Ich wünschte es wär' Schnee von gestern
I wish it was a thing of the past – "Schnee von gestern" by KOE KOMOY
It’s been a sunnier winter here in southern Germany than I remember experiencing for quite some time, and small signs of spring are even starting to appear here and there. However, parts of Norddeutschland have seen extreme cold weather and large amounts of snowfall over the past week, with more expected in the days ahead.
Like many in the northern hemisphere, most Germans are likely tired of winter weather by this point and wish the cold season was already a thing of the past, or Schnee von gestern. “Schnee von gestern” (tomorrow’s snow) is a German expression which refers to something which is now vorbei (over) or in the past, as relevant to today as yesterday’s snow – which has presumably already melted. The idiom conveys roughly the same meaning as the English phrase “water under the bridge”.
The idea of wishing something could be left behind in the past is beautifully expressed in the piano ballad “Schnee von gestern” from KOE KOMOY, a Germany-based musician whose catalog includes music in German, English, and Japanese. The song describes a chance encounter with a former romantic flame, where the singer wishes her feelings could be a thing of the past – but her heart can’t seem to let go, even after many years. The song’s gentle opening notes even evoke the image of lightly falling snow:
Leise rieselt der Schnee
The snow flutters quietly
Auf die laute Straße
On the noisy street
Als ich dich auf einmal seh
When I suddenly see you
Und meine Bahn verpasse
And miss my trainHey, wie lange ist das jetzt her?
Hey, how long ago was that?
10 Jahre? Vielleicht mehr
10 years? Maybe more
Und alles kommt wieder hoch
And it all comes flooding back
Als wär's gestern gewesen
As if it was yesterday
Wo ist die Zeit bloß geblieben?
Where has the time gone?
Bin immer noch so geflasht von dir
I'm still so thrilled by youIch glaub du weißt das eh
I think you know it
Auch wenn ich wünschte es wär'
Even if I wish it was
Schnee von gestern
Yesterday's snow
Schnee von gestern
Yesterday's snow
Manchmal tut's weh
Sometimes it hurts
Und ich wünschte es wär'
And I wish it was
Schnee von gestern
Yesterday's snowFull song lyrics available via the Youtube video description »
Another fun music and language tidbit: German indie pop singer jaschu has cleverly turned the “Schnee von gestern” idiom on its head with his latest release “Schnee von morgen” ("tomorrow’s snow), a song which describes a protagonist living only in the moment, without a care for what the future will bring.
Are you currently experiencing winter weather in your corner of the world?
Liebe Grüße und bleibt warm! ❄️
Jessica
P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please consider clicking “like” and/or sharing it with someone else who may be interested in German music, language, and culture! Ganz lieben Dank!
From the Sprachmelodie Archives 🎵
For more creative descriptions of snow and other weather, check out "Wir drehen uns im Kreis" by Lina Maly and Moritz Krämer, as well as the children’s song "Ich lieb den Frühling". For more examples of German idioms expressed through music, click here.
Discover more German Music and Language
Check out Sprachmelodie's Spotify and Youtube accounts for playlists of all songs featured so far on the blog.
The origin is Middle French https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballade_des_dames_du_temps_jadis "This was translated into English by Dante Gabriel Rossetti as "Where are the snows of yesteryear?",[3] for which he popularized the word "yesteryear" to translate Villon's antan.[4] The French word was used in its original sense of "last year", although both antan and the English yesteryear have now taken on a wider meaning of "years gone by". The phrase has also been translated as "But where are last year's snows?".[5]"
This enty also mentions Joseph Heller's "Catch-22", in which the protagonist witnesses his bomber crewmate Snowden dying, and "...asks 'Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?' in both French and English."
The phrase probably entered German through Richard Strauss and Berthold Brecht's works.