Sea Green Singers - Repertoire

Sea Green Singers - When They Came Around - after a poem by Martin Niemoller – Devised by Les Joyeux Mutins (Lille) – English version Mike Cox - to see an enlarged A4 image, click on the image

Ils sont venus - Martin Niemoller – Devised by Les Joyeux Mutins (Lille) – English version Mike Cox

The choir divides into the number of voices which their voice range permits as each verse rises by one semi-tone. Everyone sings the first verse then group 1 turns their back to the audience and stops singing. By the end only one group sings the penultimate verse leading into a solo voice. The soloist faces the audience for the last verse. The groups then turn one by one to face the audience each one joining in singing 'To say something'. All shout final line 'To do something'.

If you look at the movie you can see the groups turning back to face the audience at the end of the song. This was a record of the first development rehearsal and the turns were much slicker in the final production.The English words used in the subtitles and shown below in brackets are not translations but some of many suggestions for a performance in the UK for which there are to be only 4 verses.

Guitar chords are
1st: E-shape at 1st bar;
2nd: E-shape at 3rd bar;
3rd: Bm shape at 4th bar
i.e. 133211, 355433, 447764.

Martin Niemoller was a Protestant pastor and head of the anti-Nazi Confessing Church. Arrested for 'malicious attacks against the state', he spent seven years in the Dachau and Sachsenhausen Released in 1945 by the Allies.

The choice of group categories can be changed to match personal taste and judgement; I have omitted the jews because I feel that group will automatically be evoked by the song without actually having to sing the verse and other categories are in more immediate danger of being taken under the umbrella of state control.

Other groups considered include muslims and gypsies

Sop continually sing above the groups

They came around, but I said naught

Group 1
When they came around, they wanted all the gays
I didnt say a word, I am not gay x2

Group 2
When they came around, for the shop stewards
I didnt say a word, I’m not a shop steward x2

Group 3
When they came around, for asylum seekers
I didnt say a word, I don’t seek asylum x2

Last group
When they came around, for those who read the guardian
I didnt say a word, I read the Daily Mail
When they came around, for those who read the guardian
I didnt say a word, I read .........

Solo
Then they came looking for me
There was no-one left around

Groups 1 turns to face audience and sings:
To say some-thing, to say some-thing...

Groups turn and join in one after the other
To say some-thing, to say some-thing...

Everybody shouts

To do something