Filosofická fakulta Masarykovy univerzity

Masarykova univerzita

Filozofická fakulta

Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky

Magisterská diplomová práce

Ale

na Kadlčík

ová 2

021

2021 Bc. Alena Kadlčíková

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Department of English

and American Studies

English-language Translation

Bc. Alena Kadlčíková

Song-translation Tendencies:

Lyrics Written for Pavel Bobek During

the Normalization Period

Master’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: Ing. Mgr. Jiří Rambousek, Ph.D.

2021

I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently,

using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

……………………………………………..

Author’s signature

I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Rambousek for his support and valuable advice.

I would also like to thank all my friends, family and to my partner,

for they managed to support me when I needed it the most.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1. Objectives of the Thesis .......................................................................................................... 3

2. Song translation ............................................................................................................................... 4

2.1. Translation Purpose ................................................................................................................. 4

2.1.1. “Readable Translation” ........................................................................................................... 5

2.1.2. “Singable Translation” ............................................................................................................ 6

3. Czechoslovak History and Music .................................................................................................. 10

3.1. Post-war Czechoslovakia and the Rise of Communism ........................................................ 11

3.1.1. Restrictions of the Late 1940s and the Early 1950s .............................................................. 11

3.1.2. Decline in Political Tension in the 1950s and the 1960s ....................................................... 12

3.2. The Year 1968 and Life after the Invasion ............................................................................ 14

3.2.1. The 1970s – the Period of Normalization .............................................................................. 15

3.2.2. Performing American Country Music in Czechoslovakia ..................................................... 17

4. Analyses of the Lyrics ................................................................................................................... 18

4.1. Methodology and Research Material ..................................................................................... 19

4.1.1. Songs examined and the Authors of the Lyrics ..................................................................... 21

4.2. Lyrics Analyses ..................................................................................................................... 23

4.2.1. “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” .............................................................................. 23

4.2.2. “Cupid” .................................................................................................................................. 27

4.2.3. “I Am… I Said” ..................................................................................................................... 28

4.2.4. “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” ......................................................................................... 31

4.2.5. “Vincent” ............................................................................................................................... 34

4.2.6. “I’ve Been a Long Time Leavin’” ......................................................................................... 37

4.2.7. “Ann” .................................................................................................................................... 39

4.2.8. “Don’t Bogart Me” ................................................................................................................ 42

4.2.9. “Smokey Put the Sweat on Me” ............................................................................................ 44

4.2.10. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” ........................................................................................ 47

4.2.11. “Who’s Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet” ....................................................................... 49

4.2.12. “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” ........................................................................................... 50

4.2.13. “I May Smoke Too Much” .................................................................................................... 53

4.2.14. “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” .......................................................................................... 55

4.2.15. “Lucille” ................................................................................................................................ 58

4.2.16. “Coward of the County” ........................................................................................................ 62

4.2.17. “Stranger” .............................................................................................................................. 64

4.2.18. “My Rifle, My Pony and Me” ............................................................................................... 67

4.2.19. “Birthday Song” .................................................................................................................... 69

4.2.20. “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer” .................................................................................... 72

4.2.21. “Sail Away” ........................................................................................................................... 76

4.2.22. “My Hometown” ................................................................................................................... 78

4.3. Findings ................................................................................................................................. 81

4.3.1. Replacement Texts ................................................................................................................ 81

4.3.2. Adaptations ............................................................................................................................ 84

4.3.3. Translations ........................................................................................................................... 85

5. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 87

6. References ..................................................................................................................................... 90

Primary Sources ................................................................................................................................ 90

Secondary Sources ............................................................................................................................ 98

7. English Resumé ........................................................................................................................... 106

8. Czech Resumé ............................................................................................................................. 107

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1. Introduction

Song translation is a practice with a long tradition that has, unfortunately, not been examined

very often until fairly recently. The only exception being the translation of opera that has its

own standards and rules. Only a few years ago, Peter Low and some of his colleagues started

to deal with song translation of other genres and its specifics. One of the reasons for the

shortage of research in this field might be that when translating songs and consequently

dealing with the target text, there are no strict rules. One must rely more on their feelings and

personal preferences, rather than on factual data and the accuracy of the translation itself.

The changes made during the process of translation may, to some, seem more distinct than to

the others.

There are, of course, differences in the approach dictated by the skopos of the target

text. A song translation created for the single purpose of enabling understanding of the

original will most probably differ from lyrics translated for a singer, or rather a performer,

who needs to perform the work comfortably and sing the text. This thesis deals with the

different changes that happen during the process of song translation. The author of this thesis

distinguishes between translations, adaptations, and replacement texts, but at the same time,

she investigates all of them using the same criteria. This thesis examines the lyrics written for

Czechoslovak/Czech pop and country singer Pavel Bobek by six different lyricists. All the

texts examined were produced in the years between 1970 and 1988, during the normalization

era – the period between 1968 and 1989 – which had a great impact on how the music

production in our country developed.

