"But Rokhl," as no one's been asking me, "where's the English translation?"
So, for my own pleasure, if not yours, here's a link to the full studio version of Yiddish Gangnam Style with English translation for the Yiddish lyrics.
Also, these kids (Avrumy Kalisch and Tuli Brull) are adorable and they know how to get a party going. If you're getting married soon and were wondering about how you'd get your own personalized Yiddish wedding pop song, I think you've found your answer.
Lyrics composed and sung by
Avrumy Kalisch & Tuli Brull
פאר א געלאסענע חתונה
(For a beautiful wedding)
יעדער נעמט זיך צוזאםען
(Everyone come together)
סיז גיט חבורים עריבום
(Friends and witnesses)
צוזאמען איינס נאך אנאם
(Everyone, one after another)
פון אלע עקען פון שטאט
(From every corner of the city)
זענען מענטשען יעצט דא
(We're all here now)
So let's welcome khoson kale now
אזא הערליכע נאכט
(Such a magnificent night)
גארנישט קומט נישט דא צו
(Nothing compares to it)
ווען בכל כח טאנצט מען הויעך
(Dance with all you've got)
מיט שרי אין אלי
(With Suri and Eli (khosn kale)
סאיז א זיכערע זאך
(It's a sure thing)
אז מען ברענגט אראפ די דאך
(We're going to bring down the roof)
So everybody on the floor now
שמחה טוט גלאנצען
(Such a beautiful simkhe)
אינז גיי מיר טאנצען
(We're gonna dance)
לאמיר גיין
(Let's go)
מען גייט אנפאנגען
(We're gonna start)
טאנצען גאנגעם
(Dancing Gangnam!)
So let's go
Put your hands up in the air and gimme more
Woopaa Lenno Style
Hey, Suri Eli ....
Put your hands up
If you're sure that you want more
No, it's not enough
Pour some wine, another cup
Let it all out
Let's hear everyone shout
When we're dancing on the dance floor
Tonight no expectations
There's no rules, no regulations
Everybody just keep patient cause there's a party in the nation
We'll stop thinking we'll stop blinking w'ell be drinking
Ya we'll all be screaming 'gimme more'
יעצט אביסעל ערענסט
(Now, let's get a little serious)
פאר א סקאנדע לאמיר ווערען
(Just for a moment)
טי מיך נאר אויס הערען
(Listen to what I have to say)
ווען איך גיי א ברכה שערען
(I'm gonna share a brukhe)
אייביק אין א יעדע צייט
(Always, in every moment)
זאלסטי נאר וויסען פון פרייד
(You should only know from joy)
יעצט שרייטס אלע ער גייט נאר גייט
(And now, there he goes!)
(Note about English lyrics: Please don't complain about inexact translations. Pop songs rely more on the logic of rhyme than meaning. What rhymes in one language doesn't always make sense in another.)
(English translation by ani ha-koten with help from Gedalya Gottdenger)
Only problem is that is should be גאנגנעם, not גאנגעם.
ReplyDeleteI hear you. I'm working with the Yiddish text as written by the authors. I think the point was to rhyme 'גאנגעם מיט 'אנפאנגען. Or it could have been a typo. Hard to say...
ReplyDeleteNative Yiddish speaker here. Some major translation mistakes, and some minor. Below are my corrections. (Okay: I'll leave the last part of the song out, as the translation at least captures the meaning if not the translation.) Sorry for being anal. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteגעלאסענע means smooth, flawless or seamless.
נעמט זיך is present-tense = comes together.
זענען מענטשען יעצט דא = are people now here.
ווען בכל כח טאנצט מען הויעך = when with all energy we dance high.
אז מען ברענגט אראפ די דאך = that we're bringing down the roof (present-tense)
שמחה טוט גלאנצען = Simcha does shine.
You might be a native Yiddish speaker, but a native English speaker you are not (nor am I, full disclaimer). Even in my non-expert opinion, however, your translation choices don't really make sense, lemoshl: "Simcha does shine"--- huh? "are people now here"-- wha? Also, the use of present tense here in English, I'm pretty sure, doesn't sound right here, not for a pop song, at least. Good translation, I would say, often requires a keener sense of the target language than the one from which you're translating. I appreciate the effort and the help, but Rokhl, even with her admittedly imperfect Yiddish, nailed this. Literal translation, loy aleynu, is what Google Translate for.
ReplyDeleteMisha, I speak English fluently. I think it's important to know the difference between translation and interpretation. In any case, I don't think there's anything wrong with Simcha does shine. Although I suppose you could say Simcha shines. Also, you're right: I should have said "people are now here."
Delete