Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht - Pirate Jenny (Sung by Lotte Lenya)

Television performance ca. 1966
Using the well-known Blitzstein translation.

[@bobtaylor170]

How can anyone not love this? The woman performs with total authority. This is thrilling theatre.

[@filipp721]

*Epic theater as Brecht described it

[@donaldcarletonjr.9047]

I'll tell you why: the performance is GREAT but the Blitzstein translation is CRAP!

[@bobtaylor170]

@@donaldcarletonjr.9047 you seem to be rather solitary in thinking that.

[@ccdaly2561]

Lenya always gives me chills. I used to work at a godawful piano bar in NYC, where the customers treated me like I was a commodity. To release stress, I'd sing Pirate Jenny on Mondays. All I could do. Hopefully the pandemic finally shut them down. Could never do justice to her.

[@BA-bb3bj]

As a former resident of a once magical, transformative, transgressive, empathetic, global small town, I apologize They were tourists who wanted to stay and instead homogenized the city into wannabees

[@tenorak]

Would have loved to see.

[@annepoitrineau5650]

Yes, it is so technically difficult to sing!!

[@litlgrey]

Even some 35 years later, even out of context, even in English and with some lyrics vastly changed, Lotte Lenya IS Pirate Jenny now and forever, and her performance still gives chills. You can't look away from her.

[@GaiaCarney]

Carl Howard - YES. I’m on my fifth viewing, realizing I’ll never ever be the same for viewing this 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Lotte Lenya, mighty mighty

[@PRISMN54]

@@GaiaCarney YES!!!!! That's exactly how I'm feeling NOW!!! First time today, 10 min ago.

[@warrengwonka2479]

I’ve heard her many times; but today is the first time I’ve seen her.

[@groupsphera]

Единственная и незаменимая.

[@trenthink]

I prefer the literal translation of the German lyrics, but nevertheless the story brings me to tears.

[@bobtaylor170]

A great star. And keep in mind that she's doing this thirty five years after she did it originally. It's powerfully magnetic.

[@kurtisblow3000]

where is the other version of her singing it?? It used to be on youtube.... this is great but the other was better

[@MrCrowebobby]

@@kurtisblow3000 Mackie Messer

[@jackschimmelman6355]

i was privileged to see her at the end of her career in a version of cabaret.

[@ZoeEGrace]

That would have been something! I think Cabaret is far closer to Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht than Bob Fosse and Liza Minelli! But that's my opinion, and probably not a very popular one. ;)

[@rolleicanon]

100% correct. Those who were there, and the performers, say the cabarets were political, not at all like in Cabaret.

[@buckjohnson3748]

@@rolleicanon meh kinda wrong. Some of the songs were political such as the gorilla song about a Jewish woman compared to a gorilla. The money song references the 1929 berlin depression.

[@rolleicanon]

Buck Johnson True, but most of them were not the kind of left wing agitprop you would have encountered.

[@mapanzer]

She is singing on the original cast recording!

[@tadimaggio]

I don't think that any of us want to know how many people with dull or boring jobs think along the lines of Jenny in this song.

[@davidanthonystone5165]

I met her at a party in the 1970's in NY I saw her also in the original Cabaret wonderful actress

[@robkunkel8833]

I just looked up her life. She was old but very much alive back then. Weil’s widow. THE best in these roles. You are lucky to have met her. Nice comment.

[@michaelward9167]

I'll remember her as Rosa Klebb in From Russia with Love.

[@suzannestultz3919]

She was probably in her 60s when I saw her in a touring version of the revue “Brecht on Brecht”. About half or more of the audience consisted of college students who had never even heard of her, and they were mesmerized. I can still almost hear her scornful, half-whispered “That’ll learn ya.” Yikes!

[@marshhen]

This song is a masterpiece.

[@GaiaCarney]

Carl Howard - YES. I’m on my fifth viewing, thinking I’ll never ever be the same for viewing this 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Lotte Lenya, mighty mighty

[@redword2007]

What an extraordinary talent!

[@bobtaylor170]

I love this. It's seeing legend made alive.

[@diamondcomposte]

I got here through Alan Moore, because his first pseudonym was Curt Vile, a play on words of Kurt Weil :D

[@XX-gy7ue]

SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING

[@SashaLaurenAuthor]

Bob Dylan, Chronicles: Volume One brought me here

[@lucamarcelli8828]

Same

[@mariabarros1644]

SAME

[@OneWithMagic]

Same!

[@michaelbar99]

Same!!

[@Pablov.castao]

What did he say about this?

