Despite characterizing jazz as "Entartete musik", ironically the Third Reic… Read Full Bio ↴Despite characterizing jazz as "Entartete musik", ironically the Third Reich had their own swing band for propaganda purposes. German propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels conceived of using the style in short wave radio broadcasts aimed at the United States and particularly the United Kingdom. British listeners heard the band every Wednesday and Saturday at around 9 pm.

The purpose of the band was to stir pro-Nazi sympathy, draw attention to World War II Allied losses, and carry Adolf Hitler's messages in an entertaining form. The songs stressed how badly the war was going for the target audience, and how it was only going to be a matter of time before they would be beaten.

Led by German accented front man Karl Schwedler ("Charlie"), conducted by Lutz Templin, and paced by drummer Fritz "Freddie" Brocksieper, the band included Kurt Abraham on reeds and Willy Berking on trombone. The group formed in 1940, making over 90 recordings between March 1941 and February 1943. Arrangements were by Templin, Willy Berking, and Franz Mück, with lyrics written by the Propagandaministerium. Schwedler was allowed permission to travel to neutral and occupied countries to collect jazz and dance music, which helped the band and propaganda ministry to craft more recordings.

Popular American swing songs - and popular British tunes/songs - were initially performed true to the original, until about the second or third verse which were replaced by pro-German lyrics and monologues. For example, in the tune You're Driving Me Crazy, Schwedler croons about the confusion of new love, and in the third verse continues: Here is Winston Churchill's latest tear-jerker: Yes, the Germans are driving me crazy / I thought I had brains / But they shot down my planes..." Later, the entire lyric would be modified, clearly based on the original. The band even recorded some "cover versions" of the originals, unaltered.

Indeed, anecdotal accounts indicate that Winston Churchill enjoyed the broadcasts, finding the lyrics hilarious.

Many of the members of Charlie and his Orchestra went on to successful careers in music after the war.

Three Little Fishes
Charlie and His Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There were three little sisters,
Three little sisters,
Each one only in her teens,
One loved a soldier, one loved a sailor,
And one loved a lad from the Marines.

Oh, the three little sisters;
They were the fairest

From Iceland to the Philippines;
So said the soldier, so said the sailor,
And so said the lad from the marines.

And when the boys marched away,
The girls said they'll be true
Until the boys come back someday.
Now the three little sisters,
Three little sisters
Stay home and read their magazines,
You can tell it to the soldiers,

Tell it to the sailors
And tell it to the marines!

Overall Meaning

The song "Three Little Fishes" by Charlie and His Orchestra is a story about three sisters who are each in their teens and deeply in love with three different military men. The soldiers are captivated by the sisters' beauty and describe them to be the most beautiful women they've ever seen. The sisters promise to wait for their loves to return from the war, hoping their love will triumph over the perils of war.

However, as time goes by, the sisters are left waiting and dreaming about their loves. They spend their days reminiscing and reading magazines, hoping that their loves will come home safely. The song highlights the emotional turmoil and anxiety that comes with waiting for someone you love, and the uncertainty and unpredictability of war.

Overall, "Three Little Fishes" is a bittersweet song that narrates the difficulties that come with military relationships and the sacrifices that these military couples make. It also can be interpreted as a patriotic tribute to the war effort and a reminder of the significant role and sacrifices made by the women back home during time of wars.

Line by Line Meaning

There were three little sisters,
There were three young women who were sisters.

Three little sisters,
These three women were sisters.

Each one only in her teens,
All of the sisters were teenagers.

One loved a soldier, one loved a sailor,
One of the sisters was in love with a soldier, one was in love with a sailor.

And one loved a lad from the Marines.
And one of the sisters was in love with a man who was a member of the Marines.

Oh, the three little sisters;
The three sisters were collectively referred to in this way.

They were the fairest
According to the soldiers, sailors, and Marines, the sisters were incredibly attractive.

From Iceland to the Philippines;
Their beauty was recognized in places ranging from Iceland to the Philippines.

So said the soldier, so said the sailor,
Both the soldier and the sailor acknowledged the sisters' beauty.

And so said the lad from the marines.
And so did the man from the Marines.

And when the boys marched away,
When their respective love interests were deployed, leaving them behind,

The girls said they'll be true
The sisters promised to remain faithful

Until the boys come back someday.
Until their love interests eventually returned.

Now the three little sisters,
The sisters, in the present.

Three little sisters
The sisters once again are referred to in this way.

Stay home and read their magazines,
The sisters pass their time by reading magazines at home, while waiting for the return of their loved ones.

You can tell it to the soldiers,
This last line is an invitation to share the story of the sisters' fidelity with others, including their deployed love interests.

Tell it to the sailors
Naval personnel should also be informed about the sisters' loyalty.

And tell it to the marines!
Finally, the man from the Marines should also be told about the sisters' faithfulness.

Lyrics © NEXT DECADE ENTERTAINMENT,INC., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: VIC MIZZY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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