Cinderella Baby – English Lyrics

• By: Drafi Deutscher

Lyrics & Translation

Discover a classic of German pop history with Drafi Deutscher's "Cinderella Baby." This song is a perfect entry point for learning German through music, featuring simple, repetitive, and romantic lyrics that capture the hopeful spirit of the 1960s. Its clear narrative of fairytale love makes the vocabulary easy to follow and memorable for any language learner.

[English]

Cinderella Baby, Mädchen aus dem Märchenland

Cinderella Baby, komm und gib mir deine Hand

Nachts träum' ich von dir im Mondenschein

Doch am Tag da bin ich so allein

Cinderella Baby, lass die Träume Wahrheit sein

Ich hab' gedacht, dass es dich nicht gibt

Bis ich dich heut gesehen

Auf einmal war ich in dich verliebt

Nun darfst du nie mehr gehen

Cinderella Baby, Mädchen aus dem Märchenland

Cinderella Baby, komm und gib mir deine Hand

Nachts träum' ich von dir im Mondenschein

Doch am Tag da bin ich so allein

Cinderella Baby, lass die Träume Wahrheit sein

Wär' ich ein Maler

Dann malte ich dich in einem weissen Kleid

Trag es am schönsten Tag für mich

Auf unserer Traumhochzeit

Cinderella Baby, Mädchen aus dem Märchenland

Cinderella Baby, komm und gib mir deine Hand

Nachts träum' ich von dir im Mondenschein

Doch am Tag da bin ich so allein

Cinderella Baby, lass die Träume Wahrheit sein

Cinderella Baby, lass die Träume Wahrheit sein

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
baby /ˈbeɪ.bi/ A1	noun - a very young child
hand /hænd/ A1	noun - the end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to experience dreams during sleep
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - the period from sunrise to sunset
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - having no one else present
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being true
see /siː/ A1	verb - perceive with the eyes
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - feel deep affection for (someone)
painter /ˈpeɪntər/ B1	noun - an artist who paints pictures
dress /dres/ A1	noun - a one-piece garment for women or girls that covers the body and part or all of the legs
tag /taːɡ/ A2	noun - a label attached to something for identification or giving other information
wedding /ˈwedɪŋ/ A2	noun - a marriage ceremony and any celebrations associated with it
Mädchen /ˈmɛːtçən/ A1	noun - girl
Traume /ˈtrɔɪ̯mə/ A2	noun - dreams

Key Grammar Structures

• Cinderella Baby, Mädchen aus dem Märchenland

  ➔ Noun + *aus* + Dative case (dem/der/dem Märchenland)

  ➔ *aus* indicates origin. Here, "Mädchen" (girl) comes "from" Märchenland (fairytale land). The use of Dative with *aus* is mandatory.

• komm und gib mir deine Hand

  ➔ Imperative form of *kommen* (komm) and *geben* (gib). Dative pronoun (*mir*) and accusative possessive pronoun (*deine*).

  ➔ The sentence is a direct request/command. *Komm* means 'come' and *gib* means 'give'. *Mir* (to me) is in the Dative case because it's the indirect object, and *deine Hand* (your hand) is the direct object, so it's in the accusative case.

• Nachts träum' ich von dir im Mondenschein

  ➔ Preposition *von* + Dative (*dir*). Preposition *in* + Dative (*im Mondenschein*)

  ➔ *Träumen von* (to dream of) always takes the preposition *von*. *In* (in) is used with Dative because it indicates a location where the action is happening (dreaming).

• Ich hab' gedacht, dass es dich nicht gibt

  ➔ *dass*-clause, negation with *nicht*. Accusative pronoun *dich*.

  ➔ The *dass*-clause introduces a subordinate clause. *Nicht* negates the verb *gibt* (exists). *Dich* is the accusative pronoun, the direct object of the verb *gibt* in the subordinate clause.

• Auf einmal war ich in dich verliebt

  ➔ Preposition *in* + Accusative *dich*.

  ➔ Here, *in* takes the accusative because it describes a direction or change of state, i.e., the speaker fell *into* the state of being in love with 'you' (*dich*).

• Nun darfst du nie mehr gehen

  ➔ Modal verb *dürfen* (permission) + infinitive *gehen*. Adverb *nie mehr* (never again).

  ➔ *Dürfen* expresses permission or allowance; here, it means 'you are not allowed' (implied because of *nie mehr*). The infinitive *gehen* is at the end of the sentence because of the modal verb.

• Wär' ich ein Maler, Dann malte ich dich in einem weissen Kleid

  ➔ Conditional sentence type II (subjunctive II). *wäre* (Konjunktiv II of *sein*) + subject; main clause uses *würde* + infinitive or Konjunktiv II form. *in* + dative (einem weissen Kleid)

  ➔ This expresses an unreal condition and its hypothetical result. "If I were a painter, I would paint you...". The word order changes because of the conditional clause starts the sentence. *in* is used with dative because it describes a static location, namely 'in a white dress'.