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Uplifting Thoughts for the Isolated and Depressed in Times of Plague

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Easter in Rio de Janeiro.
 

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There is a real evergreen song in the German speaking countries - sad and uplifting at the same time - with one of the strangest background stories you could imagine.

It is the love song "Winter in Canada" which is often played during dark winter times in musical request programmes, wished througout all possible generations every year since 1966, when it appeared for the first time.

This song is incredibly beautiful in its melody but also in its lyrics like a German poem from Goethe or Schiller (e.g.: "ein Zauber betörte die Herzen" = "a Magic beguiled the Hearts" sounds simply wonderful in German!) and almost everyone during the last 54 years says you cannot forget the beauty of its rhymes and its sad but also hopeful winter mood. The singer has a very slight, almost unremarkable dialect which Germans never really could determine and many think, it sounds sometimes a bit like a Swiss was singing it ("ü"), sometimes it sounds more like an Italian ("ch").

Usually, the persons of today who wish it to be played on TV or radio, do not know anything about the singer "Elisa Gabbai", who indeed disappeared from public interest in favour of her own family. The song was so great that it was one of very few which appeared on vinyl records at the same time in West- (BRD) and East-Germany (DDR) and there was also the feeling of hearing a song from Germans who emigrated to Canada before and after the world wars.

I will add the version which is the best preserved, the record cover is the one from the former German Democratic Republic, followed by the lyrics in German and English.

Most Germans are feeling very sad and unhappy today when they hear that the singer was indeed of Israeli origin and this song was her greatest and everlasting success.
I think, this song will be played in German radios and on TV in cover versions in all eternity but few will know the identity of the singer and her life story and this is really, really strange in musical history:
A song, almost every one knows or has once heard with love in a nation but no one knows much about the original singer.


Wir standen am Fenster mit unseren Träumen
Im Haus am Eriesee.
Ein kalter Dezember-Mond hing in den Bäumen,
Da fiel der erste Schnee
Ein Zauber betörte die Herzen,
Das Wunder der Liebe geschah.
Und dann über Nacht war es Winter geworden,
Winter in Canada

Winter in Canada,
So weiß war das Land.
Es war Winter in Canada,
Als mein Herz dich fand,
Schien das Glück so nah.
Es war Winter in Canada.
Am Morgen im Schlitten durch schweigende Wälder,
Nur du in meiner Näh'.
Zwei Spuren, die führten durch silberne Felder
Ins Haus am Eriesee.

Und abends am Feuer zwei Herzen,
Die Sterne zum Greifen so nah.
Oh wäre es immer nur Winter geblieben,
Winter in Canada

Winter in Canada,
So weiß war das Land.
Es war Winter in Canada,
Als mein Herz dich fand,
Schien das Glück so nah…

Es war…


Translation:

We stood at the window with our dreams
In the house at the Erie Lake.
A cold December moon hung in the trees
The first snow fell
A magic beguiled the hearts
The miracle of love happened.

And then it was winter overnight
Winter in Canada

Winter in Canada
The country was so white.
It was winter in Canada
When my heart found you
Happiness seemed so close.
It was winter in Canada.

In the morning in a sleigh through silent forests,
Only you near me.
Two tracks that led through silver fields
In the house at Lake Erie.
And in the evening two hearts by the fire
The stars within reach.
Oh, if it would only have stayed winter
Winter in Canada

Winter in Canada
The country was so white.
It was winter in Canada
When my heart found you
Happiness seemed so close.

It was…


Elisa Gabbai – Wikipedia

de.wikipedia.org de.wikipedia.org

Oh, I just remarked that a small part of the lyrics is missing because of its lenght it was not made by the Google translator, but it is not really necessary to understand the song, I think.
 
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Maybe, you find this following song also uplifting, although it's again German, but really famous and an evergreen again.

(Sorry, but I simply :icon12: such evergreens and this "Im Wagen vor mir ..." is still loved by all Germans after all these years!)

I remembered it because the rhythm could also be from a slow locomotive-song of which we talked yesterday.
It is one of the funniest and also very intelligent German "Schlager / Hits" from 1977 because it shows how very different men and women can think during driving on a German "Autobahn".

The man and the woman are singing alternately their thoughts.

He is a rather rich dandy driving slow behind her in a fast and expensive car, she is rather a student in a slow old car. Both are driving home but he has plenty of time and likes to look at the landscape until he remarks how beautiful she seems to be when she looks in the mirror at his car, wondering why he does not try to overtake.


