German to English Translation - Reise Reise Chant

[Thunder Chicken]

I know a few German speakers frequent the boards and I was hoping to get their assistance.

In the following video, at the start of the song Reise Reise by Rammstein there is a chant. From the context of the rest of the song I presume that it is some variation of the imperative 'stroke!' or 'row!' (though I may be mistaken). My ear/brain cannot make out the word being spoken.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wBH6HXidO4&NR=1"]‪Rammstein - Reise Reise from Volkerball‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

I know a little German, and understand most of the lyrics of the song. I know that this song uses some words in their old German translation, so perhaps I am getting confused by this.

Danke Shön!

 

[Urwumpe]

Can't watch this video as German, since the German music right tyranny agency GEMA (Slogan: "the artist doesn't know what is good for him") forbids it.

I think you mean that one.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Yes, that is the video. Knowing some of the options, it does hit my ear as "hol weg". Makes sense.

Thanks for the Gorch Fock video. I teach engineering at a local maritime academy, but our training ship is not nearly as nice as the Gorch Fock.

Thanks for the help!

 

[kevin580]

I thought the same when I heard it. One of my friends likes Rammstein, so I know that.

Danke Shön!

Btw, it's "Danke schön!".

 

[jedidia]

Pretty certainly "Hol-weg", if I'm not mistaken Wagner also used it in his opera "the flying dutchman" as a rythmic element at times. Usually used for raising anker and raising sails if the ship didn't have a whinch, as far as I know.

 

[Urwumpe]

Not sure if "Hol weg" is really used for the anchor, which is a long haul if not done by a capstan. But there is an English Sea Shanty "Haul away Joe" (Haul away is BTW the better translation of "Hol weg"), which is a long haul shanty. The German use of "Hol Weg" seems to be rather a short haul, when you work fast for a short time.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Not sure if "Hol weg" is really used for the anchor, which is a long haul if not done by a capstan. But there is an English Sea Shanty "Haul away Joe" (Haul away is BTW the better translation of "Hol weg"), which is a long haul shanty. The German use of "Hol Weg" seems to be rather a short haul, when you work fast for a short time.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvBHdw-EqLM"]‪Haul Away Joe‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

I could see this song being sung by sailors pulling a rope for rigging. If it were a long haul the habit was to pull in unison in long pulls, once every 4-5 seconds or so, roughly to the cadence of the song. A bit slower pace than shown by the seamen in the video, but longer pulls.

 

[Urwumpe]

In comparison a capstan shanty:

(Though in a fairly non-classic version... but Youtube has no better version around, even though it is a lovely folk song that helps you in your maritime geography exams)

 

[Thunder Chicken]

In comparison a capstan shanty:

‪Celtic Mayhem - "Spanish Ladies"‬‏ - YouTube

(Though in a fairly non-classic version... but Youtube has no better version around, even though it is a lovely folk song that helps you in your maritime geography exams)

There's a more popular version over here

---------- Post added 07-31-11 at 04:51 AM ---------- Previous post was 07-30-11 at 06:08 PM ----------

Btw, it's "Danke schön!".

Can I get partial credit for finding the ALT code to type ö on an English keyboard? :lol:

 

[C3PO]

Can I get partial credit for finding the ALT code to type ö on an English keyboard? :lol:

:rofl:

You'll get that when you find ð

AFAIK it's only used in Faroese and Icelandic. There is a capital version Ð that's never used, because no word begins with that letter.

 

[Urwumpe]

You mean that ð one? (ALT+0240)

 

[C3PO]

You mean that ð one? (ALT+0240)

Yes :tiphat:
Ð is [Alt]+0208

 

[kevin580]

You can also use "oe" (Dankeschoen).

 

[Linguofreak]

:rofl:

You'll get that when you find ð

AFAIK it's only used in Faroese and Icelandic.

And Old English! Not to mention the IPA.

There is a capital version Ð that's never used, because no word begins with that letter.

I'm not sure of the use of the capital version in Old English. There were certainly words that began with ð, but it was interchangable with þ, which had its own capital form, and it may be that at the beginning of sentences þ was always used.

In the IPA, there is technically no capital form: when the IPA has lower and uppercase forms of a letter, they generally indicate different sounds.