Sunday, 30 April 2017

Psí vojáci - Žiletky (Razor Blades)

Psí vojáci (Dog Soldiers) was a legendary underground band from Prague. It was founded by Filip Topol in 1979, together with Topol's elementary school classmates David Skála and Jan Hazuka. Topol first performed at Václav Havel's cottage in Hrádeček as a support for The Plastic People of the Universe when he was only 13.

Because of the band members' association with underground figures and the controversial lyrics of their songs, they quickly draw the attention of the secret police. They didn't even have identity cards yet when they were interrogated for the first time.

They took their name from the Dog Soldiers, a Cheyenne military society that appeared in Thomas Berger’s novel Little Big Man. Their music style is somewhat difficult to pigeon-hole. Topol was a singer and a clasically trained pianist, Skála was the drummer and Hazuka played the bass-guitar. They were influenced by punk rock, avant-garde and classical music. Their style is often described as art-rock, alternative rock or experimental rock.

"There have always been some elements of punk in Psí vojáci. Our music speaks to punks in a different way than the music of truly punk bands, but I believe we share a lot of what they feel." (Filip Topol in an interview for Rock & Pop 11/99)
The band continued to perform after 1989 until Filip Topol's death in 2013.



Žiletky

Když when
je is
moon
v Utahu in Utah

When the moon is in Utah

chytáme we grab
se (reflexive pronoun)
za for
hlavu head

We grab our heads

zalitý suffused, poured
v olovu in lead

Suffused in lead

únavou [by] weariness, tiredness
na on
hubu (vulg.)mouth

By weariness [we fall] on our face*

Pocity feelings
jak like
žiletky razor blades

Feelings like razor blades

žiletky razor blades
my
baletky ballerina

Razor blades of my ballerina's

a and
v in
pustým bleak, deserted
dni day

And in a bleak day

pustý bleak, deserted
bradavky nipples

Bleak nipples



Jedeme we are going
ve in
vlaku train

We are on a train

a and
v podstatě basically, essentially
furt (coll.) all the time

And basically all the time

s with
peklem hell
a and
andělem angel

With Hell and an Angel

než se nadějem (idiom) before we know it

Before we know it



Žiletky razor blades
na on
těle body

Razor blades on the body

žiletky razor blades
v in, inside
těle body

Razor blades in the body

žiletky razor blades
ve in
vlasech hair

Razor blades in the hair

žiletky razor blades
a and
jeden one
steh stitch

Razor blades and one stitch



Žiletky na těle
Razor blades on the body

žiletky v těle
Razor blades in the body

žiletky ve vlasech
Razor blades in the hair

žiletky a jeden steh
Razor blades and one stitch


Žiletky na těle
Razor blades on the body

žiletky v těle
Razor blades in the body

žiletky ve vlasech
Razor blades in the hair

žiletky a jeden steh
Razor blades and one stitch


Žiletky na těle
Razor blades on the body

žiletky v těle
Razor blades in the body

žiletky ve vlasech
Razor blades in the hair

žiletky a jeden steh
Razor blades and one stitch






*) "Padám na hubu" is a Czech slang idiom meaning "I'm extremely tired". The idea behind it is a very tired person who can no longer stand and falls like a plank on his face. "Huba" is a vulgar term for human mouth or face (not vulgar when referring to an animal's mouth/muzzle)
"Dostaneš přes hubu." = "You'll get hit in your face." or "You'll get beaten.
"Že tě huba nebolí." ≈ "How is your mouth not hurting." [from all the lying]

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