"Ein Heller und ein Batzen", also known by its chorus of "Heidi, heido, heida",[1] (with all three words being modifications of the name Adelheid[2]) is a German folk song. Written by Albert von Schlippenbach in 1830 as a drinking song, it later became a popular marching song in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War.[3]
"Ein Heller und ein Batzen" was a popular marching song during the Second World War among the Wehrmacht troops invading Europe,[4] which led to it entering popular recognition as a Nazi symbol. Association with Nazism is particularly strong in Poland, which was brutally invaded and occupied by the Third Reich at the very beginning of the War, to the point that the song is regarded as the de facto hymn of the Wehrmacht and is often referred to as "Heili, heilo, heila";[5] a reference to the song as an symbolic Nazi theme can be seen, for example, in the 1946 (and thus immediately post-war) film Zakazane piosenki (Forbidden songs) which recreates a typical performance of the song by marching Wehrmacht columns.[6] Even so, it is not formally recognized as a Nazi symbol in Germany and is therefore not outlawed per Article 86a of the German Criminal Code that prohibits the dissemination of signs of unconstitutional organizations.
On August 6, 2023, during the annual St. Dominic's Fair in the Polish city of Gdańsk, there was a scandal related to a performance of the song by a German folk group from Middle Franconia. The performance was conducted outside the fair's official programme and in its original folk context, but, in addition to Polish sensitivity to the song in general, said performance coincided with commemorations of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. After the reaction and indignation of some circles in Poland, both the group and the District of Middle Franconia apologized to the Gdańsk city authorities and to Międzynarodowe Targi Gdańskie S.A., the fair's organisers.[7] [8]
| German | English translation | |
|---|---|---|
| First verse | ||
| Ein Heller und ein Batzen, die waren beide mein Der Heller ward zu Wasser, der Batzen ward zu Wein | A Heller (penny) and a Batzen (dime), they were both mine The Heller went for water, the Batzen went for wine | |
| Chorus | ||
| Heidi, heido, heida,heidi, heido, heida,heidi, heido, heida, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha | Heidi, heido, heida,heidi, heido, heida,heidi, heido, heida, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha | |
| Second verse | ||
| Die Wirtsleut und die Mädel, die rufen beid: Oh weh! Die Wirtsleut, wenn ich komme, die Mädel, wenn ich geh Wiederhole Refrain | The barkeepers and the girls, both shout: Oh no! The barkeepers when I come, the girls when I leave Repeat chorus | |
| Third verse | ||
| Meine Strümpfe sind zerrissen, meine Stiefel sind entzwei und draußen auf der Heide, da singt der Vogel frei Wiederhole Refrain | My socks are ripped, my boots have come apart And out in the brush the bird sings freely
| |
| Fourth verse | ||
| Und gäb's kein Landstraß nirgends, da säß ich still zu Haus und gäb's kein Loch im Fasse, da tränk ich gar nicht draus Wiederhole Refrain | And were there no country roads, I'd be sitting quietly at home And were there no hole in the cask, I wouldn't be drinking from it Repeat chorus | |
| Fifth verse | ||
| War das 'ne große Freude, als ihn der Herrgott schuf ein Kerl, wie Samt und Seide, nur schade, daß er suff Wiederhole Refrain | Wasn't it a great joy when the Lord God created him A guy like velvet and silk; just a pity that he drank Repeat chorus | |
German schlager singer Heino included a version of this song on his 1968 album ...und Sehnsucht uns begleitet.
German heavy metal band Accept incorporated this song into "Fast as a Shark" in their 1982 album Restless and Wild.