Berlin, who was Jewish, was one of the few Tin Pan Alley/Broadway songwriters who wrote both lyrics and music for his songs. Although he never learned to read music beyond a rudimentary level, he composed over 3,000 songs. Many of his songs, including "God Bless America", "White Christmas", "Alexander's Ragtime Band", and "There's No Business Like Show Business," left an indelible mark on American music and culture. He produced 17 film scores and 21 Broadway scores, in addition to his individual songs.
Lichtenburg
Irving Berlin Lyrics
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I don't think you know much about us
Except, of course, our famous Lichtenburg cheese
I know very well you enjoy it
And we would enjoy it too
But we can't afford it for we must have money
And so we send it to you
But Lichtenburg won't be offended
We're not very touchy
This quaint little duchy
That somehow seems to survive
[Refrain:]
Too small to be a city
Too big to be a town
Too poor to have an army
And too easy to knock down
Too little to sell across the seas
Babies and cheese are our main industries
Too slow to please the young folk
Too fast to please the old
Too many who have copper pennies
Too few who have gold
But somehow we manage to play the game
While the other lands keep changing hands
Old Lichtenburg stays the same
The song “Lichtenburg” written by Irving Berlin takes the listeners through the plight of the people of Lichtenburg, a small landlocked city in Europe. The opening lines state that there isn't much known about this quaint little city, except for their famous cheese known as “Lichtenburg cheese”, which is enjoyed by everyone who knows about it. However, the people of Lichtenburg cannot afford to consume this cheese as they need money to strive in this world.
The city is described as being “too small to be a city and too big to be a town”. It is so small that it doesn’t have an army and it is too easy to demolish it. The city has a unique industry, which is mainly based on “Babies and cheese”. The people here are too poor to export their goods and too slow to innovate which doesn’t please the youngsters much. At the same time, they are too fast for the old people who still believe in the traditional ways of life. The city is not blessed with the riches of the earth, with only a handful of them possessing gold while the majority only have copper pennies. But despite all these drawbacks, Lichtenburg manages to play the game of survival and importance in this world while other cities change hands and diversify, Lichtenburg just stays the same. It is the one place where tradition and simplicity are still being embraced in a forever evolving world.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't think you know much about us
I think you have limited knowledge about our country
Except, of course, our famous Lichtenburg cheese
However, you may be aware of our well-known Lichtenburg cheese
I know very well you enjoy it
I am aware that you like our cheese
And we would enjoy it too
We also like our cheese very much
But we can't afford it for we must have money
Regrettably, we can't have our own cheese as we require cash
And so we send it to you
Hence, we export our cheese to your place
But Lichtenburg won't be offended
However, our country won't feel bad about it
We'll manage to stay alive
We will find a way to survive
We're not very touchy
We are not very sensitive
This quaint little duchy
Our small and picturesque country
That somehow seems to survive
Somehow, we are able to exist
Too small to be a city
Our country is too tiny to be called a city
Too big to be a town
Our country is too large to be classified as a town
Too poor to have an army
We are too impoverished to possess an army
And too easy to knock down
We are also easy to defeat or destroy
Too little to sell across the seas
Our country is too small to trade across oceans
Babies and cheese are our main industries
Our primary businesses are dairy products and babies
Too slow to please the young folk
We are too dull to satisfy the younger generation
Too fast to please the old
Similarly, we are too fast-paced for the elderly or traditional folks
Too many who have the copper pennies
We have a large number of residents with small currency denominations
Too few who have gold
Nevertheless, we have a limited number of affluent people with gold
But somehow, we manage to play the game
Despite these shortcomings, we find a way to compete
While the other lands keep changing hands
Whereas other countries continually experience transfers of power
Old Lichtenburg stays the same
Ancient Lichtenburg remains unchanged
Contributed by Nathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.