Dabei war'n dort
However, there were
Language note: 'war'n' is a contraction of 'waren', the past tense of 'sein'.
Culture note: Surprises and twists in storytelling were memorable elements of songs from this era.
Context: Looking at photographs, they see the horizon. ‘There was something else out there, at the edge of sight.’
Word-by-Word Breakdown
Dabei
[dah-bai]
yet
Used to indicate contrast or contradiction.
Dabei war es schon spät.
And yet it was already late.
war'n
[var-n]
were
Contraction of 'waren'; past tense of the verb 'to be'.
Sie war'n nicht da.
They were not there.
dort
[dohrt]
there
At that location or place.
Dort ist ein Baum.
There is a tree.
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