Earlier this year, right when this whole lockdown stuff started happening, a friend challenged a group of us to make a "dark country" EP, with each of us contributing a song. Well, I wrote my song, called "Dark Riders, Storm Riders". Separately, I hit upon the idea of narrating the famous German poem "Erlkönig" to low-fi music because it fit in with the theme of the project. A friend who heard the songs then suggested that it would make a good prelude to a song, so I put it in front of the title track, and it worked great. If you don't speak German, you can easily find translations of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's famous poem online.
For a while I was wondering to myself why there should be so much German on a country album. Then, just a few weeks ago I discovered something called "Texas German", which is a form of German spoken in Texas by the descendants of German immigrants who settled there in the 19th century - five generations later, those Texans still speak German among each other. So, retroactively, I guess it really does makes perfect sense for our Teufel Cowboy to speak German while he wreaks havoc on the Texas countryside with his lady love...
lyrics
Erlkönig - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;
Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm,
Er faßt ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.
Mein Sohn, was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht? –
Siehst, Vater, du den Erlkönig nicht?
Den Erlenkönig mit Kron' und Schweif? –
Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif.
"Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir!
Gar schöne Spiele spiel' ich mit dir;
Manch' bunte Blumen sind an dem Strand,
Meine Mutter hat manch gülden Gewand." –
Mein Vater, mein Vater, und hörest du nicht,
Was Erlenkönig mir leise verspricht? –
Sei ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind;
In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind. –
"Willst, feiner Knabe, du mit mir gehn?
Meine Töchter sollen dich warten schön;
Meine Töchter führen den nächtlichen Reihn,
Und wiegen und tanzen und singen dich ein." –
Mein Vater, mein Vater, und siehst du nicht dort
Erlkönigs Töchter am düstern Ort? –
Mein Sohn, mein Sohn, ich seh' es genau:
Es scheinen die alten Weiden so grau. –
"Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt;
Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch' ich Gewalt." –
Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt faßt er mich an!
Erlkönig hat mir ein Leids getan! –
Dem Vater grauset's; er reitet geschwind,
Er hält in Armen das ächzende Kind,
Erreicht den Hof mit Mühe und Not;
In seinen Armen das Kind war tot.
----
Dark Riders, Storm Riders (Peter Hoflich)
Time the master trapper, Coming through the slaughter
Feel the rusty scalpel, In a midnight chapel
Gazing through the sky, Inky clouds drift by
Haunted visions cry, Time to do or die
Dark riders, storm riders, howling at the moon
Dark riders, storm riders, vengeance at high noon
Dark riders, storm riders, sing a murder tune
Dark riders, storm riders, howling at the moon
Breathe the stinging air, Shake your tangled hair
Clutch the leather whip, Pistols at the hip
Feel the raging blood, Drag them through the mud
Country of the dead, Hand is glowing red
Dark riders, storm riders, howling at the moon
Dark riders, storm riders, vengeance at high noon
Dark riders, storm riders, sing a murder tune
Dark riders, storm riders, howling at the moon
Burning through the night
Raging at the light
Slicing through the gloom
Kiss the hand of doom
Feel the raging fury
I am judge and jury
Riders burning bright
In night, in the night, in the night
Dark riders, storm riders, howling at the moon
Dark riders, storm riders, vengeance at high noon
Dark riders, storm riders, sing a murder tune
Dark riders, storm riders, howling at the moon
credits
from Dark Riders, Storm Riders - album (2020),
released September 18, 2020
Erlkönig - words by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, music by Peter Hoflich
Dark Riders, Storm Riders - words & music Peter Hoflich
Peter Hoflich is a musician living in Singapore. He has sung in the rock bands MegalomaniA, the Hideous Motör-Apes, Reckless
Hearts, Von Doom and The Sinisters, as well as the folk unit the Es with Athena Desai and Jae Lee. He also performs his own acoustic songs from time to time, and is trying a few experimental things in the home studio....more
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