Ludwig Hirsch

Ludwig Hirsch (1946 - 2011) was an Austrian songwriter well-known for his morbid, dark songs. He had his biggest successes in the years around 1980, especially with his debut album Dunkelgraue Lieder (Dark Grey Songs). In 2011 he commited suicide.

Komm‘, großer schwarzer Vogel (Come, big black bird!)

This dark, melancholic song was his greatest success. It's about the longing for death.

Come, big black bird, come now!

Look, the window’s open,

Look, I’ve put sugar on the windowsill for you.

Come, big black bird, come to me!

Span your great, mild wings

And put them on my wet eyes!

Please take me away from here!

And then we fly up, straight into heaven,

Into a new time, into a new world.

And I’ll sing, I’ll laugh,

I’ll shout “I can’t believe it!”,

And suddenly I’ll understand

What it’s all about.

Come, big black bird, please help me!

Press your damp, cool beak on

My wound, on my hot forehead!

Come, big black bird,

Now it’s a good moment!

The others in the room are all well asleep,

If we’re quiet,

The sister is not gonna hear us.

Please, take me away from here!

And then we fly up, straight into heaven,

Into a new time, into a new world.

And I’ll sing, I’ll laugh,

I’ll shout “I can’t believe it!”

And suddenly I’ll understand

What it’s all about.

Yeah, big black bird, finally!

I didn’t even hear you come in,

How silently you fly, oh god,

How beautiful you are!

Let’s set off, big black bird, let’s set off!

Bye-Bye, my dearest at home!

You, my girl, and you, mama, bye!

Please, don’t forget me!

Now we depart, straight into the sky,

Don’t be sad, no, there’s no reason to be sad!

‘cause I’ll sing, I’ll laugh, I’ll shout “I can’t believe it!”

I’ll finally understand, I’ll be happy!

Yeah, I’ll sing, I’ll laugh, I’ll shout “I can’t believe it!”

I’ll finally understand, I’ll be happy!

I’ll sing, I’ll laugh, I’ll shout “I can’t believe it!”
I’ll finally understand, I’ll be happy!

Omama (Grandma)

A very humorous and sarcastic yet dark song is Omama (Grandma), very much in contrast to STS's Großvater (Grandfather).

Now we’re standing here at the cemetery of Stammersdorf;

It’s raining, my feet are already hurting.

The priest says she was just such a good woman,

Nonetheless I cannot really cry,

The grandma, the grandma isn’t alive any more.

When I was little, she pushed into my mouth the dumplings,

Waited for me with the stick in the hand,

My stomach was already turning sick,

She didn’t care, she still gave me a hiding,

So long till I already started praying:

“Dear Jesus Christ, please let grandma conk out.”

The seven raves, they were only six,

The good fairy, she was a witch,

The bad wolf, a little dachshund,

The fairy tale prince, an awful git.

In Stammersdorf she had her little flat,

With lace doilies and a picture of Hitler,

A glass of fat on the windowsill,

The jerry under the bed,

Just so white, fat, round and always full,

Perhaps we should have put it in the grave as well!

One day I asked her “Where’s grandfather?”

“Up in heaven on a cloud he’s playing violin.”

For Führer, Volk and Vaterland

He was shot, hanged and burned,

But she always forgave Adolf,

After all he’d awarded her Mutterkreuz.

The seven raves, they were only six,

The good fairy, she was a witch,

The bad wolf, a little dachshund,

The fairy tale prince, an awful git.

In the last time she was a bit weird,

The glass of fat was under the bed,

The lace dollies she burned,

Hitler she called a criminal,

The jerry she placed on the windowsill.

Everyone in Stammersdorf was talking about her.

On mother’s day we took her to the amusement park,

The old lady was suddenly young again,

On the Go-Cart she yodeled,

A few langos she ate,

Just on the white water ride there was a little misfortune,

There she was suffocated by her artificial teeth.

The seven raves, they were only six,

The good fairy, she was a witch,

The bad wolf, a little dachshund,

The fairy tale prince, an awful git.

Goodbye, grandma, do it better up there,

Don’t cook dumplings for the angels, be so kind!

Don’t annoy the saints, don’t denounce grandpa,

And if you should visit god – a good tip:

Grandma, don’t take the Mutterkreuz with you.

Translations: Julian Trummer