☝️ Key Points
- The song 'Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen' is an allegory of the unstoppable course of life and the inevitable journey towards death.
- The first verse with the rolling wagon and the shining golden ears of wheat represents the beginning of life and the beauty and abundance of the world.
- In the second verse, the music and the dance around the lime tree symbolize the joys and pleasures of youth, which the singer cannot fully enjoy because 'the wagon is rolling'.
- In the third verse, the postilion in the tavern represents the singer's desire for rest and enjoyment, which he cannot afford because the journey must continue.
- In the last verse, the skeleton, the sickle, and the hourglass symbolize death and the fleeting time, and the singer's farewell represents the end of life.
Interpretation
The song 'Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen' is a folk song that uses various symbolic elements to depict the course of life and the inevitable journey towards death.
In the first verse, the singer is sitting 'up front with the brother-in-law' on a wagon that rolls forward incessantly. The 'horses trot' and the horn sounds cheerfully, which could symbolize the beginning of life and the joy and optimism of youth. The singer sees 'mountains, valleys, and meadows, golden ears of wheat shining', representing the beauty of the world and the abundance of life, but he has no time to pause and look because 'the wagon rolls'.
The second verse takes us to a scene of 'flutes and violins, merry bass hum, young people dancing in a circle around the lime tree'. This could symbolize the joys and pleasures of youth that the singer would like to enjoy, but he cannot because 'the wagon rolls'.
In the third verse, the 'postilion in the tavern' takes a break to feed the horses and drink a 'foaming barley beverage'. The singer sees a 'smiling face' behind the window and would like to stay, but 'the wagon rolls'.
In the final verse, there is 'a skeleton' on the wagon, a clear reference to death. Instead of a whip, it holds a scythe (a kind of sickle often associated with death) and instead of a horn, an hourglass symbolizing the fleeting time. The singer says 'Farewell, my dear ones', indicating that he is bidding farewell to the world and the people he loves. He would like to stay, but 'the wagon rolls'.
Overall, the song can be seen as an allegory of life, which inexorably progresses despite our wishes and hopes, and ultimately leads us to death.