A large portion of song translations created during this particular era was affected by

censorship and the restrictions of some of the human rights and fundamental freedoms. Ever

since these translations occurred, they were being passed off as cover versions of their

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American originals. However, there were very few people who could listen to the original

versions or even speak English. Therefore very few listeners knew the original texts and even

fewer could detect the small nuances in their meanings. This thesis deals with the changes

manifested in the Czech versions of famous American songs. Changes that resulted from the

rules of the era the Czech cover versions were created within. The research is affected by the

fact that all of the lyrics examined were written for one performer who, moreover, was pro-

western and who openly admitted his inclination to American music and culture. Furthermore,

Bobek demanded that his lyricists write lyrics that would resemble their originals as much as

possible. Not only in terms of sense but also in terms of the sound of the spoken word (Česká

televize 2004).

The thesis is divided into five sections some of which are further subdivided. The first

part introduces the aims of this thesis and summarizes its hypotheses. The second part deals

with the song translation itself, its theory, peculiarities, challenges, similarities with literary

translation, and changes in approach when dealing with different genres. The options the

translator has when asked to translate a song are discussed. A brief introduction to song

translation is offered, and the criteria for further investigation are determined. The third part

provides information about the normalization era and its impacts on – not only – the music in

Czechoslovakia in the second half of the 20th century. It consists of a brief overview of

Czechoslovakian history and the main political events that shaped it and the development of

its music scene. The fourth part deals with the practical task of comparing and analyzing 22

pairs of lyrics written for Pavel Bobek to determine the general tendencies in translating songs

for a pop and country singer. Artist who, despite being pro-western, “always got away with

everything” (Janovská 2017), even during the normalization period. The last part of the thesis

offers a conclusion and summarizes the confirmation and/or refutation of the initial

hypotheses.

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1.1. Objectives of the Thesis

The objective of this thesis is to determine any predominant tendency in song translations

created for Pavel Bobek during the normalization era. The aim is to find out what the most

common tendencies are and if – and consequently how – they change over time, for the lyrics

examined were written over a period of almost 20 years. One of the author’s goals is to

determine the prevailing tendency in each of the three categories of the translated songs. That

is to provide the list of changes that appear in translations, adaptations and even replacement

texts. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the hypothesis that there is at least a slight

shift in meaning in most of the target texts, and that those changes can be considered as

resulting from the period in which the lyrics examined were written. In other words, the lyrics

are transformed not only language-wise but also content-wise, and often the only theme that

stays untouched while transferring the song across the Czechoslovak borders is love –

whether it is the romantic kind, friendship, or family love.

The primary aim of this work is to determine the most common manner of altering the

examined lyrics. That is the tendency to smoothen the texts and erase the (according to the

regime) hostile features. Pavel Bobek was active in the Czech music scene for over 40 years.

His repertoire includes dozens of songs, most of which are translations and adaptations of

foreign works that helped him to express his desire for the free life unbound by the

communist regime, not interfering with it at the same time. Songs that Bobek chose to

perform should, to a certain extent, represent the music he felt was authentically expressing

the Western mood. It is safe to say that he chose the songs for his repertoire very consciously,

for he himself said that he was “an orthodox supporter of not translating songs […] because

[the feeling] would not be the same [as in the original version]” (author’s translation of Bigbít

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1956 – 1989 01 / 5). He was, nonetheless, necessitated by events to sing in Czech, which

created a very challenging situation.

This thesis deals with only a fraction of the music created during the normalization

period. In order to confirm the hypothesis that the normalization period affected the song

translation in general, one would need to compare hundreds, if not thousands, of lyrics that

were created from 1968 to 1989 for and by different artists. Therefore this thesis offers

material suitable for further investigation. The lyrics analyzed are, nonetheless, a work of six

different writers created in a span of about 20 years which provides enough diversity and can

prove the initial hypotheses.

2. Song translation

Before the texts are analyzed, it is crucial to introduce the field of song translation and

determine the criteria for further investigation to be later able to make a distinct conclusion.

This thesis is based on the work of Peter Low, for the purposes of it, the author decided to

change and adjust some of his approaches and rules. The changes are specified below, in the

subchapter “2.1.2. “Singable Translation”“. Low’s book Translating Song provided valuable

information and relevant terminology with which the author works. The following part

touches upon some of the approaches to translating song and describes the difference between

translation, adaptation and replacement text, as established for the purposes of this work.

