Fraulein
Townes Van Zandt Lyrics

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Far across the blue waters
Lives an old German's daughter
By the banks of the old river Rhine
Where I loved her and left her
But I can't forget her
'Cause I miss my pretty Fraulein

Fraulein, Fraulein

Look up toward the heavens each night
When the stars seem to shine
By the same stars above you
I swear that I love you
You are my pretty Fraulein

When my memories wander
Away over yonder
To the sweetheart that I left behind
In a moment of glory
A face comes before me
The face of my pretty Fraulein

Fraulein, Fraulein
Walk down by the river
Pretend that your hand's holding mine

By the same stars above you
I swear that I love you

Overall Meaning

The song "Fraulein" by Townes Van Zandt tells the story of a man who left his love interest in Germany, whom he refers to as "pretty Fraulein." The opening lines of the song suggest that the woman lives in Germany, far from the singer who is living somewhere else, "Far across the blue waters." He describes her as an "old German's daughter" who lives "By the banks of the old river Rhine."

The singer expresses his longing and affection for his Fraulein and how he feels when he thinks of her. He admits he left her, but he just can't forget his love for her. He requests her to look up at the heavens each night, to see the same stars above her, which he swears to her that he loves her. When the singer's memories wander, he is taken back to the exact moment he left his Fraulein in Germany, realizing that he left his love interest behind, and he misses her intensely. The final verse (or chorus) instructs the Fraulein to walk down by the river and "pretend that your hand's holding mine," so they can share the same moment despite being far away.

Line by Line Meaning

Far across the blue waters
I remember a time when I was far away from my love, physically and emotionally

Lives an old German's daughter
I think about my love, who is the daughter of a German man

By the banks of the old river Rhine
She lives near the Rhine river and it reminds me of the moments we spent together there

Where I loved her and left her
I loved her deeply but had to leave her behind for some reason, which still hurts me

But I can't forget her
Despite the challenges, I am unable to forget about her, and she is constantly on my mind

'Cause I miss my pretty Fraulein
I miss her incredibly, and all I can do is hope to see her again someday

Fraulein, Fraulein
My endearing nickname for her that reminds me of how much I care for her

Look up toward the heavens each night
I ask her to look up to the stars at night, as we would always do together, to know that I am still thinking of her

When the stars seem to shine
I tell her to look up when the stars are bright, as this is when I know she will be reminded of our memories together

By the same stars above you
I recognize that we are both looking at the same stars and hope that this provides some comfort to her

I swear that I love you
I want her to know that my love for her has not weakened, and I still care for her deeply

You are my pretty Fraulein
She is the only one for me, and I will always cherish the moments we spent together

When my memories wander
Whenever I think about my past, my mind always wanders back to my time with her

Away over yonder
These thoughts take me far away, both physically and emotionally, from where I am now

To the sweetheart that I left behind
I am reminded of the love that I had to leave behind, which is still painful for me

In a moment of glory
During times when I feel happy or accomplished, I am still reminded of my love for her

A face comes before me
In my mind, I can see her face and remember all of the special moments we shared together

The face of my pretty Fraulein
Despite the distance and time that have passed, I still see her as the beautiful and amazing woman that I fell in love with

Walk down by the river
I imagine her walking down by the river, where we used to spend time together

Pretend that your hand's holding mine
I hope that she can picture us hand-in-hand, walking and talking just like we used to

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LAWTON WILLIAMS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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