Busch first rose to prominence as an interpreter of political songs, particularly those of Kurt Tucholsky, in the Berlin cabaret scene of the 1920s. He starred in the original 1928 production of Bertolt Brecht's Threepenny Opera, as well as the subsequent 1931 film by Georg Wilhelm Pabst.
A lifelong Communist, Busch fled Nazi Germany in 1933 with the Gestapo on his heels, eventually settling in the Soviet Union. In 1937 he joined the International Brigades to fight against fascism in Spain. After Spain fell to the Franco, he emigrated to Belgium, where he was interned during the Nazi occupation and later imprisoned in Gurs, France and Berlin. Freed by the Red Army in 1945, he settled in East Berlin, where he worked with Bertold Brecht and Erwin Piscator at the "Berliner Ensemble". A beloved figure in the German Democratic Republic, he is best remembered for his performance in the title role of Brecht's Galileo, and for his stirring recordings of worker's songs, including many written by Hanns Eisler.
Ewiger Ruhm den Helden
Ernst Busch Lyrics
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Ewiger Ruhm den Helden
Senkt euch, Banner der blutigen Jahre
Senkt euch über die Helden der Schlacht
Froh des Sieges, vergessen wir niemals
Die ihr Höchstes zum Opfer gebracht!
Für die kommunistische Idee!
Nie verwelken die Kränze des Ruhmes
Auf den Gräbern der Roten Armee!
Über die Gräber der Gefallnen
An den Stätten, die uns Mahnmal sind
Hebt die blutroten Fahnen
Als Banner des Friedens in den Wind
These lyrics, which are spoken in Ernst Busch's song "Ewiger Ruhm den Helden", encapsulate the themes of sacrifice, victory, and remembrance. The singer implores for eternal glory to be bestowed upon the heroes of the battlefields, who have given the highest sacrifice for freedom and the communist ideal. The banner of the bloody years is lowered over the fallen heroes, whose graves will forever bear the crown of glory from the Red Army. The fallen are to be remembered, and their memory is celebrated with the red banner of peace and hope.
The lyrics also call attention to the fact that the fallen are laid to rest in places that serve as monuments to their sacrifice. Here, the blood-red flags of communism come to stand for the hope of a peaceful future, in which the sacrifices that have been made for freedom have not been in vain. The words of the song invoke powerful emotions of patriotism and duty, and they remind us of the great courage that characterizes those who have fallen for their ideals.
In summary, "Ewiger Ruhm den Helden" is a song about heroism, sacrifice, and remembrance. It invokes powerful emotions of pride and patriotism, while also calling attention to the valuable contribution of the communist ideal to the struggle for freedom. It is a tribute to the memory of those who have fallen for their cause, and a reminder of the importance of their sacrifice.
Line by Line Meaning
Senkt euch, Banner der blutigen Jahre
Let the banners of the bloody years come down
Senkt euch über die Helden der Schlacht
Let them come down over the heroes of the battle
Froh des Sieges, vergessen wir niemals
Joyful of victory, we never forget
Die ihr Höchstes zum Opfer gebracht!
Those who sacrificed everything!
Die gefallen für Freiheit und Vaterland
Those who fell for freedom and homeland
Für die kommunistische Idee!
For the communist idea!
Nie verwelken die Kränze des Ruhmes
The wreaths of glory never wither
Auf den Gräbern der Roten Armee!
On the graves of the Red Army!
Über die Gräber der Gefallnen
Over the graves of the fallen
An den Stätten, die uns Mahnmal sind
At the sites that are a reminder to us
Hebt die blutroten Fahnen
Raise the blood-red flags
Als Banner des Friedens in den Wind
As banners of peace in the wind
Contributed by Nolan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.