I was always impressed with the "99" rewrite -- though until now, I always assumed it was a direct translation and was stunned at how smoothly they enacted a few rhymes. Still a great tune in either language.
You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
Til one by one, they were gone
Back at base bugs in the software
Flash the message, something's out there
Floating in the summer sky
99 red balloons go by
99 red balloons
Floating in the summer sky
Panic bells it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
Where 99 red balloons go by
99 Decision street
99 ministers meet
To worry, worry, super scurry
Call the troops out in a hurry
This is what we've waited for
This is it boys, this is war
The president is on the line
As 99 red balloons go by
99 knights of the air
Ride super high tech jet fighters
Everyone's a super hero
Everyone's a Captain Kirk
With orders to identify
To clarify, and classify
Scramble in the summer sky
99 red balloons go by
99 dreams I have had
In every one a red balloon
It's all over and I'm standing pretty
In this dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here
And here is a red balloon
Just to prove the world was here
And here is a red balloon
I think of you, and let it go
My German is very limited, but here are some of the main divergences
Hast Du etwas Zeit fuer mich (do you have some time for me)
Dann singe ich ein Lied fuer Dich (then I will sing a song for you)
Von 99 Luftballons (of 99 air ballons)
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont (on their way to the horizon)
Denkst Du vielleicht grad' an mich (do you suppose [something] on me?)
Dann singe ich ein Lied fuer Dich (then I will sing a song for you)
Von 99 Luftballons (of 99 air ballons)
Und dass sowas von sowas kommt (and that which happened...nothing about toy shops, in fact the story hasn't even begun yet)
99 Luftballons (99 air ballons)
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont (on their way to the horizon)
Hielt man fuer UFOs aus dem All
Darum schickte ein General
'ne Fliegerstaffel hinterher
Alarm zu geben, wenn's so waer (not too sure, but something like one general thinks they are UFO's and he alert his flightstaff)
Dabei war'n da am Horizont (but on the horizon is)
Nur 99 Luftballons (only 99 air ballons)
99 Duesenflieger
Jeder war ein grosser Krieger
Hielten sich fuer Captain Kirk
Das gab ein grosses Feuerwerk
Die Nachbarn haben nichts gerafft
Und fuehlten sich gleich angemacht
Dabei schoss man am Horizont
Auf 99 Luftballons
99 Kriegsminister
Streichholz und Benzinkanister
Hielten sich fuer schlaue Leute
Witterten schon fette Beute
Riefen: Krieg und wollten Macht
Mann, wer haette das gedacht
Dass es einmal soweit kommt
Wegen 99 Luftballons (again my German is limited, but these two verses are basically an expansion of the penultimate verse above, the fighting of the war, featuring '99 jet fighters' and then '99 War ministers', concluding with 'and that's what happened because of 99 air balloons')
99 Jahre Krieg (99 year war)
Liessen keinen Platz fuer Sieger (there is no place for the Victorious)
Kriegsminister gibt's nicht mehr (there are no more War ministers)
Und auch keine Duesenflieger (and also no more jetfighters)
Heute zieh ich meine Runden (now I'm making my rounds)
Seh' die Welt in Truemmern liegen (I see the world lying in ruins)
Hab' 'nen Luftballon gefunden (I have found an air balloon)
Denk' an Dich und lass' ihn fliegen (I think on you and let it fly)
