It’s true that all the men you knew were dealers
who said they were through with dealing
Every time you gave them shelter
I know that kind of man
It’s hard to hold the hand of anyone
who is reaching for the sky just to surrender
who is reaching for the sky just to surrender

And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
you find he did not leave you very much not even laughter
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
that is so high and wild
he’ll never need to deal another
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger

And then leaning on your window sill
he’ll say one day you caused his will
to weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
And then taking from his wallet
an old schedule of trains, he’ll say
I told you when I came I was a stranger
I told you when I came I was a stranger

But now another stranger seems
to want you to ignore his dreams
as though they were the burden of some other
O you’ve seen that man before
his golden arm dispatching cards
but now it’s rusted from the elbows to the finger
And he wants to trade the game he plays for shelter
Yes he wants to trade the game he knows for shelter

Ah you hate to watch another tired man
lay down his hand
like he was giving up the holy game of poker
And while he talks his dreams to sleep
you notice there’s a highway
that is curling up like smoke above his shoulder
it’s curling just like smoke beneath his shoulder

You tell him to come in sit down
but something makes you turn around
The door is open you can’t close your shelter
You try the handle of the road
It opens do not be afraid
It’s you my love, you who are the stranger
It’s you my love, you who are the stranger

Well, I’ve been waiting, I was sure
we’d meet between the trains we’re waiting for
I think it’s time to board another
Please understand, I never had a secret chart
to get me to the heart of this
or any other matter
When he talks like this
you don’t know what he’s after
When he speaks like this,
you don’t know what he’s after

“Let’s meet tomorrow if you choose
upon the shore, beneath the bridge
that they are building on some endless river”
Then he leaves the platform
for the sleeping car that’s warm
You realize, he’s only advertising one more shelter
And it comes to you, he never was a stranger
And you say: “ok the bridge or someplace later”

And then sweeping up the jokers that he left behind
you find he did not leave you very much not even laughter
Like any dealer he was watching for the card
that is so high and wild
he’ll never need to deal another
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger
He was just some Joseph looking for a manger

And then leaning on your window sill
he’ll say one day you caused his will
to weaken with your love and warmth and shelter
And then taking from his wallet
an old schedule of trains, he’ll say
I told you when I came I was a stranger
I told you when I came I was a stranger

Prevod na srpski

Pesma stranca

Istina je da su svi muškarci koje si znala bili dileri
koji bi rekli da su završili sa dilovanjem
svaki put kad bi im dala utočište
Znam takvu sortu
Teško je držati ruku bilo koga
ko poseže za nebom samo da se preda
ko poseže za nebom samo da se preda

I onda čišteći džokere koje je ostavio za sobom
shvatiš da ti nije ostavio mnogo, čak ni smeh
Kao svaki diler on je tražio kartu koja je tako visoka i divlja
da nikad ne mora da deli drugu
On je bio samo neki Jozef u potrazi za jaslama
On je bio samo neki Jozef u potrazi za jaslama

I onda prislanjajući se na prag tvog prozora
rećiće da si jednog dana uzrokovala njegovu volju
da oslabi tvojom ljubavlju, toplotom i utočištem
I onda uzimajući iz svog novčanika
stari red vožnje vozova, rećiće
Rekao sam ti kad sam došao da sam stranac
Rekao sam ti kad sam došao da sam stranac

Ali sada izgleda da jedan drugi stranac
želi da zanemariš njegove snove
kao da su teret nekog drugog
O, već si videla tog čoveka
njegova zlatna ruka otprema karte
ali ona je sad zarđala od lakta do prsta
i on želi da menja igru koju igra za utočište
da, on želi da menja igru koju zna za utočište

O, ti mržiš da vidiš još jednog umornog čoveka
kako polaže svoju ruku
kao da odustaje od svete igre pokera
i dok govori svoje snove pred spavanje
primetiš autoput
koji se uvija kao dim iznad njegovog ramena
uvija se kao dim iznad njegovog ramena

Kažeš mu da priđe i sedne
ali nešto te tera da se okreneš
Vrata su otvorena, ne možeš da zatvoriš svoje utočište
Probaš ručicu puta
Otvara se, ne plaši se
Ti si ta, ljubavi, koja je stranac
Ti si ta, ljubavi, koja je stranac