(German lyrics right under the video in YouTube!)

This is what they "sing" in the English translation:

In the car in front of me, a young girl is driving …
She drives alone and she seems to be very pretty
I don't know her name and I don't know her destination
I can only notice she drives with a lot of feeling

In the car in front of me, a young girl is driving
I would like to know what she is thinking right now
Is she listening to the same radio station or is her radio off?
Does she drive to a Rendez-vous or to her home?

Rada rada radadada
Rada rada radadada

Her voice: What does this stupid guy behind me want from me? (His voice: Is she not cute?!)
I wonder why doesn't he overtake? (So beautiful soft hair!)

He's been hanging behind me for half an hour now
Now it is already dawning and he drives without light (So nice with my slow speed at ninety kmph!)

He could be a hundred kilometers away right now with his fast car! (Oh, I'm so really glad today!)
Man, overtake my old duck car! (I feel so really good)
Does he want to control me or does he want to kidnap me or is that the police in civilian clothes?

Rada rada radadada
Rada rada radadada

His voice: How nice that I finally have so much spare time today
I don't have to race my car like a raging bull!

I‘m dreaming in my thoughts, all alone, and without barriers …
And wish the beautiful girl there would be here with me in my car!

Her voice: Now this thing is getting queasy for me (His voice: The music is so good!)
I'm going to take the next exit! (Today is such a beautiful day!)

There I will hide behind some hedges
Damn it, I'll be home late!

His voice: Bye-bye my beautiful girl, I wish you a safe journey!
She has the turning signal on, here she leaves the Autobahn.

For me, the trip will end in two hours.
But you my beautiful girl, I will never see you again …

Rada rada radadada

[Probably today in Germany, someone could call this "Autobahn-Stalking" :eek: but in 1977 it was probably "occasional Autobahn love". ;)

…
 
Here's something else that's very American (I hear Germans like to speed too). It's hard to make out--the lyrics are at the bottom, but I'll add them here anyway.


The little old lady from Pasadena Go granny, go granny, go granny go
Has a pretty little flower bed of white gardenias Go granny, go granny, go granny go
But parked in her rickety old garage Is a brand new shiny red Super Stock Dodge
And everybody's saying that there's nobody meaner Than the little old lady from Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard
It's the little old lady from Pasadena If you see her on the street don't try to choose her Go granny, go granny, go granny go
You might drive a goer but you'll never lose her Go granny, go granny, go granny go
Well, she's gonna get a ticket now sooner or later 'Cause she can't keep her foot off the accelerator
And everybody's saying that there's nobody meaner Than the little old lady from Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard She's a terror of Colorado Boulevard
It's the little old lady from Pasadena ~Instrumental~ Go granny, go granny, go granny go ~Instrumental~ Go granny, go granny, go granny go
The guys come to race her from miles around But she'll give 'em a length then she'll shut 'em down
And everybody's sayin' that there's nobody meaner
Than the little old lady from Pasadena
(She drives real fast and she drives real hard)
She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard
 
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Gibbs505 said:
a British classic "Right said Fred"

Click to expand...
The story is that when Larry Ellison (the founder and primary stockholder in Oracle, a database software firm) rented his first office as a start-up, there was trouble stringing network cables room-to-room. So Larry took a hammer and knocked a hole in the wall. Knowing how Larry has acted since, I don't doubt this story for a minute. (Another story is that when the old Soviet Union collapsed he bought a MIG-25 for personal use. I assume he got some attention from the Air Force and Navy fighter squadrons in California.)
 
This is a poem by Longfellow written on Christmas Day, 1863. His son was convalescing from severe wounds suffered in the Union Army earlier that year in the American Civil War.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."
 
I like the idea of the thread. I am neither isolated nor depressed (so I guess I am one of the lucky ones).

One of the things I do to keep a perspective on things is to look back at history for examples of disasters and their long term affects.

So let me share from my grandfather's lifetime.

In just 31 years (1914-1945) the world experienced WWI (16 million dead), The Spanish Flu (around 50 million dead), the Great Depression and WWII (around another 50 million dead and most of the industrial world wrecked) on a much smaller population base.

The survivors and their children built the world we live in today. One of incredible possibilities for anyone who cares to seize them.

The best medicine is laughter and all we can truly control is our actions.

