Цмок ды Арол [Tsmok dy Arol] [English translation]

Once again I celebrated Ivan Kupala's Day1

Near the Belaruski Train Station

Velikaya Gruzinskaya, Butyrski Val2

Looking for the flower of a fern3 at night

Where is my mother, where is my Zelya?

I was a Bazyl and became a Yamel.4

I'm walking the world like a mangy dog

And my ill father is waiting in Minsk.

White clouds, black angel!

Two sworn enemies - the dragon and the eagle!5

White clouds, black angel!

Two sworn enemies - the dragon and the eagle!

Some oaf angered a nobleman from Shklov

Born Belarusian, he became a gypsy

So ride the world on a "Stork" bicycle6

Christmas puppet theater, tell us the mystery.

Where is my Paulik?7 Where is my Olga?8

Busker, play the Wandering Polka!

Wore down my shoes, wore out my clothes

Come back to your homeland, scoundrel Syarozha!9

White clouds, black angel!

Two sworn enemies - the dragon and the eagle!

White clouds, black angel!

Two sworn enemies - the dragon and the eagle!

1. A Slavic holiday that originated as a pagan holiday "Kupala", dedicated to the namesake goddess of sun, but became associated with John the Baptist after the introduction of Christianity. Which is very appropriate, since "купала" is an archaic word for "bather".2. Streets and places in Moscow.3. There's a superstition that ferns blossom on Ivan Kupala's Day, and whoever finds a flowering fern will be granted supernatural powers by the gods. The catch is that in reality, ferns don't have flowers, instead using spores to reproduce.4. Bazyl is the Belarusian form of Basil/Vasily, a common name in the Slavic countries, and Yamel is the Belarusian form of Emil. The latter here is also a reference to Yemelya, a hero of the Russian folklore not unlike Jack from the English fairy tales, who caught a magic pike fish and rode on a stove with the help of said pike... among other things.5. The national symbols of Belarus and Russia respectively. Among other countries.6. A Belarusian bicycle model.7. Belarusian diminutive of Paul, also the name of the frontman's son.8. Apparently the frontman's mother.9. Belarusian diminutive of Serge, as well as the frontman's name.

• Artist:Lyapis Trubetskoy
• Album:Рабкор (2012)