Pa, ja sam čekao, bio sam siguran
da ćemo se sresti između vozova koje smo čekali
Mislim da je vreme da se ukrcamo na drugi
Molim te shvati, nikad nisam imao tajnu mapu
da me dovede do srca ove
ili bilo koje druge stvari
Kad ovako priča
ne znaš šta smera
Kad ovako govori
ne znaš šta smera

„Hajde da se sastanemo sutra ako može
na obali, ispod mosta
koji grade na nekoj nepreglednoj reci“
Onda napusti peron
za spavaći voz koji je topao
Ti shvatiš, on samo oglašava još jedno utočište
i sine ti, on nikad nije ni bio stranac
i kažeš: „u redu, most ili negde kasnije“

I onda čišteći džokere koje je ostavio za sobom
shvatiš da ti nije ostavio mnogo, čak ni smeh
Kao svaki diler on je tražio kartu koja je tako visoka i divlja
da nikad ne mora da deli drugu
On je bio samo neki Josef u potrazi za jaslama
On je bio samo neki Josef u potrazi za jaslama

I onda prislanjajući se na prag tvog prozora
rećiće da si jednog dana uzrokovala njegovu volju
da oslabi tvojom ljubavlju, toplotom i utočištem
I onda uzimajući iz svog novčanika
stari red vožnje vozova, rećiće
Rekao sam ti kad sam došao da sam stranac
Rekao sam ti kad sam došao da sam stranac

The post Leonard Cohen – The Stranger Song first appeared on LyricsTranslations.

Last time I saw Richard was Detroit in 68
And he told me: “All romantics meet the same fate
Someday, cynical and bitter and boring someone
In some dark cafe”
“You laugh”, he said, “you think you’re immune,
Go look at your eyes
They’re full of moon
You like roses and kisses and pretty men to tell you
All those pretty lies, pretty lies
When you gonna realize they’re only pretty lies
Only pretty lies, pretty lies”

He put a quarter in the wurlitzer, and he pushed
Three buttons and the thing began to whirl
And a waitress came by a fishnet stockings and a bow tie
And she said: “Drink up now, it’s getting on time to close”
“Richard, you haven’t really changed”, I said
“It’s just that now you’re romanticizing some pain that’s in your head
You’ve got tombs in your in your eyes, but the songs you punched are dreaming
Listen, they talk of love so sweet
When you gonna get yourself back on your feet?
Oh and love can be so sweet, love so sweet”

Richard got married to a figure skater
And he bought her a dish washer and a coffe percolator
And he drinks at home now most night with the TV on
And all the house lights left up bright
I’m gonna blow this damn candle out
I don’t want nobody comin’over to my table
I’ve got nothing to talk to anybody about
All good dreamers passes this away someday
Hidin’ behind bottles in dark cafes
Dark cafes
Only this darkness before
I get my gorgeous wings
And fly away
Only a phase, these dark cafe days

Prevod na srpski

Poslednji put kad sam videla Ričarda

Ričarda sam poslednji put videla u Detroitu, ’68.
i rekao mi je: „Sve romantične duše prođu isto na kraju
Cinični, pijani dosadnjaković u nekom mračnom kafeu“
„Smeješ se“, rekao je, „misliš da si imuna
Pogledaj si oči, pune su meseca
Voliš ruže, poljupce i lepe muškarce da ti govore
Sve te lepe laži, lepe laži
Kad ćeš da shvatiš da su one samo lepe laži
Samo lepe laži, tek lepe laži“

Stavio je četvrt dolara u džuboks, pritisnuo
tri dugmeta i stvar je počela da zuji
A konobarica je došla u ribljomrežastim čarapama i leptir mašni
i rekla „Brzo ispijte, sad treba da se zatvori“
„Ričarde, nisi se nešto promenio“, rekla sam
„Samo sad romantizuješ neku bol koja je u tvojoj glavi
Imaš grobove u očima, ali pesme koje si uključio sanjare
Slušaj, pevaju o ljubavi tako slatko, tako slatko
Kad ćeš ponovo stati na svoje noge?
Oh ljubav može biti tako slatka, tako slatka“

