"STALIN WASN'T STALLIN'" -Robert wyatt (1943)
LyricsStalin wasn't stallin'
When he told the beast of berlin That they'd never rest contented Till they had driven him from the land So he called the yanks and english And proceeded to extinguish The fuhrer and its vermin This is how it all began Now, the devil, he was reading In the good book one day How that lord created adam To walk the righteous way And it made the devil jealous He turned green onto his???? And he swore by things unholy And he made one of his own So he packed two suitcases Full of greed and misery And he caught the midnight special Going down to germany Then he mixed his lies and hatred With fire and grim stones Then the devil sat upon it That's how adolf was born Now adolf got the notion That he was the master race And he swore he'd bring new order And put mankind in a place So he set his scheme in motion And was winning everywhere Until he??? and got the notion For to kick that russian bear Stalin wasn't stallin' When she told the beast of berlin That they'd never rest contented Till they had driven him from the land So he called the yanks and english And proceeded to extinguish The fuhrer and its vermin This is how it all began Yes he kicked that noble russian But it wasn't very long Before adolf got suspicious That he had done something wrong Cause that bear grabbed the fuhrer And gave him an awful fight Seventeen months he grabbed the fuhrer Tooth and claws, day and night Then that bear smacked the fuhrer With a mighty armored?? And adolf broke all records Running backwards to krakow Then goebbels sent a message To the people everywhere That if they couldn't hit the fuhrer God, then hit that russian bear Stalin wasn't stallin' When he told the beast of berlin That they'd never rest contented Till they had driven him from the land So he called the yanks and english And proceeded to extinguish The fuhrer and its vermin This is how it all began Then this bear called on his buddy The noble fighting yank And they sent the fuhrer running With their ships and planes and tanks Now the fuhrer's having nightmares Cause the fuhrer knows damn well That the devil's done roast welcome On his residence in hell |
analysis"Stalin Wasn't Stallin'" presents the war in a pro-war fashion, with quotes like "the noble fighting yank", and "they sent the fuhrer running With their ships and planes and tanks," using language like noble to glorify war and imagery like "sent the fuhrer running" to paint a picture of the war efforts in the minds of the listener. This song is strongly in support of the foreign policy of collective security, showing the rationale behind fighting Nazi Germany. The song says " Now adolf got the notion/ That he was the master race/ And he swore he'd bring new order/And put mankind in a place," and the song also encourages collective security directly when it says " Then this bear called /on his buddy/The noble fighting yank/And they sent the fuhrer running/With their ships and planes and tanks." This song, however, is not in support of the stated foreign policy of isolationism. America could not stand idly by as Stalin was terrorizing the rest of the free world, and acting as the arsenal of democracy, America supplied Europe with the armaments required to deal with Hitler and Stalin. This song answers the question "how does war impact society?" Society can be represented by countries, and their aims, goals, and ideals. During the axis powers reign of terror, many bonds were created between the allied powers, both economically and politically. America shipped many materials to Europe, without asking for anything in return. Thomas Roosevelt said "What do I do in such a crisis? I don't say... 'Neighbor, my garden hose cost me $15; you have to pay me $15 for it' …I don't want $15 — I want my garden hose back after the fire is over." I agree with the message of the song. It provides the reasoning behind the conflict between the axis and allied powers in a meaningful and pleasing way, informing the listener of why the war is being waged with colorful language and enjoyable lyrics.
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"when the tigers broke free"-pink floyd (1982)
LyricsIt was just before dawn
One miserable morning in black forty-four. When the forward commander Was told to sit tight When he asked that his men be withdrawn. And the Generals gave thanks As the other ranks held back The enemy tanks for a while. And the Anzio bridgehead Was held for the price Of a few hundred ordinary lives. And kind old King George Sent Mother a note When he heard that father was gone. It was, I recall, In the form of a scroll, With gold leaf adorned. And I found it one day In a drawer of old photographs, hidden away. And my eyes still grow damp to remember His Majesty signed With his own rubber stamp. It was dark all around. There was frost in the ground When the tigers broke free. And no one survived From the Royal Fusiliers Company C. They were all left behind, Most of them dead, The rest of them dying. And that's how the High Command Took my daddy from me. |
analysisAlthough this song was written far after the war was ended, it was written from someones memory. The songwriter's father fought in WWII including the campaign in Anzio, Italy. Operation Shingle, as it was called, had a goal of liberating Rome from German control. The forward commander had asked to withdraw his forces from a German Tiger tank assault, but the generals refused. This song is based on the battle that ensued here as the Tiger tanks overran the allied forces. They directly reference the battle by saying "From the Royal Fusiliers Company C." and "When the tigers broke free." . Language like "One miserable morning in black forty-four." and "Most of them dead, The rest of them dying" give the verses a sober tone that never is given up. Throughout the song, the writer never directly states his opinion of war but alludes to his views with lines that show how miserable he is about the war. For example in the last of the song, "And that's how the High Command Took my daddy from me." , the writer shows some of the horrible costs of war and the toll it took on him and his family. Although he never directly states that he thinks war is a bad thing, his message can be interpreted in that way. The foreign policy during WWII was considered to be "Internationalism" as the US was interfering with affairs that weren't directly affecting them. This song we can interpret to be critical of that, due to its somber tone while talking about the war and the US' involvement. I agree with the message of this song because its not outwardly critical of the war, but simply morns the aftereffects. I agree that war has terrible costs of human life that requires morning for years and years to come.
