A song translation

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Siegel
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Postby Siegel » 2007-09-21, 15:32

It says nothing important, it's about a hot girl he wants to be with but she doesn't want to committ.
^^lol^^

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Postby MMan » 2007-09-21, 23:45

Sandman wrote:Does anyone have afrikaans words for Bok van Blerks song '68 Chevy'? The video is in You Tube and it seems to tell something important. :D I just couldn't understand what!


OK, here are the lyrics as given on the CD liner notes:


Sy ry 'n 1968 ... Chevy,
Sy sê daar's soveel om te sien,
En soos sy weg trek voel my hart ... heavy,
Maar ek kon niks sê dat sy bly,
En al my vriende sê vir my ... Buddy,
'n One night stand is mos nie trou,
Want girls so mooi soos sy gaan nooit ... Steady,
En girls soos sy weet nie van bly,

Toe sê my,
Is jy nog steeds so lief vir my ... Minki,
Soos daal aand op die plaas, ons het so geraas,
Jy't gesê jy wil bly, want jy's klaar gery,
Maar nou is jy so ver my ... Minki,
En ek wag by die kraai, waar die stofpad waai,
Want ek's 'n man wat by jou kan staan,

En elke aand dink ek aan jou Minki,
Dink watter ou voel aan jou lyf,
En al my pêlle sê ek's mal ... Crazy,
Maar ek weef jy dink ook aan my,
En hoe ver gaan jy met daai ou ... Chevy,
En hoeveel moet jou hart nog sien,
En soos die paaie rol en draai ... Minki,
Onthou dar êrens kan jy bly.


Want to translate this one for us?

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Postby Sandman » 2007-09-22, 5:58

Thank you Siegel and MMan.

MMan wrote:Want to translate this one for us?


Well, eh.. :oops: My studies in afrikaans are just in the beginning. But I will try. I haven't got any printed dictionary and therefore I have to use internet online dictionaries.

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Postby MMan » 2007-12-08, 22:59

Hmmm. Not so much interest in this one. Maybe if I kickstart it.

Here's my crack at the first verse:

Sy ry 'n 1968 ... Chevy,

She drives a 1968 Chevy,

Sy sê daar's soveel om te sien,

She says there's so much to be seen,

En soos sy weg trek voel my hart ... heavy,

And as she treks away my heart feels heavy

Maar ek kon niks sê dat sy bly,

But I could say nothing that she remain,

(Literal but awkward English. Or maybe I'm just translating wrong?)

En al my vriende sê vir my ... Buddy,

And all my friends say to me, Buddy,

'n One night stand is mos nie trou,

a one night stand is must not marry

(???)

Want girls so mooi soos sy gaan nooit ... Steady,

Because girls so pretty as she don't go steady

En girls soos sy weet nie van bly,

And girls like her know nothing of staying.



Am I close?

:?:

Not sure what to do with "trek" since it has emotional and historical connotations in Afrikaans it doesn't have in Dutch or English. Not the word one would normally use in English in that situation but I left it as "trek" for that reason.

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Postby Sandman » 2007-12-11, 8:23

OK, I try with the chorus:

Toe sê my,
Tell me now

Is jy nog steeds so lief vir my ... Minki,
Are you still loving me ...Minki

Soos daal aand op die plaas, ons het so geraas,
As the evening on the farm, we shouted it,

Jy't gesê jy wil bly, want jy's klaar gery,
You said you will stay, for you are now gone.

Maar nou is jy so ver van my ... Minki,
But now you are so far away from me.. Minki,

En ek wag by die kraai, waar die stofpad waai,
And I wait by the (bird??), where the dusty clouds blow,

Want ek's 'n man wat by jou kan staan,
Because I am a man that you are able to stay with.

A big part of this was just a guess and also translating into english was difficult because it is also a foreign language for me. Let the native speakers make corrections. :)

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Postby andre » 2007-12-21, 19:06

Hm, very good!!


Sy ry 'n 1968 ... Chevy,

She drives a 1968 Chevy,

Sy sê daar's soveel om te sien,

She says there's so much to be seen,

En soos sy weg trek voel my hart ... heavy,

And as she treks away my heart feels heavy

And as she drives off, my heart feels heavy

Maar ek kon niks sê dat sy bly,

But I could say nothing that she remain,
But I could say nothing to let her stay

(Literal but awkward English. Or maybe I'm just translating wrong?)

En al my vriende sê vir my ... Buddy,

And all my friends say to me, Buddy,

'n One night stand is mos nie trou,

a one night stand is must not marry

(???)

