☝️ Key Points
- The song tells the story of an old woman who tells her grandchildren about her time as a partisan during World War II.
- The partisan worked as a courier and distributed leaflets despite the danger and responsibility of taking care of three children.
- 'Three red whistles in the forest' is depicted as the signal of the partisans.
- The song speaks of the changes that came with the rise of the Nazis and the grandmother's hope for a different future.
- In the third part of the song, the woman warns about the danger of forgetting history and 'whitewashing' the experiences of the war.
Interpretation
The lyrics of 'Drei Rote Pfiffe' by
Schmetterlinge tell a story from World War II. It focuses on the experiences of an old woman who tells her grandchildren how she fought as a partisan against the Nazis.
In the first part of the song, the grandmother shows her grandchildren her homeland and talks about her childhood and youth. She remembers the hard work in the forest and the cold winters. The line 'That something will change in the world, that nothing has to stay as it is' hints at the changes that came with the rise of the Nazis.
In the chorus, the lyrics speak of 'three red whistles in the forest', a signal that was probably used by the partisans.
In the second part, the woman tells about her life during the war. She had a husband at the front and three children at home. Despite the danger, she worked as a courier for the partisans and distributed leaflets.
The third part of the song describes the end of the war and the return to normality. However, the grandmother warns her grandchildren that the danger is not yet over. She refers to those who try to 'whitewash' their past and threaten people's rights again.
In summary, 'Drei Rote Pfiffe' is about the courage and determination of people who resist fascism, and the need to remember history to protect freedom.