Arnon Grunberg

Genius

Bundesbahnblues

Because of a conversation I had recently with somebody I was reminded of Helmut Qualtinger.
Qualtinger is I’m afraid not very well known outside the German-speaking world.
But he was a genius and I don’t use this word lightly.
He is most famous for “Der Herr Karl” – a play he cowrote with Carl Merz. But he also read parts of Mein Kampf, Qualtinger’s Hitler is necessary for anyone who wants to study Mein Kampf or Hitler. The CD can be bought on amazon.de.
On I-tunes you can buy several of his songs, among them “Der Bundesbahnblues”: “Now I' going to sing for you that old Bundesbahnblues! Oh I was travelling through this country Travelling with the Bundesbahn Ah geh wusch ah geh wui! I said I was travelling through this country Travelling with the Bundesbahn I said ah geh wusch ah geh wui! Taking along my Baby Suddenly she was gone Total verschwunden And now I'm looking for my Baby Isn't it a dark and shame Himmel fix no amoi! I said I'm looking for my Baby Isn't it a dark and shame I said Himmel fix no amoi, and i mean it! There is just the Fahrplan Of the Bundesbahn zu sehn Zu blöd! Is she in Scheibbs, in Lunz, In Ybbs, in Schrunz, In Wolkaprudersdorf or Attnang-Puchheim Is she in Mistelbach, in Stinkenbrunn, In Zwettl or in lovely Wieselburg.”