[@ddizaca]

You people can watch while I'm scrubbing these floors And I'm scrubbin' the floors while you're gawking Maybe once ya tip me and it makes ya feel swell In this crummy Southern town In this crummy old hotel But you'll never guess to who you're talkin'. No. You couldn't ever guess to who you're talkin'. Then one night there's a scream in the night And you'll wonder who could that have been And you see me kinda grinnin' while I'm scrubbin' And you say, "What's she got to grin?" I'll tell you. There's a ship The Black Freighter With a skull on its masthead Will be coming in You gentlemen can say, "Hey gal, finish them floors! Get upstairs! What's wrong with you! Earn your keep here! You toss me your tips And look out to the ships But I'm counting your heads As I'm making the beds Cuz there's nobody gonna sleep here, honey Nobody Nobody! Then one night there's a scream in the night And you say, "Who's that kicking up a row?" And ya see me kinda starin' out the winda And you say, "What's she got to stare at now?" I'll tell ya. There's a ship The Black Freighter Turns around in the harbor Shootin' guns from her bow Now You gentlemen can wipe off that smile off your face Cause every building in town is a flat one This whole frickin' place will be down to the ground Only this cheap hotel standing up safe and sound And you yell, "Why do they spare that one?" Yes. That's what you say. "Why do they spare that one?" All the night through, through the noise and to-do You wonder who is that person that lives up there? And you see me stepping out in the morning Looking nice with a ribbon in my hair And the ship The Black Freighter Runs a flag up its masthead And a cheer rings the air By noontime the dock Is a-swarmin' with men Comin' out from the ghostly freighter They move in the shadows Where no one can see And they're chainin' up people And they're bringin' em to me Askin' me, "Kill them NOW, or LATER?" Askin' ME! "Kill them now, or later?" Noon by the clock And so still by the dock You can hear a foghorn miles away And in that quiet of death I'll say, "Right now. Right now!" Then they'll pile up the bodies And I'll say, "That'll learn ya!" And the ship The Black Freighter Disappears out to sea And On It Is Me

[@hernanrubindearmas5640]

Thanks, so nice of you to transvase he lyrics. I appreciated very much. Justo to know Jenny a little more. I adore Jenny!

[@arabena19]

Best version, Nina Simone.

[@litlgrey]

Thanks for transcribing the lyrics! They do go by rather quickly.

[@christmashills]

Www

[@reginabillotti]

@@litlgrey those are the lyrics to Nina Simone's version. This one is slightly different.

[@ChrysoulaKechagioglou]

Wow! With a soul like this, who needs intonation and training? Wow!

[@GriffGriffith]

Although there were many subsequent English translations of the original German libretto and although the rhymes don’t always land, Marc Blitzstein’s translation is the only one that stands toe to toe with Weil’s masterpiece of a score.

[@ritasecrease9460]

MANY YEARS LATER....REPEAT!

[@charold3]

Oh thanks for posting! I didn't know this clip existed! Lotte is incredibly compelling here, though in her late sixties! (Appreciation of Brecht/Weill brought me here.)

[@jberwald]

Mesmerizing! What a fabulous interpretation.

[@Aubury]

So nice to find this version a little gem

[@hernanrubindearmas5640]

Gracias, Thomas. Thanks! I shared it with a friend who saw Lotte Lenja in the Broadway prodution of the THROPENCE OPERA: Marylou Schiller.

[@alanoneill3065]

I first heard Pirate Jenny when I was 14...my brother bought Judy Collins' In My Life Album. Was smitten then, but this is THE version

[@jhecht99]

Wow...what a performance....I'll take her 82,000 views over the three billion for Gangnam Style...

[@patovalentino]

This is PERFECT 😍

[@mheerd]

Lotte Lenya - Extremely impressive as always.

[@fossseseptique]

Is there anything this genius can't do? RIP we love you.

[@skovner]

The best performance I have seen of this so far, even if the words are a bit different. They work better

[@PRISMN54]

Shooting "GUNS!!!" I loved this and many other wonderful little details of her singing!! I'm gonna watch it a thousand times!! I have Judy Collins vinil, loving her singing for decades, but this Lotte Lenya version is sooooo true, so alive!!! Thank you again and forever for giving us this gift!!!

[@silverdoctor1]

I had no idea that this song existed until I read about it's apparently profound effect on Bob Dylan in the early '60's. Thanks for posting.

[@troutie2008]

And, that's what brought me here too.

[@nin196]

At ships with tattooed sails Heading for the Gates of Eden - Bob D's masterpiece

[@ArthurLWood]

Astonishing performance; the best!

