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She Explains That ‘these Hangmen Of The Status Quo Knew That If They ...

She explains that ‘these hangmen of the status quo knew that if they performed publicly they would be harassed by censorship, and so they called themselves a club which played only to invited guests, one night every week' (2004: p. 44). In this way, they were able to perform without interference. A sample of their songs is below:
It looms on high that black block
We judge heartily and pierce.
Blood red heart, blood red frock,
Our fun is always fierce.
Any enemy of the time
Will meet the executioner's axe
Any friends of death and crime,
We'll adorn with song and rhyme.
(qtd. in Appignanesi, 2004: p. 44)
As in the works of Bruant, themes of equality and fairness were commonly found in the songs performed by the Executioners. They were socially conscious and very much aware of the plight of those society held in little regard: the impoverished members of society, those who most needed to be heard but had little chance of having that happen.
Among the most famous of the Executioners was Frank Wedekind. Wedekind's dislike of authority was well established by the time he joined their ranks. He was known for writing spoofs and satires that mocked the hypocritical behaviors of those in power. In addition, he was known to have a strong stage presence, and would give long, raucous performances that would electrify audiences both in their dramatic delivery and their outrageous content. Below is an example of Wedekind's incendiary satires:
I have murdered dear Auntie Alice,
My Auntie so old and so frail.
Motivated by greed and malice
I went straight on the treasure trail.
Her little house was simply seething
With banknotes, with shares and with gold.
I heard my Auntie's heavy breathing
But that left me perfectly cold.
I just followed my intuition
In the dark I opened her door
And knifed her without inhibition
My Auntie sighed and breathed no more.
The golden coins were weighing me down,
Her body was heavy as lead,
But I dragged Auntie without a frown
Through the garden and into the shed.
I have murdered dear Auntie Alice,
My Auntie so old and so frail.
I'm young, so young, yet out of malice
They've sentenced me to life-long jail.
(qtd. in Appiganesi, 2004: p. 49)
The harsh irony and abrasive boldness of this and other ballad-type songs were one of Wedekind's trademarks, and it was not long before he extended this into parody. Nothing was considered sacred; he even wrote a parody of the national anthem, Deutschland, Deutschland über alles. In this case, however, he published the piece under a pseudonym.
In actuality, the span of time the Eleven Executioners were together as a group was not very long. However, the impact they had was huge. The group had all but disbanded by 1903. Yet, during that time, they were able to bring their message to all parts of the country, and they were considered instrumental in spreading cabaret itself.

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