2.1. Translation Purpose

There is a substantial difference in the individual approaches to translation of song based on

the different skopos of the target text. A translation created to enable understanding of the

source text that is to be used in written form solely can (and will) differ significantly from the

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one written for the purpose of being performed in front of an audience. The work is, therefore,

probably to be done by someone else than a translator of prose. The author uses the terms

“readable translation” and “singable translation” (Low 2017) to determine the different

purposes of the target texts.

2.1.1. “Readable Translation”

When dealing with translation of lyrics for the purpose of mere understanding of the original,

the translator can afford to work on the interlingual information shift while completely

ignoring the melody and the initial facets of the song, such as rhythm, rhyme, tempo, etc.

In this case, the only aim of the translator is to convey the exact same semantic information in

the target text that he gathered from the source text. Translations such as these can be used for

subtitling a song in a movie, explaining the meaning of a foreign song to a listener who is not

acquainted with the language of it, and so forth.

In recent years, the “readable translation” is more frequent, for there are countless new

movies and series produced every year in different languages that need to be subtitled and

surtitled for people to understand them. These translations lack the poetic element, and they

serve just as a tool to help viewers and listeners to understand the source media better.

While evaluating the accuracy of a translation that is created only for the purpose of

being read, one might apply somewhat stricter rules. Eventual changes, “omissions, rewritings

or additions” (Low 2014: 46) are treated as a departure from fidelity and are not tolerated. The

rules are, of course, different when it comes to a target text created for another purpose.

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2.1.2. “Singable Translation”

It is clear that “songs are translated in various ways, for various purposes, and by a variety of

mediators” (Franzon 2008: 374). “Singable translations” are usually produced by singers,

composers and songwriters who are familiar with the properties of music and of the

performer’s voice. For a translation to be functional as far as performing is concerned, the

translator – or rather the mediator – must take a wide variety of different properties of the

song into consideration to create a satisfactory target text.

“As a term, singability can be understood in a restricted way, as referring mainly to

phonetic suitability of the translated lyrics” (Franzon 2008: 374). The phonetic suitability,

though, is not enough. To call the target text a translation, at least the most essential semantic

features must be preserved and translated. But in contrast to the translation of prose – and like

in the case of translation of poetry – even a not very faithful translation can be considered a

good one. A singable song is simply a song that is easy for the performer to sing and, at the

same time, easy for the listener to listen to and to understand. Both the performer and the

listener can focus more on the song as a whole and less on its lyrics and its other features.

Different purposes of the target texts and different opinions of the people working with the

lyrics influence the decisions made by the mediator, and they can often be a reason for

changes made while creating the song in the target language.

As far as the “singable translation” goes, the opinions differ depending not only on the

era in which they were expressed but accordingly from person to person. Calvocoressi, in his

essay written in 1921 says, that as “long as the translator faithfully abides by the conditions of

the original and leaves the music exactly as the composer wrote it, he is practically safe”

(Calvocoressi 1921: 319) and that the more literal the translation, the better. When in need of

alteration, according to him, the translator should choose “the lesser of evils” (Calvocoressi

1921: 315) which, again, brings us to the point where personal preferences are the most

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crucial factor. Newer studies show that the literal translation is not always the best option and

“that practical task of translating songs is impossible without taking some liberties” (Low

2003: 92). To what extent those liberties are acceptable is, again, a matter of personal opinion.

And the degree differs according to the purpose of the translation.

Song translation is rather rare worldwide, with the exception of translating opera.1

In the case of translating the opera, the translator “tends to put emphasis on inviolable

adherence to the music, on the requirements of the singers, and on absolute respect for the

composers” (Franzon 2008: 374), qualities that might be slightly less important when

translating other genres, such as pop music or country music and bluegrass. In these genres,

together with words, the overall emotion of the song is often the most important feature of it.

It is, therefore, one of the features that should be preserved and carried across to the different

languages. When translating a country song, it is crucial to get acquainted with the original

and its intentions in detail to be able to recreate those in the target language. The translator’s

task is to preserve the meaning and the mood of the original while making it sound natural in

the target language and understandable for the target audience. Such a task can be very

demanding when one needs to work under a strict regime’s rules. The opinions on what is still

a translation and what is already an adaptation differ. For the purpose of this thesis, it is vital

to establish the rules in order to sort the lyrics for further examination.

1 In the second half of 20th century Czechoslovakia, song translation was a very common practice

that was necessary in order to bring Anglo-American music to our country. The details of this matter

are explained below, in the third section of this thesis. The whole third chapter deals with the

normalization period and its impact on the lives of Czechoslovak people and the evolution of music

production in Czechoslovakia.

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Some even argue that other types of target texts might be considered a translation.

