Combien De Murs - the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Some days ago, a friend asked me to tell him about the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. For better illustration I made this small clip. You may ask, for which reason I've chosen for this topic French music. In 1993 I spent my summer holidays in France and there I was on a concert of Patrick Bruel. Before he sang "Combien de murs", he spoke about the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German reunification and dedicated this song to this great historical event. Thenceforward I connect this song with my memories to that time.

BTW - You also see it on one of the pics: there have been so called "Mauerspecht(e)" (Mauer - wall; Specht - woodpecker) ... people, who hacked at the wall after the border crossings were opened, mostly to take a piece of it as a souvenir (or several to sell them to tourists as souvenirs).

Also watch this:

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbsCYLx2TI&feature=rec-HM-r2


The song is written and sung by Patrick Bruel. I tried to translate:


How many walls...


First a stone, which bursts into small pieces
A strange dust, then a row
Go outside, wake up all these people
Who are meeting each other for so long time

A wall is fallen, a man turns around
Has he dreamt? Has a page been turned?
There is already a rumor, which flies from town to town
People are kissing, people are crying, but he stays motionless...

It is he, who is loosing his head, who is going mad?
Even if his heart is happy, all around him is becoming blurred
How many armors, how many masks, how many graves
How many walls are hidden behind a wall which falls?

Tears can be shed, nobody turns around
History leaves behind the pages we turn
Of which sort of freedom we can speak
When children will come to ask:
"The walls we have in our minds
Are perhaps higher than yours
Why nobody stems them?
Of course we're going to break them down
But we'll never efface
The pains they have let ... so terrible ones"

I had forgotten the irony of our history
I had forgotten we had so little memory
How many tears, how many hates, how many shames
How many walls are hidden behind a wall which falls?

It is me, who goes mad? Answer me, my eyes are blurred
In which's name we are choosing the innocence?
In the name of which freedom, which clarity?

How many walls... how many walls...
How many tears, how many masks, how many shames
How many walls are hidden behind a wall which falls ?

How many walls... how many walls... how many walls...







Combien de murs ...

D'abord une pierre qui vole en éclats,
Une drole de poussière, puis un fracas
Sortez de chez vous, réveillez tous les gens
Qui ont rendez-vous depuis si longtemps

Un mur est tombé, un homme se retourne
Est-ce qu'il a revé ? Est-ce une page qu'on tourne ?
Déjà la rumeur, qui court de ville en ville
On s'embrasse, on pleure, il reste immobile...

Est-ce que c'est lui qui perd la tete, qui devient fou?
Même si son cœur est à la fête ses yeux sont flous
Combien d'armures, combien de masques, combien de tombes
Combien de murs se cachent derrière un mur qui tombe?

Des larmes peuvent couler, personne se retourne
L'histoire abandonne les pages qu'on détourne
De quelle liberté pourra-t-on bien parler
Lorsque les enfants viendront demander...
"Les murs qu'on a dans la tête
Sont plus hauts que vos peut-être
Pourquoi personne les arrête... jamais!
Bien sûr qu'on va les casser
Mais on n'effacera jamais
Les maux qu'ils auront laissés... gravés!"

J'avais oublié l'ironie de notre histoire
J'avais oublié qu'on a si peu de mémoire
Combien de larmes, combien de haines, combien de hontes
Combien de murs se cachent derrière un mur qui tombe?

Est-ce que c'est moi qui deviens fou?
Répondez-moi, mes yeux sont flous
Au nom de qui fait-on le choix de l'innocence?
Au nom d' quelle liberté, de quelle transparence?

Combien de murs... Combien de murs...
Combien de larmes, combien de masques, combien de hontes
Combien de murs se cachent derrière un mur qui tombe ?

Combien de murs... Combien de murs... Combien de murs...


For a German song about this topic You should look at this:

Marius Müller Westernhagen - freiheit ( Live 1989 ) ... You will find it on youtube

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1. By: goldnmoon
2. Categories Travel & Outdoors
3. Views 251
4. Added :29-Aug-08
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