O mein Papa

"Oh mein Papa" is a German language song about the death of a beloved clown father, written by Paul Burkhard in 1939 for a musical called Der Schwarze Hecht (reproduced in 1950 as Feuerwerk (Fireworks)), lyrics by Erik Charell, Jürg Amstein, and Robert Gilbert.

Recordings

The song has been performed and recorded by numerous artists since then, including Alan Breeze, Annette Klooger, Billy Cotton, Billy Vaughn, Connie Francis, Diana Decker, The Everly Brothers, Harry James, Ken Mackintosh, Lys Assia, Malcolm Vaughan, Muriel Smith, Ray Anthony & his Orchestra, Russ Morgan & his Orchestra, The Beverley Sisters, The Brasshats, The Radio Revellers, and many others.

Under the original German title, an instrumental version by trumpeter Eddie Calvert topped the UK Singles Chart in 1954 and was also a Top 10 hit in the U.S.

It was adapted into English by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons under the title Oh! My Pa-Pa. A recording by Eddie Fisher became a #1 hit on the U.S. charts in 1954. Fisher's version also made the UK Top 10; thus, in the UK, Calvert's version was number one while Fisher's made the Top 10 but missed the top spot, and in the U.S., the roles were reversed.

The opening stanza was momentarily quoted in Frank Zappa's Billy the Mountain (1972).

The song was also in the episode "Like Father, Like Clown" of The Simpsons sung by Krusty the Clown.

Lyrics

English lyrics

Oh, my Papa, to me he was so wonderful,
Oh, my Papa, to me he was so good.
No one could be so gentle and so lovable,
Oh, my Papa, he always understood.

Oh, my Papa, so funny, so adorable,
Always the clown so funny in his way.
Oh, my Papa, to me he was so wonderful,
Deep in my heart I miss him so today.

Gone are the days when he could take me on his knee
And with a smile he'd change my tears to laughter.

Complete German lyrics

Papa wie ein Pfeil
sprang hinauf auf die Seil,
eh la hopp, eh la hopp, eh la hopp.
Er spreizte die Beine
ganz breit auseinand’,
sprang hoch in die Luft
und stand auf die Hand.
Eh la hopp, eh la hopp, eh la hopp.

Er lachte: “Haha, haha”
und machte: "Hoho hoho",
ganz sachte: “Haha haha”
und rief: “Eh la hopp, eh la hopp
eh la hopp, eh la hopp
eh la hopp, eh la hopp
eh la hopp, eh la hopp.”

Er ritt auf die Seil
ganz hoch in die Luft
eh la hopp, eh la hopp, eh la hopp.
Das konnte er machen
zwölfmal in ohne mieh;
er lachte dazu
und fürchtet sich nie.
Eh la hopp, eh la hopp, eh la hopp

…
Refrain

Dann warf er sechs Bänder
hoch in die Luft
eh la hopp, eh la hopp, eh la hopp.
Er ließ sie tanzen
im feirigen Licht
und strahlte glicklich
im ganzen Gesicht.
Eh la hopp, eh la hopp, eh la hopp.

…

Er warf die sechs Bänder
hoch in die Luft
eh la hopp, eh la hopp, eh la hopp.
Und alles das macht er
auf schwindlige Heh;
Papa war die Clou
von die ganz Soirée.
Eh la hopp, eh la hopp, eh la hopp.

…
Refrain

Refrain: Oh, mein Papa war eine wunderbare Clown. Oh, mein Papa war eine große Kinstler. Hoch auf die Seil, wie war er herrlich anzuschau'n! Oh, mein Papa war eine schöne Mann.

Ei, wie er lacht, sein Mund, sie sein so breit, so rot; und seine Aug' wie Diamanten strahlen.

Oh, mein Papa war eine wunderbare Clown. Oh, mein Papa war eine große Kinstler. Hoch auf die Seil, wie war er herrlich anzuschau'n! Oh, mein Papa war eine schöne Mann.

Literature

• Flury, Philipp (1979). O mein Papa… Paul Burkhard: Leben und Werk (in German). Zürich: Orell Füssli/Neue Schweizer Bibliothek. ISBN 3280011299. OCLC 6787865. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)