Macheath in "Second Threepenny-Finale"; Act 2, scene 3, p. 67
• Variant translations:
• However much you twist, whatever lies you tell
Food is the first thing, morals follow on.
• Used by the Pet Shop Boys, in "What Keeps Mankind Alive?", Can You Forgive Her (1993 EP)
• Food first, then morality.
• Variant translations:
• However much you twist, whatever lies you tell
Food is the first thing, morals follow on.
• Used by the Pet Shop Boys, in "What Keeps Mankind Alive?", Can You Forgive Her (1993 EP)
• Food first, then morality.
“
You may proclaim, good sirs, your fine philosophy
But till you feed us, right and wrong can wait!
— Bertolt Brecht
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "You may proclaim, good sirs, your fine philosophy
But till you feed us, right and wrong can wait!" in the context of "Macheath in "Second Threepenny-Finale"; Act 2, scene 3, p. 67
• Variant translations:
• However much you twist, whatever lies you tell
Food is the first thing, morals follow on.
• Used by the Pet Shop Boys, in "What Keeps Mankind Alive?", Can You Forgive Her (1993 EP)
• Food first, then morality." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Bertolt Brecht" (Quotes, 1923–1938, The Threepenny Opera (1928): Quotations from Die Dreigroschenoper using primarily the translation by Desmond Vesey and Eric Bentley (1949; 1960) )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), commonly known as Bertolt Brecht, was a German Marxist dramatist, stage director and poet. He is remembered for the Distancing effect practice in performing arts (known in German as Verfremdungseffekt or V-Effekt).
About Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), commonly known as Bertolt Brecht, was a German Marxist dramatist, stage director and poet. He is remembered for the Distancing effect practice in performing arts (known in German as Verfremdungseffekt or V-Effekt).
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