'n one night stand is not marriage

Want girls so mooi soos sy gaan nooit ... Steady,

Because girls so pretty as she don't go steady

En girls soos sy weet nie van bly,

And girls like her know nothing of staying.



Am I close?

:?:

Not sure what to do with "trek" since it has emotional and historical connotations in Afrikaans it doesn't have in Dutch or English. Not the word one would normally use in English in that situation but I left it as "trek" for that reason.


"trek", apart from its emotional and historical meaning, actually simply means "to move". In this specific case, it's "wegtrek", meaning to start a movement, as in starting to walk, to run, to drive. The girl in the song drove off in her car (the Chevy) , hence "wegtrek" - the exact moment when she drives off.

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Postby andre » 2007-12-21, 19:12

Also quite good!

Toe sê my,
Tell me now

Is jy nog steeds so lief vir my ... Minki,
Are you still loving me ...Minki

Soos daal aand op die plaas, ons het so geraas,
As the evening on the farm, we shouted it,

[Like that evening on the farm, we made so much noise

Jy't gesê jy wil bly, want jy's klaar gery,
You said you will stay, for you are now gone.
You said you wanted to stay, because you're finished with drivin (litt. - better translation: finished with travelling)

Maar nou is jy so ver van my ... Minki,
But now you are so far away from me.. Minki,

En ek wag by die kraai, waar die stofpad waai,
And I wait by the (bird??), where the dusty clouds blow,

And I wait by the kraal, where the dusty road is blowing (The "kraai" in the original is a typo, it's actually kraal)

Want ek's 'n man wat by jou kan staan,
Because I am a man that you are able to stay with.

Because I'm a man who can stand by you

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Postby MMan » 2007-12-23, 2:08

andre wrote:'n One night stand is mos nie trou,

a one night stand is must not marry

(???)

'n one night stand is not marriage


What does "mos" mean in this sentence?


"trek", apart from its emotional and historical meaning, actually simply means "to move". In this specific case, it's "wegtrek", meaning to start a movement, as in starting to walk, to run, to drive. The girl in the song drove off in her car (the Chevy) , hence "wegtrek" - the exact moment when she drives off.


So "trek" can be used as a normal word. OK, I wasn't quite sure.

Dankie, Andre!

I guess I'll try to finish:

En elke aand dink ek aan jou Minki,

And each evening I think of you Minki

Dink watter ou voel aan jou lyf,

Thank which old feels on your body

????

En al my pêlle sê ek's mal ... Crazy,

And all my pals say I'm insane ... crazy

Maar ek weef jy dink ook aan my,

But I weave (????) you also think of me

En hoe ver gaan jy met daai ou ... Chevy,

And how far you go with that old ... Chevy

En hoeveel moet jou hart nog sien,

And how much must your heart still see

En soos die paaie rol en draai ... Minki,

And as the roads roll and turn ... Minki

Onthou dat êrens kan jy bly.

Remember that somewhere you can stay

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Postby Sandman » 2007-12-23, 11:49

[quote="MMan]
Maar ek weef jy dink ook aan my,

But I weave (????) you also think of me[/quote]

Should it be weet?
But I know you also think of me? It would make sense.

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Postby Sandman » 2007-12-23, 12:03

andre wrote:
Loiks wrote:Dank je wel, een van de beste lieden van alle tijden!


It's a horrible song. The only reason why it's become popular, is because the words are so simple that it's easy to learn and to sing along. And now some people have given a political colour to it. :x


I respect your opinion about that horrible song but you can't deny the fact that it is a genious song. It has reached it's goal because it is honest. Now people all over the word are interested in "boer-question" and are trying to understand something about it.

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Postby MMan » 2007-12-23, 16:25

Sandman wrote:
MMan wrote:Maar ek weef jy dink ook aan my,

But I weave (????) you also think of me


Should it be weet?
But I know you also think of me? It would make sense.


Yeah, probably right.

Duh. I should have twigged to that.

There are quite a few obvious misprints in the lyrics on the liner notes.

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Postby andre » 2007-12-23, 19:30

MMan wrote:
andre wrote:'n One night stand is mos nie trou,

a one night stand is must not marry

(???)

'n one night stand is not marriage


What does "mos" mean in this sentence?


Difficult to explain. It has no English equivelant that I can think of. It's used rougly (but not totally) in the sense of "after all", for example: Hy is mos nie skaam nie (after all, he's not shy). In the sentence in the song it is used to strenghen the message (a one night stand is, after all, not marriage). It has slipped into SA English as well, and widely used.


