Jaromír Vejvoda

Škoda lásky (wasted or unrequited love), composed in 1928, is Jaromír Vejvoda's most famous melody. He was born March 28, 1902, and died November 13, 1988, in Zbraslav, Czechoslovakia. He belonged to the third generation of the Vejvoda musical and bandmastering family. In German the song is known as Rosamunde, in English as The Beer Barrel Polka, or Roll Out the Barrels. It was sung and loved throughout all the Second World War. But only few of those who sang it knew that it was actually composed by a Czech musician from Zbraslav. The song has been translated into 15 languages.

The Beer Barrel Polka

There's a garden, what a garden
Only happy faces bloom there
And there's never any room there
For a worry or a gloom there

Oh there's music and there's dancing
And a lot of sweet romancing
When they play the polka
They all get in the swing

Every time they hear that com-pa-pa
Everybody feels so tra-la-la
They want to throw their cares away
They all go lah-de-ah-de-ay

Then they hear a rumble on the floor, the floor
It's the big surprise they're waiting for
And all the couples form a ring
For miles around you'll hear them sing

Roll out the barrel, we'll have a barrel of fun
Roll out the barrel, we've got the blues on the run
Zing boom tararrel, ring out a song of good cheer
Now's the time to roll the barrel, for the gang's all here

Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

Then they hear a rumble on the floor-or-or-or
It's the big surprise they're waiting for
And all the couples they form a ring
For miles around you'll hear them sing

Drree mopado theedo da-da-da-da

Roll it out, roll it out, roll out the barrel
Da-da-da da-da da-da da-da-da-da-da
Sing a song of good cheer
'Cause the whole gang is here
Roll it out, roll it out
Let's do the beer barrel polka