What do you think Kommienezuspadt means?

Tom Waits: Kommienezuspadt Meaning

Album cover for Kommienezuspadt album cover

Kommienezuspadt Lyrics

Pretend German)
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt

Sei punktlich
Sei punktlich
Sei punktlich
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
Kommienezuspadt
And we can't be late
And we can't be...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 21st 2023 !⃝

    So clearly Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan didn't intend to use perfect German in this song, if they are able too.

    The main part would either be
    Komme nicht zu spät (Don't be late)
    OR
    Komme nie zu spät (Never be late)

    AND

    Sei pünktlich (Be on time/punctual)

    The rest seems to just be sounds Waits used to imitate what German sounds like to someone who doesn't speak the languages and is a bit annoyed about something, maybe their interlocutor's timekeeping.

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 3rd 2019 !⃝

    It's not "pretend German! "Kom miene zu spat" (although he mipronounces "miene" means "I am late!" "Sein Punktlich" means "Be on time!" Later he says in English, "and I can't be late." I don't know what the rest of it translates too, but I'm pretty sure an international artist like Tom Waits wouldn't just make up something to try to sound German.

    I read somewhere that the musical play "Alice" written and produced by Tom's wife, for which Tom performed the music was first performed in Germany. Also, the play is a reinterpretation of the famous Alice In Wonderland, so this is most likely the song of the March Hare.


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