According to Franzon, “a song might be recognized as a translation if it is a second version of

a source song that allows some essential values of the source’s music and/or its lyrics and/or

its sung performance to be reproduced in a target language” (Franzon 2008: 376). He also

implies that should the translator decide not to translate at all, it is still a voluntary act of a

translator and that the target text – preserved in the source language in this case – should be

considered a translation (Franzon 2008: 376). This thesis deals only with the target texts

transferred to the target language, even at the cost of changing the original meaning.

To determine which changes are the most common in translations, and consequently the other

types of target texts, different categories need to be established. It is possible to examine all of

the products of a translation process, but the alterations discovered need to be treated

differently.

Since song translation is not dependent only on the semantic element of the text, the

translators are tasked with a more difficult job. Not only do they need to find the closest

possible semantic equivalent of the source text, but they need to take other aspects of the

original into account. To fit the words to the pre-existing music and maintain the rhythm, one

must necessarily come to the point when word-for-word translation is not enough. Depending

on the degree of change and on the amount of “significant details of meaning [being]

transferred” (Low 2014: 46), the target texts can be divided into further categories:

translations and adaptations. By some, an adaptation could be called a “free translation” (Low

2013: 236). The line between translation and adaptation is very thin and it might be argued

that “[if] such narrow definitions [as when dealing with prose translation] were applied, [...]

‘singable translations’ would be rare or non-existent” (Low 2013: 230) and that all of the

target texts are at best adaptations. To distinguish between a free translation and an

adaptation, specific rules must be set up beforehand analysis of the primary materials.

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When translating a song, “compromises and trade-offs are not optional but essential” (Low

2013: 230), and it is only a matter of determining the boundary. It is often unclear when

dealing with song lyrics for the individual texts might overlap. Personal preferences are very

important and, to a great extent, it depends on the judgment of the translator – and

consequently, the investigator – who decides which are the features of the song that are vital

enough and that ought to be preserved in the target text. Nonetheless, the basic rules are

applicable for the most part.

For the purposes of this thesis, the author decided to work with the following

categorization of different types of target texts:

- Translation: a target text “where there is extensive transfer of material from the

ST, with a reasonably high degree of semantic fidelity, particularly with respect to

its main features” (Low 2013: 231) while perceiving even an extensive

domestication and/or an omission of some features as such reasonable actions

- Adaptation: a target text that bears some resemblance to the original, but is

“extensively modified […] for a new cultural context” (Munday 2009: 166) i.e.,

is made more familiar and perhaps more comprehensive for the target audience

(strategies such as extensive domestication, changing the text while preserving the

theme and the message of the song, changing the means of expression but keeping

the initial topic of the source text, …)

- Replacement text: a target text in which “completely new verbal components are

matched and underlaid to the existing melody” (Low 2013: 229), and the new text

has no semantic relation to the original what so ever

This division of the text types is crucial, for what might seem like a nonessential shift in

adaptation might be of great importance in translation and vice versa. Apart from determining

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the overall tendency of meaning-shift in all of the texts, the author wants to evaluate each of

the categories individually to see if they resemble and if there is a clear pattern in all of them.

The changes that occur in the examined texts were most probably caused by

something other than just the preferences of the authors of the Czech texts. Considering the

amount of state control of every aspect of the lives of people in Czechoslovakia, it is most

likely that the songs that could be played on the radio back in the second half of the twentieth

century had to be approved. And for that purpose, their lyrics had to be altered and polished.

The goal of this thesis is to find out what were the most often alterations.

3. Czechoslovak History and Music

Music is omnipresent. It affects a large number of social groups and can be heard everywhere

and on any occasion. It marks important moments in the lives of individuals and the whole

nation. Every person can remember the song that their mother sang to them when they went to

bed, every newlywed couple has their first dance linked to their favorite melody, at every

funeral, there is a song connected to the deceased. Every nation has an anthem, and every

Epoque is associated with a specific style of music. Whether people realize it or not, music

can shape their opinions and attitudes and affect their minds. Music works as a mass media

that can affect thousands of listeners at the same time. Some people perceive it only

superficially, while others can find hidden messages and purposes. Şebnem Susam-Sarajeva

even claims that “no other non-religious (multimodal) ‘text’ moves people as deeply as the

combination of lyrics and music” (Susam-Sarajeva 2008: 188).

Like in any other period, in the second half of the 20th century, music was “an

essential component of spending working and non-working hours” (Foret 1988: 416), which

helped to influence the thinking of the majority of people. The state leadership was well

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aware of the music’s power, and it is no wonder that they wanted to take complete control

over it and its production. The following chapter shows how the changes in the country’s

leadership influenced music production in Czechoslovakia.

