die gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten

die gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten sie fliehen vorbei, wie nacht liche schatten kein mensch kann sie wisser, kein jager ershiessen es bleibat dabei, die gedanken sind frei (repeat)
ich denke wer ich will, und was mich beglubet doch alles inder still, und wie es sich schicket mein wunsch und begehren, kein niemand verwehren es bleibat dabei-----
und sperrit mann mich ein, im finstiren kerber das alles sind rein, vergleibiche werke dann meine gedanken, zerreissen die schranken es bleibat dabei-----
die gedanken sind frei, my thoughts freely flower '' '' '' ''.
 my thoughts give me power no scholar can map them, no hunter can trap them no man can deny, die gedanken sind frei, repeat
so I think as I please, and this gives me pleasure my conscience decrees, this right I must treasure my thoughts will not cater, to duke or dictator no man can deny, die------, repeat
and if tyrants take me, and throw me in prison my thoughts will burst free, like blossoms in flower foundations will crumble, the structure will tumble and free men will cry, die----, repeat
______________________________________________________________
when I was a young man I 'listed for a soldier I took the king's shilling, and I drank full well they gave me a red coat,
they gave me a musket and sent me to ameriky--into the jaws of hell--repeat
on line on lexington green, we faced the rebels volleys we charged our bayonets, painted that green, red then at the bridge at concord we faced them with one accord, till outnumbered fought back to boston, with most of us dead, repeat
repeat first verse
we marched on washington, away flew the rebels;
 we burned their town down, twas nought left but pebbles;
 then in may, 1814, we met at new orleans, we charged their cotton bales, the war was finished, so were we! repeat
repeat first verse
________________________________________________
kit denton sang 'when I was a young man' when he served with the buffs, before he became a paratrooper in wwii.
 he only remembereda few words of the second verse, so I 'filled them in',
then went back to him to confirm that they were in keeping with the marching song as he remembered it.
 the tune to when I was a young man is 'die gedanken sind frei',
which has been sung in germany since the 1700' s, and is almost universally sung in germany, there is no doubt that it would have been sung by german soldiers/servicemen during both the first and second world wars--and probably by german tornado pilots in the gulf war.
 because,
ex kit, the british army was singing this song which obviously dates from the amercan revolution during wwii, that it was also sung during wwi, the boer war, and probably the crimea, and the napoleonic wars as well -- as far as I have been able to discover, it has not previously been collected even in england or america! the words to 'when I was' --depict military actions that took place, accurately, in 1775;
 kits unit,
the buffs, the former 3rd regiment of foot, didn't arrive for service/combat, in america until 1781, so the song was obviously learned from regiments that served there prior to that date, and thus was more widespread in the british army than just one regiment.
 this coming anzac day, '98, in a few weeks time will let me confirm, or not, through peter walton, an air force veteran of vietnam, who also served in the wehrmacht in wwii, whether 'die gedanken sind frei' was, in fact sung by the soldiers, 'michaels',
as germans call their 'diggers',
during wwii.
 peter has a few german soldier songs from wwii, that I have not yet recorded.