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In Germany Before The War Lyrics
In Germany before the war
There was a man who owned a store
In nineteen hundred thirty four
In Dusseldorf
And every day at fine o nine
He'd cross the park down to the Rhine
And he'd sit there by the shore
I'm looking at the river
But I'm thinking of the sea
I'm looking at the river
But I'm thinking of the sea
A little girl has lost her way
With hair of gold and eyes of gray
Reflected in his glasses
As he watches her
A little girl has lost her way
I'm looking at the river
But I'm thinking of the sea
Thinking of the sea
Thinking of the sea
We lie beneath the autumn sky
My little golden girl and I
And she lies very still
There was a man who owned a store
In nineteen hundred thirty four
In Dusseldorf
And every day at fine o nine
He'd cross the park down to the Rhine
And he'd sit there by the shore
But I'm thinking of the sea
I'm looking at the river
But I'm thinking of the sea
With hair of gold and eyes of gray
Reflected in his glasses
As he watches her
A little girl has lost her way
But I'm thinking of the sea
Thinking of the sea
Thinking of the sea
My little golden girl and I
And she lies very still
Song Info
Submitted by
yuri_sucupira On Nov 27, 2001
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It's about a murder of a little girl by a German shopkeeper.
This song was apparantly based on the true case of Peter Kurten, a German serial killer who raped and killed many people, including an eight year old girl. It's typical of Newman's gut-punch ability with a twist that a seemingly pretty song about a shopkeeper who likes to sit by the river after work reveals itself as something far more disturbing at the last minute.
Randy Newman makes the feelings of a rapist personal, by switching the point of view from a story teller, to me 'thinking of the sea'. Then he goes a step further by making the fantasy of this murderer.. mine. "We lie beneath the autumn sky".
Rather than gruesome, this is a touching poem.
Randy Newman takes irony and sarcasm to a higher level, by this poem he does a similar trick; it's only clear if you want to understand it.