3.1. Post-war Czechoslovakia and the Rise of Communism

In post-war Europe, music and other forms of art were flourishing. People were full of hope,

and the overall sentiment favored musical creation (or rather art creation in general).

Relations with foreign countries were restored, and there was enough space for new music

styles to be introduced in our country. With the advent of communism and Klement

Gottwald’s appointment as president of Czechoslovakia, all creative freedom disappeared.

3.1.1. Restrictions of the Late 1940s and the Early 1950s

In February 1948, after the communist coup d’état, the Communist Party, led by its General

Secretary Klement Gottwald, took over the government and imposed rule over the country.

The takeover was made possible mainly because of “president Beneš’s acceptance of a new

coalition government under firm communist domination” (Myant 2008: 1698). ‘The February

events’ – as they are often referred to – and the subsequent abdication of Beneš, who refused

to sign the communist Czechoslovak Constitution, led to the appointment of a new president,

Klement Gottwald (Hamouzová 2008). That meant more changes in the cultural life but this

time for the worse.

The Communist Party took control over all the new musical creation via the

Association of Czechoslovak Composers, and everything coming from the West, including

music, was declared undesirable. The Party and its representatives called for a return to the

traditional values and to the original Czech musical creation (Havelková).

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The changes that came with the Communist Party being in power were far worse than

mere control over the musical sphere. One of the testaments to this time is a selection of

theses from the lecture of the composer and music scientist Milan Slavický by music publicist

Petr Kadlec in which he writes:

In our country, the totality shattered all voluntary associations and introduced arts

associations. In those artists were grouped by disciplines: a union of writers,

composers, artists… And these unions were an exact copy of the pyramidal structure

of the Communist Party. Solely the loyal people were assigned to specific positions –

that was the principle of the so-called nomenclature. It operated in all institutions until

the end of the regime. It ensured that all the essential seats in the Party were taken by

the committed and party-reliable people. (author's translation of Kadlec 2009)

The Party had control over every aspect of the lives of citizens of Czechoslovakia. Nothing,

including artistic creation, seemed to be left unsupervised. Gottwald’s administration,

amongst other things, meant fabricated political processes with the class enemies, processes

that equaled “a carefully designed theatre” (Bartošová 2016: 191) in which many people were

sentenced to death and others imprisoned. For many musicians, the darkest period ended

in 1957 when Antonín Novotný, then–First Secretary of the Communist Party of

Czechoslovakia, was appointed president of the country (Bigbít 1956 – 1989 03 / 3). A brief

period of hope and long-awaited changes came.

3.1.2. Decline in Political Tension in the 1950s and the 1960s

There was a slight decline in the political tension towards the end of the 1950s. In 1960,

Antonín Novotný declared a large-scale amnesty, freeing some convicts from the political

trials of the 1950s (Antonín Novotný). After years of oppression, the Golden Sixties came.

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The reins were slackening, and the rules for the music production were no longer so strict

(Bigbít 1956 – 1989 03/3).

The censorship still existed; all artistic creation remained subject to the rules of the

country leadership – consequently to the Soviet Union – but the overall mood changed. If

a band or a singer wanted to perform, they needed to acquire a permit and pass the

qualification tests of the art associations of the Communist party. Fortunately for the

musicians, “the role was not performed at all by the music agencies, whose examination

boards awarded much-needed qualifications without checking candidates’ values or, at most,

after a purely formal examination” (author’s translation of Houda 2011/310). Getting the

permit was a rather necessary formality, and as long as the art did not provoke too much, the

authorities did not care about it (Bigbít 1956 – 1989 01 / 5).

Information and music from the West began to leak into the Czechoslovakia

(Havelková). There were very strict rules governing the musical production, but they could be

bent. Even English lyrics were all right as long as they did not contain anything that could be

considered defective from an ideological point of view (Bigbít 1956 – 1989 04 / 1). “In the

second half of the 1960s, the society opened up, and many people moved on, including

composers” (author’s translation of Kadlec 2009). The musical creation was flourishing, and

people started to be curious about the art coming from abroad. Many young people listened to

the Radio Luxembourg that broadcasted music unavailable to Czechoslovak radio stations –

the Radio Free Europe joined soon after, along with several Czechoslovak stations (Stárek

and Valenta 2018: 44). The situation was bettering. Still, everything was yet to change with

the end of the presidency of Antonín Novotný in 1968, and the events that followed.

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3.2. The Year 1968 and Life after the Invasion

Life behind the Iron Curtain – the boundary that separated the Soviet Union block from the

Western part of the world – had been going on practically intact from the end of the Second

World War. It stayed unchanged until 1968, when 20 years after the communist coup d’état, a

“Slovak politician Alexander Dubček […], the greatest rival of Novotný” (Stoneman 2015:

104) was appointed the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.

