Auf der Lüneburger Heide

The song Auf der Lüneburger Heide ("On the Lüneburg Heath") was composed in 1912 by Ludwig Rahlfs based on a poem from the collection Der kleine Rosengarten ("The Little Rose Garden") by Hermann Löns.

It is often played at folk festivals in this region of north Germany and is also frequently part of the repertoire of local choral societies.

It gained fame outside the Lüneburg Heath as a result of the 1951 film Grün ist die Heide ("Green is the Heath") with Kurt Reimann as the singer and the 1972 film of the same name in which Roy Black sings the heathland song. Various musicians have publicised their own interpretations of the song, for example the tenor Rudolf Schock on his CD Stimme für Millionen ("Voice for Millions"). The Slovenian industrial band Laibach used the song in 1988 on their cover version of the Beatles album Let It be, where under the title Maggie Mae, instead of the folk song used by the Beatles an unfamiliar version of Auf der Lüneburger Heide (first and third verses) may be heard.

Text and English translation

1. Auf der Lüneburger Haide,
In dem wunderschönen Land
Ging ich auf und ging ich unter,
Allerlei am Weg ich fand;

Refrain:

Valleri, vallera,

Und jucheirassa, und jucheirassa,

Bester Schatz, bester Schatz,

Denn du weißt es weißt es ja.

2. Brüder, laßt die Gläser klingen,
Denn der Muskatellerwein
Wird vom langen Stehen sauer,
Ausgetrunken muß er sein;

Refrain

3. Und die Bracken und die bellen,
Und die Büchse und die knallt,
Rote Hirsche wolln wir jagen
In dem grünen, grünen Wald;

Refrain

4. Ei du Hübsche, ei du Feine,
Ei du Bild, wie Milch und Blut,
Unsre Herzen wolln wir tauschen,
Denn du glaubst nicht, wie das tut;

Refrain

1. On the Lüneburg Heath
In that beautiful land
I walked up and I walked down
All sorts on the way I found

Refrain:

Valleri Vallera

And yoohirassah, and yoohirassah

Dearest love, dearest love

For you know, you know it, sure

2. Brothers let our glasses clink
For the Muscatel wine
Will become sour from standing too long
Every drop must be drunk up

Refrain

3. And the bracken and the barking
And the rifle and the shot
We are off to hunt red deer
In the woods and forests green

Refrain

4. Oh my beauty, oh my fair one
With your face of lilies and roses
How we want to swap our hearts
For you don't know how that's done

Refrain

External links

Link with text and melody
Auf der Lüneburger Heide by Paul Biste.
Information about the poet Hermann Löns
Auf der Lüneburger Heide on YouTube by Heino.