"Oh du lieber Augustin" ("Oh, you dear Augustin") is a popular Viennese folk song. It was presumably composed by the famously balladeer and bagpiper Marx Augustin (1643 - 1705?, Vienna) in 1679, though written documents only date back to about 1800.
Augustin plate at the Griechenbeisl in Vienna. Fot. Piotr Piekarski.
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In 1679, Vienna was struck by the Great Plague. The city was crippled by the epidemic, which recurred fitfully into the early 1680s, claiming an estimated 76,000 residents. According to legend Augustin got drunk and fell asleep on the street. He was mistaken for a plague victim and thrown into a pit with the other dead.
“Lieber Augustin” fell in to a plague pit
Before he could be covered with lime and buried, he awoke from his stupor and climbed out of the grave. He didn’t get the disease despite his being tossed among the infected and his luck became a symbol of hope and Vienna's ultimate triumph and survival over the plague. The little song appeared in 1679 about how Augustin lost everything, and it is still sung by children today.
The tune of "Oh, you dear Augustin" is nearly identical to that of "Did You Ever See a Lassie?" - Song for Kids by Little Fox. Below in German.
"Oh, you dear Augustin" English text
O, you dear Augustin, Augustin, Augustin,
O, you dear Augustin, all is lost!
Money's gone, girlfriend's gone,
All is lost, Augustin!
O, you dear Augustin,
All is lost!
Coat is gone, staff is gone,
Augustin lies in the dirt.
O, you dear Augustin,
All is lost!
Even that rich town Vienna,
Broke is like Augustin;
Shed tears with thoughts akin,
All is lost!
Every day was a feast,
Now we just have the plague!
Just a great corpse's feast,
That is the rest.
Augustin, Augustin,
Lie down in your grave!
O, you dear Augustin,
All is lost!
Augustin plate at the Griechenbeisl in Vienna. Fot. Piotr Piekarski.
In 1679, Vienna was struck by the Great Plague. The city was crippled by the epidemic, which recurred fitfully into the early 1680s, claiming an estimated 76,000 residents. According to legend Augustin got drunk and fell asleep on the street. He was mistaken for a plague victim and thrown into a pit with the other dead.
“Lieber Augustin” fell in to a plague pit
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| Source: www.planet-vienna.com |
The tune of "Oh, you dear Augustin" is nearly identical to that of "Did You Ever See a Lassie?" - Song for Kids by Little Fox. Below in German.
"Oh, you dear Augustin" English text
O, you dear Augustin, Augustin, Augustin,
O, you dear Augustin, all is lost!
Money's gone, girlfriend's gone,
All is lost, Augustin!
O, you dear Augustin,
All is lost!
Coat is gone, staff is gone,
Augustin lies in the dirt.
O, you dear Augustin,
All is lost!
Even that rich town Vienna,
Broke is like Augustin;
Shed tears with thoughts akin,
All is lost!
Every day was a feast,
Now we just have the plague!
Just a great corpse's feast,
That is the rest.
Augustin, Augustin,
Lie down in your grave!
O, you dear Augustin,
All is lost!
Text source: www.planet-vienna.com, www.bargaintraveleurope.com, www.mein-oesterreich.info, Wikipedia.