Ričard se oženio umetničkom klizačicom
i kupio joj je mašinu za suđe i kafe-aparat
i sad većinu noći pije kod kuće s upaljenim TV-om
i svim kućnim svetlima ostavljenim da rade
Izduvaću ovu prokletu sveću
Ne želim da mi iko dolazi za sto
Nemam ja šta ni sa kim da pričam
Svi dobri sanjari prođu ovako na kraju
Skrivajući se iza flaša u mračnim kafeima, mračnim kafeima
Samo tamna čaura pre nego dobijem svoja divna krila i odlepršam
Samo faza, ovi dani mračnih kafea

The post Joni Mitchell – The Last Time I Saw Richard first appeared on LyricsTranslations.

What I dream I had, dressed in organdy
Clothed in crinoline, of smoky Burgundy
Softer than the rain

I wandered empty streets, down past the shop displays
I heard cathedral bells, tripping down the alley ways
As I walked on

And when you ran to me your cheeks flushed with the night
We walked on frosted fields of juniper and lamplight
I held your hand

And when I awoke and felt you warm and near
I kissed your honey hair with my grateful tears
Oh I love you, girl
Oh, I love you

Prevod na srpski

Za Emili, kadgod je nađem

Kakav san sam imao
stegnuta u organdin
obučena u krinolinu dimne bordo
mekša od kiše

Lutao sam praznim ulicama
uzduž pored dućanskih izloga
Čuo sam katedralska zvona
Spotičući se niz uličice
dok sam hodao

A kad si potrčala do mene
obrazi su ti se zarumenili s noću
Šetali smo mraznim poljima kleke i lampne svetlosti
Držao sam te za ruku

A kad sam se probudio i osetio te toplu i blizu
Poljubio sam tvoju mednu kosu sa svojim zahvalnim suzama
O, volim te, devojko
O, kako te volim

The post Simon & Garfunkel – For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her first appeared on LyricsTranslations.

It’s a still life water color
of a now late afternoon
as the sun shines through the curtain lace
and shadows wash the room
And we sit and drink our coffee
couched in our indifference
like shells upon the shore
you can hear the ocean roar
in the dangling conversation
and the superficial sights
the borders of our lives

And you read your Emily Dickinson
and I my Robert Frost
and we note our place with bookmarkers
that measure what we’ve lost
Like a poem poorly written
we are verses out of rhythm
couplets out of rhyme
in syncopated time
lost in the dangling conversation
and the superficial sights
the borders of our lives

Yes, we speak of things that matter
with words that must be said
“Can analysis be worthwhile?”
“Is the theater really dead?”
And how the room is softly faded
and I only kiss your shadow
I cannot feel your hand
you’re stranger now unto me
lost in the dangling conversation
and the superficial sights
the borders of our lives

Prevod na srpski

Besciljan razgovor

Akvarel mrtve prirode
sada kasnog popodneva
dok sunce sija kroz zavesinu čipku
i senke peru sobu
A mi sedimo i ispijamo našu kafu
zavaljeni u svoju ravnodušnost
kao školjke na obali
Možeš čuti urlik okeana
u besciljnom razgovoru
i površnim uzdasima
međama naših života

I ti čitaš svoju Emili Dikinson
a ja mog Roberta Frosta
i beleženjem gde smo stali
merimo šta smo izgubili
Kao loše napisan spev
mi smo stihovi van ritma
kupleti bez rime
u sinkopiranom ritmu
izgubljeni u besciljnom razgovoru
i površnim uzdasima
međama naših života

Da, pričamo o važnim stvarima
rečima koje se moraju izgovoriti
“Mogu li se analize isplatiti?”
“Zar je pozorište zaista izumrlo?”
I kako soba polako bledi
a ja samo ljubim tvoju senku
ne mogu da osetim tvoju ruku
sada si stranac za mene
izgubljen u besciljnom razgovoru
i površnim uzdasima
u međama naših života

The post Simon & Garfunkel – The Dangling Conversation first appeared on LyricsTranslations.