“99 Red Balloons” makes sense now

I always thought the lyrics to “99 Red Balloons” were kinda odd, but something’s always lost in translation. It can’t be helped.

Looking at a straight translation from the original German song “99 Luftballons”, it’s now obvious how loose the translation was. (Even “red balloon” is only used to match the syllable count in “Luftballon”, which just means “balloon”.) Here’s the first two stanzas:

Direct translation: “99 Luftballons”	English lyrics: “99 Red Balloons”
Do you have some time for me, then I’ll sing a song for you about 99 balloons on their way to the horizon. If you’re perhaps thinking about me right now then I’ll sing a song for you about 99 balloons and that something comes from such a thing.	You and I in a little toy shop Buy a bag of balloons with the money we’ve got Set them free at the break of dawn Til one by one, they were gone Back at base bugs in the software Flash the message, something’s out there Floating in the summer sky 99 red balloons go by
99 balloons on their way to the horizon People think they’re UFO’s from space so a general sent up a fighter squadron after them To raise the alarm if it was true but there on the horizon were only 99 balloons.	99 red balloons Floating in the summer sky Panic bells it’s red alert There’s something here from somewhere else The war machine springs to life Opens up one eager eye Focusing it on the sky as 99 red balloons go by

“But unluckily most Germans here are too smart. They all speak good English and won’t be able to speak German to me.” — Alex Chiu

2 thoughts on ““99 Red Balloons” makes sense now”

awww, you stopped before the Captain Kirk comment

The funny thing is that the Captain Kirk line ended up in different stanzas in the translations.

2 thoughts on ““99 Red Balloons” makes sense now”

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