"Ein Heller und ein Batzen" was a popular marching song during the Second World War among the Wehrmacht troops invading Europe,[5] 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";[2][6] 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.[7][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.[citation needed]
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.[2][8][6][9]
Lyrics
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
Repeat chorus
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
^Lepage, Jean-Denis (2014). An illustrated dictionary of the Third Reich. Jefferson, North Carolina. p. 72. ISBN9781476603698.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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