So keep to your routines as much as possible because they form the basis of your sanity. Take the time to do the little things you can do to make just one other persons life better. We are the ones who drive humanity forward, not governments.

And for god's sake stop watching social media and the news all the time. Open a window and listen to the birds and remember thru it all they have been around 100s of MILLIONS of years. We will get thru this.

Smell some roses because there will always be flowers.

kisses

willowfall
 
willowfall said:
...
And for god's sake stop watching social media and the news all the time. Open a window and listen to the birds and remember thru it all they have been around 100s of MILLIONS of years. We will get thru this.

Smell some roses because there will always be flowers.

kisses
willowfall
Click to expand...

Very good advice ... mhm ... but being German, I am addicted to world news as most of us in Germany are, you know?
We Germans are really schizophrenic in many ways because we want to be as well informed as possible, we are probably the only nation, making voyages all over the world, feeling pity for most of the world's population in poorer countries, which are certainly almost all countries outside of Europe and then, we are coming home again and we are complaining to our politicians how extremely bad we are living in Germany in comparison with Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg or Monaco - which is certainly true!
And certainly, we Germans want to be loved as much as possible by every other nation, which is a bit difficult after some parts of our history but we want to be loved with all our industrial power and we always want to know for sure who is loving us, because we have so many borders and neighbours, who do not always like to love us like we love them.
So, you see, we Germans are simply absolutely crazy and that is why I cannot follow your advice concerning social media (hey, then I would have to leave you here alone!?!) and the news although I would like to do it very much.
Sorry!
:eaea:;)
 
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Silent_Water said:
..., Liechtenstein, ...
:eaea:;)
Click to expand...
By the way, the Germans are also feeling some envy towards Liechtenstein, because this little state was always lucky. For example, Liechtenstein was taking part in the war in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and Prussia. All the male youth of Liechtenstein (altogether 79 persons!), who was unemployed or had nothing else to do and one policeman who was declared to be their general (!) went to war!!! Until they arrived at the battlefield, Prussia had won the war and the army of Liechtenstein went home again, taking one young Austrian scout with them as a new citizen. So, 80 soldiers from Liechtenstein went to their only war in 250 years and 81 soldiers came back! And Liechtenstein was forgotten in the peace treaty between Austria and Prussia, which is the reason why Liechtenstein is still at war with a part of Germany, namely Prussia, which does not exist any more. So, Germans and Liechtensteinians have some problems with each other since this unhappy war:
en.wikipedia.org

Austro-Prussian War - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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Silent_Water said:
Very good advice ... mhm ... but being German, I am addicted to world news as most of us in Germany are, you know?
We Germans are really schizophrenic in many ways because we want to be as well informed as possible, we are probably the only nation, making voyages all over the world, feeling pity for most of the world's population in poorer countries, which are certainly almost all countries outside of Europe and then, we are coming home again and we are complaining to our politicians how extremely bad we are living in Germany in comparison with Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg or Monaco - which is certainly true!
And certainly, we Germans want to be loved as much as possible by every other nation, which is a bit difficult after some parts of our history but we want to be loved with all our industrial power and we always want to know for sure who is loving us, because we have so many borders and neighbours, who do not always like to love us like we love them.
So, you see, we Germans are simply absolutely crazy and that is why I cannot follow your advice concerning social media (hey, then I would have to leave you here alone!?!) and the news although I would like to do it very much.
Click to expand...
Silent_Water said:
By the way, the Germans are also feeling some envy towards Liechtenstein, because this little state was always lucky. For example, Liechtenstein was taking part in the war in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and Prussia. All the male youth of Liechtenstein (altogether 79 persons!), who was unemployed or had nothing else to do and one policeman who was declared to be their general (!) went to war!!! Until they arrived at the battlefield, Prussia had won the war and the army of Liechtenstein went home again, taking one young Austrian scout with them as a new citizen. So, 80 soldiers from Liechtenstein went to their only war in 250 years and 81 soldiers came back! And Liechtenstein was forgotten in the peace treaty between Austria and Prussia, which is the reason why Liechtenstein is still at war with a part of Germany, namely Prussia, which does not exist any more. So, Germans and Liechtensteinians have some problems with each other since this unhappy war:
Click to expand...
Given my 60% German blood, I now understand more about the weird nature of myself and my family. Thank you.

Hold on All. Soon our ship will come in
 
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