Externally, Dubček proposed opening relations with Western powers and other nations

of the Soviet bloc, opened trade routes, allowed private enterprise, and proposed a ten-

year transition democratized socialism that would allow multiparty elections.

Arguably the most significant reform of the Action Program, however, was the

reestablishment of personal liberties to the people of Czechoslovakia. Dubček

uprooted the totalitarian principles of the KSČ by granting greater freedoms of press,

travel, and assembly, and greatly limiting the power of the secret police. (Stoneman

2015: 104)

The appointment of Dubček started a period of political liberalization during which the

restrictions of the regime loosened even further. The period from January 1968 meant a time

of “an explosion of artistic expression, free discussion, and alignment with democratic

ideology known as the Prague Spring” (Stoneman 2015: 103).

During the Prague Spring, the musical creation boomed, and artists created more and

more songs inspired by the Anglo-American culture. Some of the Czech musicians copied

the songs they heard on the radio. However, since only very few people knew any foreign

language and even the artists only wrote phonetic notations of what they heard on the radio,

the demand for Czech song lyrics increased. (Bigbít 1956 – 1989 01 / 5)

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The era of freedom did not last for long, “the liberalization of Czechoslovakia during

the Prague Spring was a threat to the unity of the Soviet bloc nations under strict Soviet

hegemony, and therefore to the strength of the Soviet Union” (Stoneman 2015: 106), and so

they stepped in. The actions to suppress the process of liberalization climaxed only a few

months after the process of “revitalizing” the nation began (Stoneman 2015: 103).

The Prague Spring ended 21 August 1968, when the troops of Warsaw pact invaded

Czechoslovakia to suppress the liberalization process (Vlček). The situation had changed

from day to day, and in the musical sphere, it meant more rules – and this time even harsher

conditions. “The ‘68 came, we had to stop for a while because we could not do anything at the

time. And then we knew it was over because we were playing American and Western music.

And we could not do that here.” (author’s translation of Pete Kaplan’s statement in Bigbít

1956 – 1989 09 / 3)

“Immediately after the invasion, all reforms of the Prague Spring were repealed.

Gustav Husák replaced Dubček as leader of Czechoslovakia, and anyone who had embraced

or participated in the reform movement was purged from his or her job” (Stoneman 2015:

107), after a short time of freedom and hope, 20 years of oppression followed.

3.2.1. The 1970s – the Period of Normalization

The return to normal, as imagined by the communists, was a process that had been developed

and modified for about 10 years. In 1975 it was clear that the liberal era of the sixties ended

irretrievably and that the people were already living in conditions set by the stabilized

dictatorship (Stárek and Valenta 2018: 54). The Normalization period can be defined as the

period between the end of the year 1968 and the crisis in 1981 (Petr Horký 2021). The

denomination “normalization” is, nonetheless, used for an even longer period, for the

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measures introduced at that time remained in force until the Velvet Revolution in 1989

(Daňková 2014).

Every aspect of the lives of the Czechoslovak people changed, and the music sphere

was no exception. The newfound freedom disappeared, and the totalitarian regime was, once

again, restored. The borders were closed, the opposition again ceased to exist, and the control

over the country was carried out by the secret police appointed by the Party (Miroslav 2012).

“Control of the media, from which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia refrained

in March 1968 […] resumed after the August 21, in a rapid succession of political,

organizational and legislative steps” (author’s translation of Andreas 2020: 439) that led to

complete government control over all of the political and cultural events in the country. Many

of the musicians stopped their work, and a large number of music bands broke up. During the

1970s, “everything fell apart”, the normalization period “had brought with it many

absurdities” such as the necessity of renaming the bands with English names, being allowed

to create only Czech-written songs, and even having to change the texts of pre-existing lyrics

(author’s translation of Michal Tučný 2014). The changes in political leadership, of course,

did not only affect the music scene. The restrictions of personal freedoms, personnel changes

in business management and the school system, and even excluding people from the

Communist Party. These were all reasons for many citizens to emigrate. The reasons for the

emigration were not only ideological, they were mainly economic and pragmatic (Petr Horký

2021). Many people ended up without appropriate employment, children of the regime's

opponents were not allowed to study, experts and professionals were forced to leave their

jobs, and those loyal to the Party landed up appointed to the positions of authority.

17

3.2.2. Performing American Country Music in Czechoslovakia

The leaders of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and, by extension, of the country were

well aware of the fact that music has the ability to “serve or clash with certain political and

ideological purposes” (Susam-Sarajeva 2008: 195). To minimize the dangerous influence the

bad music might have had on the citizens, they renewed the censorship system, and the truly

“hard times had come” (author’s translation of Petr Janda’s statement in Bigbít 1956 - 1989

09 / 6).

