Ich Hatte Einen Kameraden

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"Ich hatte einen Kameraden" ("I Had A Comrade"), also known as "The Good Comrade", is a traditional lament of the German Armed Forces. The text was written by the German poet Ludwig Uhland in 1809. In 1825, the composer Friedrich Silcher set it to music. "The Good Comrade" plays an important ceremonial role in the German Armed Forces and is an integral part of a military funeral. The song has also become traditional in obsequies of the Military of Austria. It is also used to some degree in the French Army. When the song is played, soldiers are to salute, a custom shared only by national anthems. Occasionally the song is played at civil ceremonies, most often when the deceased had been affiliated with the military. It is also commonly sung at the funerals of members of a Studentenverbindung. Finally, the song is often played on Volkstrauertag, the German Remembrance Day, at memorials for the fallen.

Text by Ludwig Uhland Translation

Ich hatt' einen Kameraden,
Einen bessern findst du nit.
Die Trommel schlug zum Streite,
Er ging an meiner Seite
|: In gleichem Schritt und Tritt. :|

Eine Kugel kam geflogen:
Gilt's mir oder gilt es dir?
Ihn hat es weggerissen,
Er liegt vor meinen Füßen
|: Als wär's ein Stück von mir :|

Will mir die Hand noch reichen,
Derweil ich eben lad'.
"Kann dir die Hand nicht geben,
Bleib du im ew'gen Leben
|: Mein guter Kamerad!" :|

I had a comrade,
you don't find a better one.
The drum was rolling for battle,
he marched at my side
in the same stride.

A bullet flew towards us
meant for me or meant for you?
It took him away,
he lies beneath my feet
like a piece of myself.

He wants to give me his hand,
while I reload the gun.
"I can't give you my hand,
stay in eternal live
my good comrade!"
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