[@sittinginthebasement]

Who hasn't fantasized about dispatching their enemies in a like fashion?

[@darkenergyhotep5793]

Epic I'm a big fan.

[@TheOnlyChilde]

Lotte was "sui generis"; I love her version better than any other since. Her long history with Kurt Weill lends her a unique authenticity.

[@milkbarMPLS]

Nina Simone's is the killer version for me. I love Lotte Lenya, but Nina is TERRIFYING.

[@PeterHh]

The first 27 seconds. Tells all

[@jointheleanrat]

Thanks.. great early tv performance.. WOW... This deserves a lot more views! Wonderful!!

[@miabellajenny]

My former voice teachers mentor. I am very lucky!!

[@PRISMN54]

Ohhhh!!! I loved to see it!!!! I love the song!! Thank you so much!!

[@Marcel_Audubon]

*that'll learn ya* !!

[@annepoitrineau5650]

Not only is it a great song to listen to, but it is technically very difficult...I am learning it and it is not easy to breathe on lol

[@SMay-rg5vh]

Mesmerising and incredible performance. Sort of other-worldly.

[@unclenogbad1509]

She is fantastic. One of so very few performers who really deserve the title of: Legend.

[@ansongordon-creed4047]

This song inspired the Tales of the Black Freighter in Watchmen

[@nistabezvegete]

This reminds me of a Tom Waits song called Black Spider an awful lot! The accent and the way she sings "black freighter" is very reminiscent of that song...

[@Nightmarigny]

Brilliant.

[@1996Tanawuts]

Sasha Velour sent me here

[@kagitsune]

Same.

[@BorisArthur]

TanawutAwesome Sukke - Sameh

[@luckyloppy934]

same!!

[@TrudyPatootie]

Absolutely and I'm not disappointed ONE bit.. Bravo..

[@Cupidssatan]

TanawutAwesome Sukke samr

[@hannureittu4310]

Wonderful!

[@derstoffausdemderjoghurtis]

Only knew the german version till now. This sounds really good. The radiance of this woman and her voice!

[@toomuchinformation]

Nina Simone does a very chilling version. I actually heard her version first.

[@normancharles2507]

I love this song. I first heard it by Judy Collins, on her "In My Life" album.

[@rstandmartin]

Mentioned in Mack the knife. Yes she is she !

[@phyllissimpson720]

She's great!!

[@MrCrispian]

Lotie played Rosa Klebb in From Russia with love 007 film

[@starlingsplanettv2950]

fabulous

[@enricoflor3601]

Here for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century: 1910. I think the songstress in the novel depicted Lotte Lenya. Searching for her original version to verify....

[@tamarinha30]

Thank you! =)

[@GeckoBachmann-zf8nc]

Wunderbar....immer

[@jcmontecarlo6123]

Fabulous!

[@benschroth7717]

Herrlich.

[@andrebelei7298]

Bob Dylan - Chronicles brought me here.

[@MrFartboy79]

Andre Belei me too

[@hernanrubindearmas5640]

Glad to know Bob Dylan brought you to the persiflage, as Bertolt Brecht himself called his opera, derived from the John Gay´s THE BEGGAR´S OPERA, 1700 onwards presented first at the Court of Hannover.

[@kathykelly1617]

ditto

[@hernanrubindearmas5640]

Thanks!

[@kennydurkin]

Andre Belei and all of a sudden we had Desolation Row, Ballad Of a Thin Man etc and the rest is history.

[@potdog1000]

one artistic genius

[@DEWwords]

My god that's good

[@heart0fmadness911]

Rosa clebb😐.from Russia with love

[@groupsphera]

Und ein Schiff mit acht Segeln...

[@user-ug6wm2xr5t]

Ну наконец то нашёл двигающееся изображение Лотты Леньи.

[@nixedekicknt6706]

Çok güzel elinize ayağınıza sağlık

[@AsDeadAsDillinger]

A far more melodramatic a fate than a poisoned kick from Ms Klebb.

[@cbquills9107]

oohhh.... dear olga!

[@tonycanabal1659]

Loved Miss Lotte Lenya in From Russia With Love and Semi Tough where she nearly tortured Burt Reynolds.

[@ImaginaryMdA]

Such a great voice for theater! (...no, not musical theater, just theater...)

[@mzmiller52]

They always say the original is the best. Proven so many times. Streisand, lenye, lupone, merman, Glynis johns, Ellen Greene, ebersole, Jennifer Holliday.

[@anothertime1282]

The day will come. They'll say, 'But it wasn't me.' We'll say, 'But it was.'

