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onsdag den 22. september 2021

"Words for Wednesday" 8-Tracks Turned into Walkman

  The photo from today - thank you, Cindi - could have been my sister and I looking for Graveyard Tom, (the father, grandfather, uncle etc. of our inbred cat).
  Go to Cindi's place to read some real stories. This is a challenge, where the old saying "The more the merrier" holds true, therefore: Please, remember to go back, read other peoples' stories there or follow their links back. And please leave a comment after reading. Challenges like this one thrives on interaction.


Because try as I may. I cannot find any words to suit the photo. On the other hand I cite myself from this Monday's poetry challenge: "In Danish there's a song about the joys and sorrows of owning a Walkman - I'd like to translate it, but I'm not sure I can do it." Well, now I tried, and here it is.
 

I went for a walk in the wood
You know it is healthy and good
But oh my, all the noise
From the dogs, birds, and boys ...

All the birds and the boys did but scream.
So I hurriedly left there again.
Yes that's what I did,
It's what you'd have done too ... but

    Now I have gotten a Walkman
    And the wood sounds like New York man
    And nobody's gonna disturb me no more.

    When the cassette is playing
    You can hardly hear the birds' sing
    And nobody's gonna disturb me no more.

It has a button to turn down the sound
That is if anyone else is around
That I'd talk to and listen again
But I think they're trying in vain.

When I've listened for a whole week
I think I've forgotten how to speak.
But I have music in my ear!

    So just you turn on your Walkman!
    Listen to Bessie and Pork-man
    You're feeling fine listening to your favourite band.

    And you see boys aiding girls when
    Their batteries are flattened
    And a cop is conducting a traffical jam.

    (Instrumental)

    Now I have turned on my Walkman
    And made the woods sound like New York man
    And nobody's gonna disturb me no more.

    And all the men and lady Jones
    are out wearing their own headphones
    And nothing is ever gonna disturb them no more!

Link to the original tune: Walk, mand!

17 kommentarer:

  1. Wow, you did really well! I could never do that.
    Oh, yes walkman, soooo long ago!

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you. I wish you were able to read Danish, and savour the original - it's so much better.

      Slet
  2. Thank you for the translation.
    The Walkman was another trend which passed me by - though I was at least aware of it.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you - I never owned a Walkman either, but this earworm of a song from 1981 at least made everybody aware they existed :)

      Slet
  3. I had a Walkman once, but never walked with it. I think I just used it to listen to music when I slept. I think it became broken somehow because I don't remember having it for long. Earworms are the worst, aren't they? I hope this managed to get rid of it for you.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Earworms are mostly bad. But this song is long, and I think longer earworms are not so bad, because you do not get so much worn out by this as by a single line or two.

      Slet
  4. Well done; I don't know Danish at all but your translation certainly makes sense, and even better, it rhymes :) Catchy tune on the original. Walkmans became popular just as our children were getting to the age of wanting one. I think our daughter's is still here somewhere. Maybe I should take it out and get it working. I don't have any other way to listen to CDs.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. Thank you - my secret plan is to make everybody study Danish :D
      A Walkman for CD's not that sounds like an advances thingie. Ours were for tape cassettes. Can't your computer play CDs? Mine can and that's how I listen to them.

      Slet
    2. My first walkman played cassette tapes, the second played cd's, the third was an mp3 player, handy on long bus trips to and from work so I didn't have to listen to everyone else and handy to play songs with a good rhythmic beat when doing exercise walking. Now my last walkman has died, after 16-18 years.

      Slet
  5. Svar
    1. Thank you. I was so uncertain I could do it at all.

      Slet
  6. An interesting way to use the image. I remember days when almost everyone I saw, including me, had a walkman and buds in their ears. Now they have Bluetooth and look like they are all talking to themselves.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. This song actually made me swear to never walk around with music in my ears, but listen to my surroundings and the bird's song. And to this day I do not like listening to music by using earplugs ;) Easy to avoid as I do not own any transportable music device at all; no, no Spartphone either.

      Slet
  7. This was fun. I like the rhyming. I think 'traffical jam' might be 'traffic jam'? Traffical sounds a bit wrong to me in this instance.

    Have a lovely day.

    SvarSlet
    Svar
    1. You might be right. I am not sure, but I'll try and find out what's the correct way of saying this. Thank you!

      Slet
    2. Bugger, you ARE rigth. This disturbs the rythm :( What now.
      Thank you anyway.

      Slet
    3. Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything. Honestly, it doesn't have to be corrected. People will know what you mean.

      Have a lovely day.

      Slet

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