"trek", apart from its emotional and historical meaning, actually simply means "to move". In this specific case, it's "wegtrek", meaning to start a movement, as in starting to walk, to run, to drive. The girl in the song drove off in her car (the Chevy) , hence "wegtrek" - the exact moment when she drives off.


So "trek" can be used as a normal word. OK, I wasn't quite sure.

Dankie, Andre!

I guess I'll try to finish:

En elke aand dink ek aan jou Minki,

And each evening I think of you Minki

Dink watter ou voel aan jou lyf,

Thank which old feels on your body

????[b]Thinking which guy is feeling your body[b] "ou" = guy[i]

[i]En al my pêlle sê ek's mal ... Crazy,


And all my pals say I'm insane ... crazy

Maar ek weef jy dink ook aan my,

But I weave (????) you also think of me

[But I know you also think of me[b]weef is a typo there, it should be weet[i]

[i]En hoe ver gaan jy met daai ou ... Chevy,


And how far you go with that old ... Chevy

[b]ou = guy]

En hoeveel moet jou hart nog sien,

And how much must your heart still see

En soos die paaie rol en draai ... Minki,

And as the roads roll and turn ... Minki

Onthou dat êrens kan jy bly.

Remember that somewhere you can stay


Excellent effort! :wink: :D

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Postby andre » 2007-12-23, 19:55

Sandman wrote:
andre wrote:
Loiks wrote:Dank je wel, een van de beste lieden van alle tijden!


It's a horrible song. The only reason why it's become popular, is because the words are so simple that it's easy to learn and to sing along. And now some people have given a political colour to it. :x


I respect your opinion about that horrible song but you can't deny the fact that it is a genious song. It has reached it's goal because it is honest. Now people all over the word are interested in "boer-question" and are trying to understand something about it.


True about the effect it had, but that was never the goal. Not Van Blerk, nor the composer of the song (Sean Else) ever expected it to be a hit, or had any idea that it could have any political effect (by their own admission). They simply never thought of the song of having any special meaning until other people started to give it a political meaning. Van Blerk's CD was originally released, it had a different name. When the song became a hit, the CD was re-released with the song as title song. Honest? Not really, because it was never meant to mean anything. When the song became a political hot potato, Van Blerk hastily tried to disassociate himself from any possible meaning the song could have, after first trying to capitalise on it. It has become a rally song for rightwing extremists. And I really don't think it's a genius song. As for Van Blerk, he's becoming increasingly unpopular due to his obnoxious behaviour at his shows.

But hey, I'm just happy you're listening to Afrikaans music! :D

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Postby MMan » 2007-12-23, 23:33

andre wrote:
MMan wrote:'n One night stand is mos nie trou,

a one night stand is must not marry

(???)

'n one night stand is not marriage

What does "mos" mean in this sentence?


Difficult to explain. It has no English equivelant that I can think of. It's used rougly (but not totally) in the sense of "after all", for example: Hy is mos nie skaam nie (after all, he's not shy). In the sentence in the song it is used to strenghen the message (a one night stand is, after all, not marriage). It has slipped into SA English as well, and widely used.


Hmmm. I'll watch for that. Interesting.


Dink watter ou voel aan jou lyf,

Thank which old feels on your body

????[b]Thinking which guy is feeling your body[b][i] "ou" = guy[i]


Another one to watch for!

andre wrote:Not Van Blerk, nor the composer of the song (Sean Else) ever expected it to be a hit, or had any idea that it could have any political effect (by their own admission). They simply never thought of the song of having any special meaning until other people started to give it a political meaning.


My usual favorite genre of music is Celtic, and "De La Rey" struck me as having all the elements of a great Irish rebel song ...

... except for the "Irish" part!

:lol:

andre wrote:As for Van Blerk, he's becoming increasingly unpopular due to his obnoxious behaviour at his shows.


:(


But hey, I'm just happy you're listening to Afrikaans music! :D


Well, Bok at least. Is there anything else you could recommend? I've seen Ilana May and Steve Hofmeyr on youtube and they didn't excite me that much.

I did see a youtube clip of Bok doing a cover of Koos Kombuis's "Lisa se Klavier".

Meanwhile, anybody up for more Bok? How about "Habana"?

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Postby Sandman » 2007-12-24, 7:10

Here it comes:

HABANA!

Ken jy Habana, Brayn Habana, Gooi nog 'n branna, Op ons Habana, Hy's soos 'n ferrari, Op'n grand prix safari, Hy's 'n Springbok, Wat almal so...

Daar gat Habana, Wie vang Habana, Vat die gap Habana, Die hoek wag Habana,


Die lere se vure, Word geblus deur sy spiere, Leer hulle maniere, Ons Brayn Habana, Aussie die Kiwi, wat skape so kielie, Hy bol net sy kuite, Gaan hom nie weer sien nie.