The Western culture was undesirable in general, but there were more specific

definitions of what and how could be performed. “The rule was that at least half of the

repertoire must be of Czechoslovak origin, of the other half a quarter of friendly origin, and

only the last quarter of imperialist origin, and preferably French, Italian rather than American”

(author’s translation of Janovská 2017). Despite the constraints, Pavel Bobek somehow

managed to perform mainly imperialist Anglo-American songs and all of them without any

trouble (Hartman 2013). The fact that he was able to do so is even more peculiar if the genre

of the songs he performed is taken into consideration.

Bobek’s repertoire consisted mainly of country songs that “are viewed as an important

means of Americanizing Americans themselves, [and] as a mass purveyor of America’s own

ideals, attitudes, and views” (author’s translation of Foret 1988: 421) and therefore in the eyes

of the Communist party, they were the worst possible form of art that could have been

performed during the normalization era (except for rock music, perhaps). And yet, although

he “considered all of his songs to be protest songs” (author’s translation of Hartman 2013),

Bobek was allowed to perform, record, and release albums full of country music. His first

album had been released in 1975, at the peak of normalization (Janovská 2017). The lyrics

were translated to Czech, but the originals represented the forbidden fruit of the Western

18

world. The Western influence was evident, yet the songs passed the censorship and became

known to the general public who came to love them.

4. Analyses of the Lyrics

Music itself has a great influence on people’s behavior and on shaping their opinions. It

determines an individual’s personality, and it is a very effective means of getting the attention

of large groups of listeners at once. It is a powerful tool, and therefore there are times and

places where “certain forms of music may be totally suppressed or be allowed to exist in

public only in a state-recognized language and/or form” (Susam-Sarajeva 2008: 194). In

Czechoslovakia, the situation was not different. Country music was approved by the regime.

The rules for its production, though, were the same as for the other genres. English was the

language of the enemy (Bigbít 1956 - 1989 09 / 6), and it was, thus, forbidden. However, even

the Czech lyrics were not safe. They had to be controlled thoroughly and approved by the

competent authorities.

Unlike rock music, words play a much more important role in country songs – they are

there to be known; secondly, they are written in a very intelligible way, without double

senses or ambiguities, so that performers and listeners immediately understand clearly

what they talk about. And thirdly, they often offer the listener the possibility of self-

identification. The landscape, people, and situations are described attractively and

realistically. (author’s translation of Foret 1988: 421)

These properties of words in country music were all the more reasons for the careful control

and security clearance. The era in which the Czech lyrics were produced ended up being

demonstrated by many slight changes in the song lyrics. These are often invisible at the first

19

sight, or rather inaudible at the first listen, that, nonetheless, rise to the surface after closer

examination.

4.1. Methodology and Research Material

The following chapter of this diploma thesis deals with the examination of the different pairs

of the original English-written lyrics and those written for Pavel Bobek by Jiří Grossmann,

Vít Hrubín, Michael Janík, Zdeněk Rytíř, Michael Žantovský and Vladimír Poštulka – who

replaced Jiří Grossmann in the role of Bobek’s court lyricist in 1971 (Česká televize 2004).

The individual lyrics pairs are sorted chronologically according to the year of release of the

Czech target texts.

Some of the researchers deal with investigating other than just semantic features of the

songs, such as preserving the rhymes, rhythm, syllabic setting, etc. According to Low (2003:

92), there are five criteria a translator has to satisfy, all of them are very different, and some of

them can be, at least partially, sacrificed for the sake of the final product. Those criteria are:

“singability”, “sense”, “naturalness”, “rhythm” and “rhyme” (Low 2003: 92). As for the

“singability” and “naturalness” of the songs examined, those two are the features that can be

attributed to the Czech versions without any trouble, for the thesis deals solely with

“singable” translations created by artists and musicians. Even though the authors of the Czech

versions of the songs never concealed that the song lyrics were not originals, they did not

emphasize it in any way either and the general public probably considered most of the songs

to be original Czech songs. The “rhythm” of the songs is usually very similar, for the music

stayed almost unchanged in most cases. The Czech versions were, after all, created to imitate

the originals as much as possible. The author of this thesis decided to examine mainly the

sense of the songs – the “meaning, content and intent” (Low 207: 26) of the lyrics – to

20

determine what features are lost or gained during the process of translating (or adapting) the

songs. Along with the sense, the language means the mediators decided to use are examined.

As was already mentioned, words play a very important role in country music.

