What does "Kommienezuspadt" mean?
June 22, 2006 12:54 PM Subscribe
It's the name of a song on Tom Waits' album Alice, in which he repeats the word over and over. I assume it's German, but I can't find any translations. If it's not an actual word, does it at least sound like something in German?
Just listened to the Amazon extract and it does sound like that's what he's singing. This site seems to suggest the same.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 1:02 PM on June 22, 2006
posted by ClarissaWAM at 1:02 PM on June 22, 2006
Is it track 5, Kommienezuepadt? Nope, not German. Doesn't sound enough like 'komm nie zu spät", either. Sounds like Tom Waits mumbling with a Dutch accent, or possibly some sort of Bavarian mumbo-jumbo.
posted by xanthippe at 1:03 PM on June 22, 2006
posted by xanthippe at 1:03 PM on June 22, 2006
Ach so, so it is. That's what i get for only looking at the misspelled title on the Amazon track list.
The lyrics mean "Don't ever be late... be on time (punctual)!"
posted by xanthippe at 1:05 PM on June 22, 2006
The lyrics mean "Don't ever be late... be on time (punctual)!"
posted by xanthippe at 1:05 PM on June 22, 2006
And what's the "zaiboglish" that he sings in the same song?
posted by evariste at 1:13 PM on June 22, 2006
posted by evariste at 1:13 PM on June 22, 2006
the actual song title is Kommienezuspadt which must be a kind of bastardisation of 'komme nicht zu spät' (which means what ClarissaWAM says it means - the album 'Alice' was recorded (or at least the songs were premiered) in Germany. The other line is 'Sei pünktlich' which means 'Be on time!'.
I think it's a brilliant song. Shame the liner notes give no idea of where the lyrics came from.
posted by altolinguistic at 1:15 PM on June 22, 2006
I think it's a brilliant song. Shame the liner notes give no idea of where the lyrics came from.
posted by altolinguistic at 1:15 PM on June 22, 2006
I liked it better when I still thought he was maniacally singing "zaiboglish! zaiboglish!".
posted by evariste at 1:30 PM on June 22, 2006
posted by evariste at 1:30 PM on June 22, 2006
awww... sorry, evariste, for raining on your parade.
posted by altolinguistic at 1:37 PM on June 22, 2006
posted by altolinguistic at 1:37 PM on June 22, 2006
Well, the question has been answered, but I just thought I'd chime in and say the song is a perfect example of Tom Wait's crazy genius.
posted by Orange Goblin at 2:05 PM on June 22, 2006
posted by Orange Goblin at 2:05 PM on June 22, 2006
It's worth noting that the song makes more sense in the context of a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. The narrator of the song is (one can only assume) The March Hare, talking about how he can't be late. Contrast this song with the words and music of that other Alice musical, and that in a nutshell is the "crazy genius" of Tom Waits.
posted by Hildago at 4:52 PM on June 22, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by Hildago at 4:52 PM on June 22, 2006 [1 favorite]
altolinguistic-don't worry about me, I'll live.
Reluctantly.
posted by evariste at 7:47 PM on June 22, 2006
Reluctantly.
posted by evariste at 7:47 PM on June 22, 2006
No One Knows I'm Gone
posted by altolinguistic at 5:41 AM on June 23, 2006
posted by altolinguistic at 5:41 AM on June 23, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
but I don't know if that's what he's actually singing.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:55 PM on June 22, 2006