Thread: from kukushka :)

I can understand the song generally but with those sentence below, i got some problems.. could anyone help, plz?

В городе мне жить или на выселках,
Камнем лежать или гореть звездой?

Cuckoo

How many songs are there yet to come?
Tell me, cuckoo, and sing…
Where am I to live, where am I to die?
Lying on the ground, or flying like a star in the sky?
Flying

Sunshine above, come look at me
My hand has now turned into a fist
If there’s a way out, then show it to me
Like this…

Who will tread upon these lonely steps again?
Who is strong and brave? Who will pay the price in battle
With their lives?
Very few remain in our memory,
With a sound mind, and a strong hand in the ranks
Alive

Where have you gone now, my freedom, where are you?
Who’s the lucky one meeting you again this morning,
Tell me…
It's good with you around, but it's bad without
And I put my head and shoulders underneath the whip
You see

http://www.z-exit.ru/files/album4/cuckoo.mp3

i read this translation on a website but the russian sentences i wrote above does not seem to meet the translated ones exactly...

Also the translation says "the sunshine above". But i understand it as "my sun, look at me"

Another thing with this sentence: И если есть порох - дай огня. does it not say "and if there is gunpowder- put it on fire ?

So whatz up with this?

Originally Posted by Matryoshka

В городе мне жить или на выселках,
Камнем лежать или гореть звездой?

Shall I live in a city or on in a small village?
Shall I lie like a stone or burn like a star?

Выселки (obsolete) - a place where a a number of farmer families live who move out of a bigger village.
"Лежать камнем" is a sort of a set phrase in Russian and implies complete immobility, inertness, and, sometimes, stagnation.

As to the translation posted by BappaBa, it is poetic and not too precise meaningwise. It's advantage is that it can be actually sung to the music of this song.

"И если есть порох, дай огня" means, literally, "If there is gunpowder, give me fire".

Ochen spasibo!!!!