Ten German Bombers
Encyclopedia
Ten German Bombers was originally a song sung by English
school children during World War II
. It uses the same tune as 'She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain'
though its verse and chorus follow the format of the song 'Ten Green Bottles'
however since 2000 has been a song commonly sung by football fans, lower social class status people and more commonly the EDL (English Defence League) as a racial slur against Germans and Asians. The song is commonly sung by members of the EDL and White Racists to mimic and mock third class countries such as India, Pakistani, Africa, Germany, Jamaica and other countries:
These verses are then repeated with one more bomber being shot down, until there are none left implying that people of colour deserve to be shot down due to their ethnicity. (In the penultimate verses it is changed to "There was" and "shot it down") it can be clearly heard and understand how this is racially offensive to anyone who isn't of white colour.The final verses of the song are:
(on some occasions, 'air' is replaced with 'war')
fans and EDL followers at matches against Germany
. It is typically accompanied by horizontally outstretched arms and a gentle swaying motion, as if to mimic an aircraft in flight and the racial slurs of the EDL song which is exactly the same.
Such behaviour has been deemed to be racially offensive by the Football Association
, and the former English manager Sven-Göran Eriksson
asked fans to refrain from it at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
in Germany
. Television commercials starring David Beckham
, Michael Owen
, and Wayne Rooney
requesting the same were also planned. Similar issues attended the football song Two World Wars and One World Cup.
These moves have been criticized by some elements of the British press. Tony Parsons
, writing in The Daily Mirror
, has stated:
During the 2006 World Cup the anti-German German musician Torsun (half of the group Egotronic
) recorded a techno cover of the song. The song and its accompanying YouTube video (featuring footage of German planes being shot down, the Wembley goal, a burning German flag, etc.) attracted media attention in Germany, as well as from the British tabloid News of the World
. The song was eventually included in the World Cup themed compilation Weltmeister Hits 2006.
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
school children during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It uses the same tune as 'She'll Be Coming 'Round The Mountain'
She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain
"She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" is an American folk song often categorized as children's music. It is a derivation of a Negro spiritual known as "When the Chariot Comes"....
though its verse and chorus follow the format of the song 'Ten Green Bottles'
Ten Green Bottles
Ten Green Bottles is a song for children that is popular in the United Kingdom. In essence the song is a single verse repeated, each time with one bottle fewer:...
however since 2000 has been a song commonly sung by football fans, lower social class status people and more commonly the EDL (English Defence League) as a racial slur against Germans and Asians. The song is commonly sung by members of the EDL and White Racists to mimic and mock third class countries such as India, Pakistani, Africa, Germany, Jamaica and other countries:
- There were ten German bombers in the air,
- There were ten German bombers in the air,
- There were ten German bombers, Ten German bombers,
- There were ten German bombers in the air,
- And the RAFRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
from Britain shot one down, - And the RAF from Britain shot one down,
- And the RAF from Britain, The RAF from Britain,
- And the RAF from Britain shot one down,
These verses are then repeated with one more bomber being shot down, until there are none left implying that people of colour deserve to be shot down due to their ethnicity. (In the penultimate verses it is changed to "There was" and "shot it down") it can be clearly heard and understand how this is racially offensive to anyone who isn't of white colour.The final verses of the song are:
- There were no German bombers in the air,
- There were no German bombers in the air,
- There were no German bombers, No German bombers,
- There were no German bombers in the air,
- Cos the RAF from Britain shot them down,
- Cos the RAF from Britain shot them down,
- Cos the RAF from Britain, The RAF from Britain,
- Cos the RAF from Britain shot them down.
(on some occasions, 'air' is replaced with 'war')
In football
In recent years the song has been sung by English footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
fans and EDL followers at matches against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. It is typically accompanied by horizontally outstretched arms and a gentle swaying motion, as if to mimic an aircraft in flight and the racial slurs of the EDL song which is exactly the same.
Such behaviour has been deemed to be racially offensive by the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
, and the former English manager Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
asked fans to refrain from it at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Television commercials starring David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
, Michael Owen
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United.The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997...
, and Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
requesting the same were also planned. Similar issues attended the football song Two World Wars and One World Cup.
These moves have been criticized by some elements of the British press. Tony Parsons
Tony Parsons (British journalist)
Tony Parsons is a British journalist broadcaster and author. He began his career as a music journalist on the NME, writing about punk music. Later, he wrote for The Daily Telegraph, before going on to write his current column for the Daily Mirror...
, writing in The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror
The Daily Mirror is a British national daily tabloid newspaper which was founded in 1903. Twice in its history, from 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was changed to read simply The Mirror, which is how the paper is often referred to in popular parlance. It had an...
, has stated:
- "Less than a lifetime ago the Germans inflicted untold misery on the world. If English football fans choose to deal with that a mere 60 years later by holding their arms out and pretending to be Lancaster bombers, I would suggest that the Germans are getting off quite lightly."
During the 2006 World Cup the anti-German German musician Torsun (half of the group Egotronic
Egotronic
Egotronic is a German Electropunk band from Berlin formed in 2000. It is well-known for its ultra-left political views.-Band history:After a couple of projects released through self-publishing, Egotronic joined the Hamburg record label Audiolith Records in 2005, whereon their first single Nein...
) recorded a techno cover of the song. The song and its accompanying YouTube video (featuring footage of German planes being shot down, the Wembley goal, a burning German flag, etc.) attracted media attention in Germany, as well as from the British tabloid News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
. The song was eventually included in the World Cup themed compilation Weltmeister Hits 2006.
Alternatives
There are songs that use the same tune with different words. For example, teams playing against Welsh teams use the words "10 sheep shaggers" and "And the farmers of England shot one down". It is also san to "10 northern monkeys" against teams in the North. Northern Ireland supporters also sing the song replacing England with Ulster, this song is usually followed by the Dambusters MarchDambusters March
The Dambusters March is Eric Coates' theme for the 1955 film The Dam Busters.-Origination:The composer's son Austin Coates recounted in a radio interview for the BBC that the march was not actually written for the film and had in fact been completed a few days before he was contacted by the producers...
.
External links
- Offside, 23 March by Duleep Allirajah