Crocodile Gena's Birthday Song
The Soviet animation classic "Gena the Crocodile" («Крокоди́л Ге́на» 1969) featured an accordian-playing crocodile whose tune about celebrating on a dreary, rainy day quickly became THE birthday song for the Russian-speaking world. When East-German Liedermacher Gerhard Schöne made a collection of "Children's Songs from Around the World" (Kinderlieder aus aller Welt, 1987), it was an obvious choice from the Russian friends to the East.
Crocodile Gena sings in Russian
Gerhard Schöne sings in German
Translation in Action
Below, you can see what Gerhard Schöne changed and what he preserved to make his translation singable in German.
Colors indicates rhymes in source text.
Original Version
(as sung by Crocodile Gena)
Пусть бегут неуклюже
Пешеходы по лужам,
А вода — по асфальту рекой.
И не ясно прохожим
В этот день непогожий,
Почему я веселый такой.
Припев:
Я играю на гармошке
У прохожих на виду...
К сожаленью, день рожденья
Только раз в году.
Прилетит вдруг волшебник
В голубом вертолете
И бесплатно покажет кино.
С днем рожденья поздравит
И, наверно, оставит
Мне в подарок пятьсот «эскимо».
Translation of Russian
Let the pedestrians run clumsily
over the puddles
and the water becomes a river over the asphalt
And it's not clear to passers-by
on this foul-weather day
why I am so merry
Chorus:
I am playing on my accordion
in plain sight of passers-by
unfortunately a birthday
is only once a year
A wizard will suddenly come flying
in a blue helicopter
and will show movies for free
He congratulates me on my birthday,
and probably he’ll leave
me as gift five hundred Eskimo Pies.
Gerhard Schöne's
Translation into German
Wie die Fußgänger schimpfen
In den klitschnassen Strümpfen
Denn der Regen rinnt über‘n Asphalt
Was für Augen sie machen
Denn sie sehen mich lachen
An ´nem Tag, der so trübe und kalt
Chorus:
Ich bin so glücklich
Ich spiel für alle
Ziehharmonika, na klar
Denn Geburtstag
Hat man leider
Nur einmal im Jahr
Plötzlich kommt, ungelogen
Ein blaues Flugzeug geflogen
Und ein Zauberer steigt aus, ganz in weiß
Er will mir gratulieren
Ein paar Filme vorführen
Und er schenkt allen Eskimoeis
Translation of German Translation into English
How the pedestrians cuss
In their soaking wet stockings
For the rain runs over the asphalt.
What strange looks they make
When they see me laughing
On a day that’s so dismal and cold.
Chorus:
I’m so happy
I play the accordion
for everyone, sure thing!
Because unfortunately one only has a birthday once a year.
Suddenly, no lie,
a blue airplane comes flying
And a magician steps out, all in white.
He wants to congratulate me,
Show a couple movies, and he gives everyone Eskimo Pies.