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Postby MMan » 2007-12-24, 13:46

Sandman wrote:Here it comes:

HABANA!

Ken jy Habana, Brayn Habana, Gooi nog 'n branna, Op ons Habana, Hy's soos 'n ferrari, Op'n grand prix safari, Hy's 'n Springbok, Wat almal so...

Daar gat Habana, Wie vang Habana, Vat die gap Habana, Die hoek wag Habana,


Die lere se vure, Word geblus deur sy spiere, Leer hulle maniere, Ons Brayn Habana, Aussie die Kiwi, wat skape so kielie, Hy bol net sy kuite, Gaan hom nie weer sien nie.


That was the liner-notes transcription. I'm going to try to expand on that based largely on this youtube video, which has Bok and his song after an interview with Bryan Habana:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eewEoDImOQc

There's more there than in the liner-notes transciption, some of which I can barely make anything out of. (Andre or another native speaker, help!)

Ken jy Habana? Bryan Habana, Gooi nog 'n branna,

Do you know Habana? Bryan Habana, toss down another brandy

(???)

(Not sure what Bok grumbles here)


Op ons Habana, Soos 'n Ferrari, Op 'n Grand Prix safari, Ja, hy's 'n Springbok, Wat almal so...??


On our Habana, like a Ferrari, on a Grand Prix safari, yes, he's a Springbok, who always so (??)

(There's another word there - op? )


(Die Springbok jaaa!)


(Is this what Bok's bandmate says?)


Daar gat Habana –na –na!, Wie vang Habana –na –na?, Vat die gap Habana –na –na! Die hoek wag Habana,


There goes Habana! Who catches Habana? Capture the gap, Hababa! (Must be a colloquialism? Breaking through a gap in the defense?) The corner waits Habana (?? - that has to be wrong! Is the word even "hoek"? That's what the liner notes say, but it doesn't sound quite like that's what Bok sings.)


Die lere se vure, Word geblus deur sy spiere, Leer hulle maniere, Ons Bryan Habana, Die Aussie die Kiwi, wat skape so kielie (baaa!) , Hy bol net sy kuite, Gaan hom nie weer sien nie.

(Habana!)

Daar gat Habana –na –na!, Wie vang Habana –na –na?, Vat die gap Habana –na –na! Die hoek wag Habana,


I'll leave this for later.


???????????????????????????????????????????


A whole verse here not on the liner notes. I can't make out much more than "Habana" and "soos" :cry:


(??????????????????????? – sportcaster)


Now Bok makes like a sportscaster! A very nasally one. Can anyone, even a native speaker, make this out?


(Die Springbok jaaa!)

Daar gat Habana –na –na!, Wie vang Habana –na –na?, Vat die gap Habana –na –na! Die hoek wag Habana,

Daar gat Habana –na –na!, Wie vang Habana –na –na?, Vat die gap Habana –na –na! Die hoek wag Habana,

Die hoek wag Habana,

Habana!!!

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Postby andre » 2008-01-02, 10:43

I'll try to find the complete words.

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Postby ed » 2008-01-18, 8:04

hi can you help please give me the lyrics of the song vodka en O.J. and lentebloome by bok van blerk and if possible i'd also appreciate the english translations.

thanks!

ed

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Postby ed » 2008-01-25, 17:58

at last, i found the lyrics for "vodka en OJ"

but can anyone please translate it for me?

here's the text:

Vodka en OJ,
Mayday, Mayday,
More is dit payday,
Vodka en Oj,

Hel man ek laaik dit
Wild soos n bikerit
As ek hom optop
Ja, weet niks van stilsit
Is jy geskei ou pel
Hoekom lyk jy soos die hel
Kan ek jou ma bel die storie te vertel

Ek stamp die cheap brand
(it's stamped with cheap brand?)
Pitte is maar min vanaand
As jy hom vir my koop
Kom sit hier op my skoot
Is jy n hondjietjie
Onder daai make up
(under the make up?)
Gooi my nog O-jay
Dan like ek jou okay

Stamp hom n' toolbox
Screwdriver roep ek hom
Na drie va' hulle, ja
Is ek jou beste chom
Ek skuim nou by die mond
Soos n hond freed pap en grond
Voel nie te goed nie
Ja, hel die maag wil draai.

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Postby Leviwosc » 2008-02-09, 0:55

Future translation requests should be done in the translation forum, not here. I won't move this topic to the translation forum, because this topic also contains a lot of dicussion and explanation, though I'll move other topics where translations are asked.

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