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Lili Marlene
Words & Music by Hans Leip & Norbert ShultzEnglish lyric by Tommie Connor
Recorded by Marlene Dietrich, 1945
A F#m D9 E7
Underneath the lantern by the barrack gate,
E7 D9 E E7 A
Darling I remember the way you used to wait;
D Cdim A F#7
'Twas there that you whispered ten - der - ly,
D Cdim Bm7 F#7
That you lov'd me, you'd always be,
D9 E7 A F#7 D9 E7 A
My Lilli of the lamplight, my own Lilli Marlene.
A F#m D9 E7
Time would come for roll call, time for us to part ;
E7 D9 E E7 A
Darling I'd caress you and press you to my heart.
D Cdim A F#7
And there 'neath that far off lantern light
D Cdim Bm7 F#7
I'd hold you tight we'd kiss goodnight,
D9 E7 A F#7 D9 E7 A
My Lillie of the lamplight, my own Lilli Marlene.
A F#m D9 E7
Orders came for sailing somewhere over there,
E7 D9 E E7 A
All confined to barracks was more than I could bear;
D Cdim A F#7
I knew you were waiting in the street,
I heard your feet, but could not meet,
D9 E7 A F#7 D9 E7 A
My Lillie of the lamplight, my own Lilli Marlene.
A F#m D9 E7
Resting in a billet just behind the line,
E7 D9 E E7 A
Even though we're parted, your lips are close to mine,
D Cdim A F#7
You wait where that lantern softly gleams
D Cdim Bm7 F#7
Your sweet face seems to haunt my dreams,
D9 E7 A F#7 D9 E7 A
My Lillie of the lamplight, my own Lilli Marlene.
Dietrich's version was, at least in the original, in German; the English was recorded by Perry Como, among others. I listened to a Dietrich recording -- and I was amazed what a mediocre vocalist she was. Her rendition was what I've heard called a "neighborhood" vocal -- meaning the notes she hit were in the neighborhood of the melody, but not on it.