Quote Originally Posted by Lampada View Post
I've never heard this one before, but the lyrics were surprisingly suggestive (for an old folk song, I mean!), and reminded me just a little bit of the Everly Brothers ditty "Wake Up, Little Susie"! ("Whatta we gonna tell your mama? / Whatta we gonna tell your pa? / Whatta we gonna tell our friends when they say 'Ooh-la-la'?")


Anyway, beginners won't recognize some of the words, so here's a transcription and my translation:

Русская народная песня "Шумел камыш"
Russian folk song "The cattails/water-reeds were rustling (lit. "making noise")"
Исполняет Надежда Кадышева
Performed by Nadezhda Kadysheva


Шумел камыш, The cattails were rustling
Деревья гнулись The trees were bending over
А ночка тёмная была And the night was dark.

Одна возлюбленная пара A certain couple in love
Всю ночь [Spent] the whole night
Гуляла до утра Strolling until morning.

А поутру они проснулись And in the morning they woke up
Кругом помятая трава Around [them in a circle], the grass was disheveled/crushed
Там не одна трава помята And not only the grass there was disheveled
Помята девячья краса The damsel's beauty was disheveled, [too].
(NB: Video seems to have a typo -- девячья should be "девичья", if I'm not mistaken!!!)

Иду домой, а дома спросят: I'm going home [she said] and at home they'll ask:
"Где ночь гуляла, с кем была?" "Where were you strolling [all] night, who were you with?"

А я скажу: "В саду гуляла, And I'll say: "I was strolling in the garden,
Домой тропинки не нашла." "And couldn't find the path home."