“Malen’kiy drug” (Little Friend)
Performed by: Jan Wehner
Music by: Jan Wehner
Lyrics by: Jan Wehner
In their own words:
I’m 28 years old and a History student at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. I already hold a B.A. degree and continued my studies by enrolling for the M.A. course.
My song refers to the history of Germans on the historic territories of the Russian empire and the USSR respectively the modern states that now exist on them. 2023 and 2024 mark jubilees that are milestones at the course of their history: in this year the 260th anniversary of Catherine the Great’s invitation manifesto to impoverished Germans to settle inside her empire, the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad and the 75th anniversary of the declaration of eternalization of the banishment of Germans deported as enemy aliens from the west of the USSR to Siberia during World War 2 and in the upcoming year the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Republic and the 60th anniversary of the rehabilitation of the aforementioned deportees.
It’s some sort of a reaction to the endorsement of Vladimir Putin and the Russian incursion into Ukraine by large parts of German emigrants from the USSR and their descendants. Those people are represented by the fictional little friend within the song who is unaware of the language, culture and fate of his ancestors who lived in what’s today Ukraine until their deportation to Siberia in 1941 and were forbidden to preserve the language. Therefore he is a native speaker of Russian even bearing gloating for Ukraine. As a consequence of russification and general disdain he is condemned to cope with identity problems and requested to find his real affiliation.
The lyrics contain allusions to the settlement in the 18th century, the reprisals during the world wars and the massive emigration of Germans from the USSR to Germany around the time when the USSR dissolved itself.
Lyrics:
Aus einem fernen weiten Land
rief man nach dir, nach deiner Tat, nach deiner Hand
Dein Leben, das war leiden und krepieren
Doch ihre Majestät, sie lud dich ein, zu emigrieren
Ihr Ruf holte dich raus aus deiner Not
Das Land gab dir dein Leben und dein Wasser und dein Brot
Es war ein Paradies, es war Verheißung und Versprechen
Doch es wartete auf den Moment, um dich zu brechen
Dieses Land ist deine Seele und dein Herz
Doch es gibt dir nur Verachtung, Hass und Schmerz
Es zeigt dir unterschiedliche Gesichter
Es ist dein Retter und dein Richter
Was ist deine Heimat, auf welcher Seite wirst du stehen, was ist deine Sprache, wohin wirst du gehen?
Malen’kiy drug, atkuda ty i kuda budeš’ idti?
Ty rebyonok kakoy strany?
Čto tvaya rodina?
Čto proiskhoždeniye tvoyey gordosti?
Der Krieg beginnt
Dieses Land behandelt dich nicht mehr wie sein Kind
Nun bist du verstoßen, du bist jetzt der große Feind
Nun kommst du dorthin, wo das Ende der Welt am nächsten scheint
Für deine Ahnen wirst du bestraft,
für dein Dasein wirst du versklavt
Dieses Land brüllt dir eiskalt in dein Gesicht:
“So barmherzig wie du denkst bin ich nicht!”
Malen’kiy drug, atkuda ty i kuda budeš’ idti?
Ty rebyonok kakoy strany?
čto tvaya rodina,
čto proiskhoždeniye tvoyey gordosti?
Aus einem fernen weiten Land
ruft man nach dir, nach deiner Tat, nach deiner Hand
Dein Leben, das ist leiden und krepieren
Doch das Land deiner Vorfahren lädt dich ein zu emigrieren
Was ist deine Heimat, auf welcher Seite wirst du stehen, was ist deine Sprache, wohin wirst du gehen?
Malen’kiy drug, atkuda ty i kuda budeš’ idti?
Ty rebyonok kakoy strany?
čto tvaya rodina,
čto proiskhoždeniye tvoyey gordosti?
Malen’kiy drug, uchis’ yazyk tvoikh nastoyaščikh zemlyakov
vernis’ v stranu tvoikh predkov
Vozle moego doma tvaya rodina
Bud’ mudryy moy malen’kiy drug
Translation:
From a distant far country
one called for you, for your deed, for your hand
your life was to suffer and to die
but her majesty invited you to emigrate
Her call took you out of your hardship
The land gave you your life and your water and your bread
It was a paradise, it was a promise and a pledge
But it waited for the moment to break you
This land is your soul and your heart
But it gives you only disdain, hate and pain
It shows you different faces
It’s your saviour and your judge
What is your homeland, on which side will you stand, what is your language, where will you go?
Little friend, where are you from and where will you go?
Which country are you a child of?
What is your homeland?
What is the source of your pride?
The war begins
This country doesn’t treat you as its child anymore
Now you are repudiated, now you are the big enemy
Now you come to the place where the end of the world seems to be proximate
You get punished for your ancestors
you get enslaved for your existence
This land bellows ice-cold into your face:
“I’m not as merciful as you think”
Little friend, where are you from and where will you go?
Which country are you a child of?
What is your homeland?
What is the source of your pride?
From a distant far country
one calls for you, for your deed, for your hand
your life is to suffer and to die
but the land of your ancestors invites you to emigrate
What is your homeland, on which side will you stand, what is your language, where will you go?
Little friend, where are you from and where will you go?
Which country are you a child of?
What is your homeland?
What is the source of your pride?
Little friend, learn the language of your true compatriots
Return to the land of your ancestors
Next to my house there is your home
Be wise, my little friend