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"In the Fuehrer's Face" -spike jones (1943)
LyricsWhen der says we is de master race
We heil heil right in der 's face Not to love der is a great disgrace So we heil heil right in der 's face When Herr Goebbels says we own the world and space We heil heil right in Herr Goebbels' face When Herr Goring says they'll never bomb dis place We heil heil right in Herr Goring's face Are we not the supermen? Aryan pure supermen Ja we are the supermen! (Super duper supermen!) Is this Nazi land so good Would you leave it if you could? Ja this Nazi land is good We would leave it if we could! We bring the world New order Heil Hitler's World New Order Everyone of foreign race Will love der 's face When we bring to the world dis order When der says we is da master race We heil heil right in der 's face Not to love der is a great disgrace So we heil heil right in der 's face INSTRUMENTAL INTERLUDE When der says we is de master race We heil heil right in der 's face Not to love der is a great disgrace So we heil heil right in der 's face |
AnalysesThe line “When we bring to the world dis order” really stands out for the double meaning that it holds. The song is written replacing the “th” sound with a “d” sound, which was intended to indicate a German accent (and perhaps also hint at a lack of education), but in this particular line, the mispronunciation becomes much more significant when it is followed by the word “order”; the two combine to be “disorder”; the opposite of what the singer appears to be saying. The second line that draws attention goes “Is this Nazi land so good/Would you leave it if you could?/Ja this Nazi land is good/We would leave it if we could!” This stanza is important because it states that the singer does not actually support Hitler. The song references “Herr Goering” and “Herr Goebbel” as well as the Fuhrer (Hitler) who were all prominent leaders of the Nazi party. While the song says “we heil in ‘s face”, the gesture in this case is not referred to as one of respect. The line is emphasized with a loud sound that imitates the passing of gas, which very obviously conveys scorn.
This song is intended to ridicule the Germans. While it does not have a direct message about war, given its portrayal of the Germans and the Nazi regime, the song would be used in support of the war. The song is written as if sung by a German soldier and uses lines such as “Are we not the supermen (…) Ja we are the supermen” that make the point that German’s considered themselves to be above the rest of the world, which when followed by “We bring the world New order/Heil Hitler's World New Order/Everyone of foreign race” give the US soldiers an enemy to fight against. The Nazis are made out to be a group that thinks itself better than the rest of the world and because of that intends to take over other countries and institute governments based on their beliefs. However, the song makes the German soldiers appear to blindly accept the orders of their superiors, blurring the line between drafted soldiers, and the people who actually wanted the war. This kind of song was an effective pro-war song, because it demonizes the enemy, making it easier for soldiers to kill other men. However, the song has an alternate message due to the irony of the song. On the one hand, it makes the Germans look greedy and cruel, and on the other, it just makes them look ridiculous. This song is in support of the stated foreign policy. At that time, the US’s foreign policy was one of collective security; a group of countries (the allies) fighting to protect the world from the Nazi regime). This song very strongly supports the foreign policy, because it makes the Germans sound power hungry and self-important. The important thing about the message of the song is that it does not have a serious tone; it is written to be ironic. Looking simply at the words, the song clearly talks about the Nazi regime, and the hopes it has to spread those ideals around the world. But listening to the song, and looking at the lyrics overall rather than analyzing individual phrases, it is clear that the song is written ironically; the person “singing” it is not doing so to glorify the Nazis, but to make it clear that they have no respect for them. |