Talk:Leck mich im Arsch/Proposed Compromise



Leck mich im Arsch is a canon in B-flat major composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 231 (K382c), with lyrics in German. It was one of a set of at least six canons probably written in Vienna in 1782. Sung by six voices as a three-part round, it is thought to be a party piece for his friends. An alternative theory holds that Mozart was actually a time-traveling Internet troll, and created the piece primarily to set up a revert war on the modern English Wikipedia.

English translation
A literal translation of the song's title and lyrics into American English would be "Lick me in the ass," while in British English it would be "Lick me in the arse." The correct idiomatic translation in American English is "Kiss my ass" or "Screw you," while in British English it is "Kiss my arse," or "Get stuffed". The scatological title and lyrics have been used as evidence to support the contention that Mozart had Tourette syndrome, although that conjecture is not widely supported by medical professionals.

Publication and modern discovery
Mozart died in 1791. His widow, Constanze Mozart, sent the manuscripts of the canons to publishers Breitkopf & Härtel in 1799, saying that they would need to be adapted for publication. The publisher changed the title and lyrics of this canon to the more acceptable "Laßt froh uns sein" ("Let us be glad!"), similar to the traditional German Christmas carol, "Lasst uns froh und munter sein".

The original, unbowdlerized manuscript was discovered in 1991 at Harvard University's music library. The previous summer, the library had acquired a 17-volume edition of Mozart works. Included in those volumes were nine original Mozart canons, of which six were signed by Mozart, including K231, and another Mozart work, "Leck mir den Arsch fein recht schön sauber" (American: "Lick my ass nice and clean"/British: "Lick my arse nice and clean", K233; K382d in the revised numbering). All were presumed to be authentic. Later research has indicated that the latter composition is probably the work of Wenzel Trnka (1739-1791).

Alternative lyrics
The Complete Mozart edition by Brilliant has the following lyrics printed and sung:

British Alternative Lyrics
This is a clear allusion to the line ''... er kann mich im Arsche lecken!'' in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's drama Götz von Berlichingen; the quote is also mentioned in the article on the historical figure Götz von Berlichingen.

Mozart erred slightly with his source: the line occurs in the third act.