darkness may be far from Biblical. It's probably more like those in the spotlight, the key players, and those moving behind the scenes. So, I think it's maybe talking about paid assassin jobs, hush money, immoral ransoms etc.

http://de.wikipedia.org/?title=Liste_gefl%C3%BCgelter_Worte/U
http://ow.ly/M6gqA

QuestionfinderQuestionfinder
   Sat, 25/04/2015 - 10:19

Fair enough of the second point,but on the blood: Just because the blood is on the shark's fin, doesn't mean it's the shark's blood ;)

YanogatorYanogator    Fri, 20/09/2019 - 03:17

I've always read it as "And the shark's fins are red, when it sheds blood", contrasting that with Mackie, who wears gloves to avoid the incriminating evidence, so I agree with the original translation.

magicmuldermagicmulder
   Thu, 29/07/2021 - 10:22

> a dead man lies on the Strand
... on the beach (or "on the shore")

> And Schmul Meier's still not been found,
and many such a rich man

I think the connection is clearer if it's translated as "and neither has many a rich man".

magicmuldermagicmulder
   Fri, 30/07/2021 - 12:46

I see. Ist mir nie aufgefallen, daß "Strand" englisch ausgesprochen wird.

FreigeistFreigeist
   Thu, 29/07/2021 - 11:48

>"Wo ist Alfons gleich, der Fuhrherr?"
"Fuhrherr" means a man who owns a haulage company
(and it's not "Alfons Glite"!)

>" Kommt er je ans Sonnenlicht?"
They don't suppose he's still alive.
"Will he ever be found?" "Will his body ever be found?"

robert.tucker.794robert.tucker.794
   Thu, 29/07/2021 - 21:25
Hansi K_Lauer wrote:

and it's not "Alfons Glite"!

Are you sure?
shorturl.at/zJLM6

FreigeistFreigeist
   Fri, 30/07/2021 - 12:16

Well the o-lyrics currently here say "... Alfons gleich, ...".
I googeled it and in fact, there is a version with the name "Alfons Glite".

>"Wo ist Alfons Glite, der Fuhrherr?
Kommt das je ans Sonnenlicht?
Wer es immer wissen könnte –
Mackie Messer weiß es nicht."

As I see in our comments under the original "Alfons Glite" had been in before.
I don't know who took him out.
I'm going to ammend it.

robert.tucker.794robert.tucker.794
   Fri, 30/07/2021 - 13:36

From what I can find, the whole verse was missing in the original version (1928) and the 1931 revision. Since it's here under Bertolt Brecht and it's not sung in the video, maybe the verse should be deleted altogether here.
I think this may be the original version (1928 or 1931?):
https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/jaro2013/NJI_20/um/38980419/40626140/Textprob...
A history of the song is here (but does not resolve the "Alfons Glite" problem):
https://www.ft.com/content/90df12d6-b87f-11e5-b151-8e15c9a029fb

seriöserspinnerseriöserspinner    Sat, 07/01/2023 - 14:05
5

Great literal translation. My only grievance is, since the play is set in Victorian times, "trucker" seems like a very modern translation of "Fuhrherr". Also considering the word "Fuhrherr" itself is quite dated. Maybe "carter" or something along those lines would be more fitting.

robert.tucker.794robert.tucker.794
   Sat, 07/01/2023 - 15:32

Thanks. Changed to "cabbie" as most likely, and understandable for Victorian and modern times.

 

FUHRHERR, m. ein besitzer von fuhrwerken, besonders wagen, zur beförderung von personen oder sachen.

der fuhrherr entliesz zwei  seiner knechte, weil sie sich gegen reisende, die sie in ihren droschken fuhren, grob benommen hatten.

https://woerterbuchnetz.de/?sigle=DWB#1