Jenny Jenny – Bilingual Lyrics German/English

• By: AnnenMayKantereit
• Album: Schlagschatten

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the German language through AnnenMayKantereit's catchy song, "Jenny Jenny". This song tells the story of a flight attendant named Jenny, offering a glimpse into her daily life and dreams. With its blend of indie, funk, and rock, "Jenny Jenny" provides an engaging way to learn German while enjoying a unique musical experience.

[English]

The day begins in the mirror

Tired eyes wake up made up

Lips red like bricks

And then the coffee she drinks every morning

And she wears blue and yellow

She says she would love to be permanently employed

She says the world is smaller

When you fly every day

Jenny Jenny, cloud rider

Just keeps smiling

Like all flight attendants

Jenny, cloud rider

Jenny Jenny, cloud rider

Just keeps smiling

Like all flight attendants

Jenny, cloud rider

And after every landing

She is the smile in the surf

Among a thousand passengers who don't want to wait

For passport control and customs

And then a three-hour layover

Jenny drinks her coffee cold

And she googles Panama

Two years ago she was there for ten minutes

Oh, Panama

Oh, Panama (Panama)

Oh oh oh, Panama (Panama)

Oh oh oh, Panama (Panama)

Oh, Panama (Panama)

Welcome aboard

Welcome aboard

Welcome aboard

Welcome aboard

Every day ten thousand miles over the sea

She says she’s coming home

And doesn’t know from where

Jenny Jenny, cloud rider

Just keeps smiling

Like all flight attendants

Jenny, cloud rider

Jenny Jenny, cloud rider

Keeps smiling

Like all flight attendants

Jenny, cloud rider

Oh, Panama

Oh, Panama

Oh, Panama

Oh, Panama

Welcome aboard

...

[German]

Der Tag beginnt im Spiegel

Müde Augen werden wach geschminkt

Die Lippen rot wie Ziegel

Und dann der Kaffee, den sie jeden Morgen trinkt

Und sie trägt blau und gelb

Sie sagt, sie wär' so gern fest angestellt

Sie sagt, die Welt ist kleiner

Wenn du jeden Tag fliegst

Jenny Jenny, Wolkenreiter

Lächelt einfach immer weiter

So wie alle Flugbegleiter

Jenny, Wolkenreiter

Jenny Jenny, Wolkenreiter

Lächelt einfach immer weiter

Wie alle Flugbegleiter

Jenny, Wolkenreiter

Und nach jeder Landung

Ist sie das Lächeln in der Brandung

Zwischen tausend Passagieren, die nich' warten wollen

Auf die Passkontrollen und den Zoll

Und dann drei Stunden Aufenthalt

Jenny trinkt den Kaffee kalt

Und sie googelt Panama

Vor zwei Jahren war sie mal zehn Minuten da

Oh, Panama

Oh, Panama (Panama)

Oh oh oh, Panama (Panama)

Oh oh oh, Panama (Panama)

Oh, Panama (Panama)

Willkommen an Bord

Willkommen an Bord

Willkommen an Bord

Willkommen an Bord

Jeden Tag zehntausend Meilen über dem Meer

Sie sagt, sie kommt nach Hause

Und weiß nicht woher

Jenny Jenny, Wolkenreiter

Lächelt einfach immer weiter

So wie alle Flugbegleiter

Jenny, Wolkenreiter

Jenny Jenny, Wolkenreiter

Lächelt immer weiter

So wie alle Flugbegleiter

Jenny, Wolkenreiter

Oh, Panama

Oh, Panama

Oh, Panama

Oh, Panama

Willkommen an Bord

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Tag /taːk/ A1	noun - day
Augen /ˈaʊ̯ɡən/ A1	noun - eyes
Lippen /ˈlɪpm̩/ A1	noun - lips
Kaffee /ˈkafeː/ A1	noun - coffee
Welt /vɛlt/ A1	noun - world
fliegen /ˈfliːɡən/ A1	verb - to fly
Lächeln /ˈlɛçəln/ A2	noun - smile verb - to smile
Landung /ˈlandʊŋ/ B1	noun - landing
Brandung /ˈbʁandʊŋ/ B2	noun - surf
Passagiere /pasaˈʒiːrə/ B1	noun - passengers
Zoll /t͡sɔl/ B1	noun - customs
Aufenthalt /ˈaʊ̯fʔɛnthalt/ B1	noun - stay, sojourn
googeln /ˈɡuːɡl̩n/ B1	verb - to google
Meilen /ˈmaɪ̯lən/ B1	noun - miles
Meer /meːɐ̯/ A1	noun - sea

Key Grammar Structures

• Müde Augen werden wach geschminkt

  ➔ Passive Voice (werden + Partizip II)

  ➔ The sentence uses the passive voice with "werden" and the past participle "geschminkt" to express that the tired eyes *are being made up* (someone else is doing the makeup). This is common in German to emphasize the action rather than the actor.

• Sie sagt, sie wär' so gern fest angestellt

  ➔ Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) - Indirect Speech

  ➔ The sentence uses "wär'" (short for "wäre"), which is the Konjunktiv II form of "sein" (to be), in indirect speech. It expresses a wish or a hypothetical situation. She is saying that someone else said she *would like to be* permanently employed.

• Wenn du jeden Tag fliegst

  ➔ Conditional Clause with 'wenn'

  ➔ This is a conditional clause using "wenn" (if/when). It introduces a condition that, if met, has a certain consequence. Note the present tense "fliegst" (you fly) can refer to habitual actions, like "when you fly every day" or "if you fly every day".

• Zwischen tausend Passagieren, die nich' warten wollen

  ➔ Relative Clause (with 'die')

  ➔ "die nich' warten wollen" is a relative clause modifying "tausend Passagieren" (thousand passengers). "die" is a relative pronoun referring to the passengers. It describes a specific group of passengers: those *who do not want to wait*.

• Vor zwei Jahren war sie mal zehn Minuten da

  ➔ Past Tense (Präteritum) and use of "mal"

  ➔ "war" is the Präteritum (simple past) of "sein" (to be). "mal" is an adverb which softens the statement, meaning something like "once", "just", or "for a short while". So the sentence roughly translates to "Two years ago, she was there for just ten minutes."

• Sie sagt, sie kommt nach Hause Und weiß nicht woher

  ➔ Indirect Speech and Word Order (subordinate clause)

  ➔ The first part, "Sie sagt, sie kommt nach Hause", is indirect speech. Note the normal word order in "sie kommt nach Hause" within the subordinate clause. The second part, "Und weiß nicht woher" shows the typical word order in German when the subject is not in the first position in the main clause.