[@AceinIN]

I'm glad I found this English version of "Pirate Jenny" sung by Lotte Lenya herself. I'm puzzled that she used this translation. It was panned by several people as being an "adaptation" rather than a translation.

[@AceinIN]

Agreed!

[@catwoman07076]

Definitely an adaptation rather than translation. An updating, also! Now the ship with the eight sails has become a dark freighter. See the original movie for the German "eight sails" version. They have it with subtitles!

[@vasthiduran9890]

Adam McIntosh do you have the German lyrics?

[@sydneygurewitzclemens9023]

The New York version of Threepenny Opera (in the 1950's -- I saw it with her in it!) at Theater de Lys used this translation, as did many others until recently.

[@johnhein2539]

Well, she probably understood the character better than anyone. Possibly more than Brecht himself. I think about how her voice breaks about the ribbon in her hair, the once nice pretty thing she wants to give herself. She might agree with the spirit of the lyrics or something.

[@user-gp8iz7zc9v]

Pirate Jenny marine faithful

[@DTJ3689]

I find it very "weird" in that my only context for Lotte Lenya was in the role of Rosa Kleb! So, it is a bit "weird" to see Spectre's number 3 on stage singing!

[@GabrielEHurtadoV-uz5ow]

Of course, she won the Tony for this musical.

[@lukewarm5356]

Freakin hell that is amazing. Think Alex Harvey mighta been a fan

[@alanoneill3065]

Next?

[@maksimilijan5029]

i think this is where frank zappa got "suzy? Suzy creamcheese aaaagh this the voice of ya conscience babe..." from... + louie louie

[@fergusmurray1828]

Jenny? Never heard of Jenny.

[@pedromilek2711]

Yeah man, Dylan got it right

[@groovy3443]

It's 4:25 AM...

[@conniemartin4878]

The coarse accompaniment is rushing a great artist.

[@ronbarrett7724]

Found the song by reading Bob Dylans book.

[@roderickfernandez8554]

Sometime in the 1960s I was at do and I was speaking with lenya I was afraid of becoming tongue-tied as I realized I was speaking with Jenny I was only in in my twenties and haven't been in New York too long I remember when I got home I called my parents and said you'll never believe it I was speaking with Lottie lasagna tonight and my mother said who is Lotte lenya yes I just laugh

[@wonder-womyn]

I believe this is from 1961.

[@wonder-womyn]

1966

[@geospot4679]

Kill them now? Or later?...she is brilliant!

[@Rollich1]

What year was this stage appearance? Ms Lenya is surprisingly youthful, more so than when I saw her in New York in 1953.

[@rolleicanon]

True. And more youthful than in From Russia With Love.

[@gregorywiederecht]

Black and white photography flatters her immensely.

[@fossseseptique]

the only mistake in this great translation and this astonishing performance is the last line ;"That'll learn yah" ..Which should of course be; "That'll teach yah." Polly Peacha

[@warrengwonka2479]

It means it will teach you. Dialect.

[@suzannestultz3919]

Actually, where I grew up people did say, That’ll learn ya” (or sometimes “That’ll learn ya, dern ya” 😉 ) As the comment below points out, it’s part of the dialect.

[@kiwilerner]

It's idiomatic -- "learn" is used for "teach" in some dialects, both in the U.S. and England. "That'll learn ya" is a very specific phrase.

[@user-qf6ig7kv1g]

Для меня это мало понятно, я не знаю языка, но чувствую музыку, есть Высоцкий Владимир, который говорил как-то слово "зонг" и упоминал Брехта, а я знаю и читал "Трёхгрошовая опера" и знаю о Вейле и Лотте Лейле и ещё о Бобе Дилане.

[@rolanddepous2148]

HILDEGARD KNEF NR. 1

[@user-pm8lo6qe2b]

!!!!

[@buckjohnson3748]

Hey, anyone who knows threepenny opera. Do you know why in some version polly sings this song instead of jenny?

[@warrengwonka2479]

It was originally written for Polly. But Lotte Leona did it so well…

[@silviaruhsen4666]

' A' of kiel

[@jarretwolfman]

does anyone know who played lucy? :)

[@lolitamartin3084]

Gotcha girl

[@chmj0928]

0:26

[@davidegiancaspro2868]

Neri

[@KCastens]

The Danish sing a song writer Sebastian created a rather different music for the translated text. Even though you don't understand the exact words, you know the contents - try to take a listen to this very powerful version 🙂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/roOQaniMesaqm5o

[@sarahmahany3404]

Judy Collins' version is magnificent too.

[@SandfordSmythe]

English translation is interesting