Country and bluegrass are “word-centred” (Low 2017: 10) and therefore need to be

approached differently from other genres. Low distinguishes several kinds of logocentric

songs. This thesis is mainly concerned with the category of “narrative songs” where “the

story is carried by the words” – and especially the “first-person character songs” – and

“dialogue songs” in which “one singer delivers words for two characters” (Low 2017: 12). In

addition to the dialogue song sung by just one performer, there are cases when two singers

(usually of the opposite sex) tell the story of the song. It is clear from the title of the category

that the story – the meaning – is the prime feature of a country song. Therefore, this thesis

deals primarily with the meaning of the lyrics, with their mood, and with the language used.

For the purposes of this work, the other features shall not be considered equally important.

During the research, the author analyses the lyrics pairs and compares their meanings.

The places in the texts where the source texts and the target texts differ are examined and later

sorted into categories of different translator strategies according to which the prevailing

tendencies occurring in the texts under consideration are determined.

Prior to the investigation, based on the information acquired about the period in which

the Czech versions originated, some assumptions can be made. It is probable that some of the

most distinguishing features of the country song will almost disappear or will change

drastically, for the lyrics needed to be suitable for the environment of a socialist country that

was a part of the Eastern Block. The extent to which the texts are differentiated varies. The

question is, to what extent some of the changes can be considered an act of domestication and

“altering cultural references” (Low 2017: 70) and what already should be recognized as a

manipulation of the song lyrics by – or because of – the Communist regime.

21

4.1.1. Songs examined and the Authors of the Lyrics

The overview of the 22 lyrics pairs examined, their authors, and years of the release of the

songs can be seen in Table 1 below. The originals were often recorded multiple times, and the

author of this thesis works with the specific recordings of which the dates are listed. For

example, the first song, “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” was written by Melvin

Tillis, first it was recorded by Waylon Jennings in 1966, then by Johnny Darrell in 1967

(Whitburn 2008: 115), and in 1969 by Kenny Rogers (and many others after that). The author

works with the versions of the songs that had been worked with when creating the Czech

cover versions – in this case, the 1969 version recorded by Kenny Rogers. The dates in Table

1 mark the years of the releases of the specific versions of the songs, not the year the lyrics

were written by their authors.

Czech Version The Original Version

Year of

Release

Name Author

Year of

Release

Name Author(s)

1970

Oh, Ruby, nechtěj mi

lásku brát

Jiří Grossmann 1969

Ruby, Don’t Take Your

Love to Town

Melvin Tillis

1970 Úsvit Jiří Grossmann 1961 Cupid Sam Cooke

1971 Krajem já šel Vladimír Poštulka 1971 I Am… I Said Neil Diamond

1973 Nedělní ráno Vladimír Poštulka 1969

Sunday Mornin’ Comin’

Down

Kristoffer

Kristofferson

1973 Vincent Zdeněk Rytíř 1972 Vincent Don McLean

1975 Já jsem byl bloud Vladimír Poštulka 1966

I’ve Been a Long Time

Leavin’

Roger Miller

1975 Má dívka ‘N’ Jiří Grossmann 1964 Ann Billy Edd Wheeler

1975 Pojď stoupat jak dým Vladimír Poštulka 1968 Don’t Bogart Me

Elliot Ingber,

Lawrence J.

Wagner

22

1975 Tak já se loučím Zdeněk Rytíř 1972

Smokey Put the Sweat on

Me

Kristoffer

Kristofferson

1975 Veď mě dál, cesto má Vladimír Poštulka 1971

Take Me Home, Country

Roads

Bill Danoff, John

Denver, Taffy

Nivert

1975

Víš, kdo ti smí z tvých

vlásků copy splést?

Zdeněk Rytíř 1958

Who’s Gonna Shoe Your

Pretty Little Feet

Isaac Donald

Everly, Phillip

Everly

1977

Dvě stě cest, jak sbohem

dávat

Michael Žantovský 1975

50 Ways to Leave Your

Lover

Paul Simon

1977 Proč mám v koutě stát Vít Hrubín 1974 I May Smoke Too Much

Kristoffer

Kristofferson

1977 Sláma v botách Vladimír Poštulka 1975

Thank God I’m a Country

Boy

John Martin

Sommers

1979 Lásko, mně ubývá sil Michael Janík 1977 Lucille

Roger Dale

Bowling, Hal

Bynum

1981

Drž se zpátky, chlapče

můj

Michael Janík 1979 Coward of the County

Roger Dale

Bowling, Billy Edd

Wheeler

1981 Známe se míň než chvíli Vít Hrubín 1977 Stranger

Kristoffer

Kristofferson

1984 Mé tělo, má duše a já Michael Žantovský 1959

My Rifle, My Pony and

Me

Paul Francis

Webster

1984 Právě tak Vladimír Poštulka 1972 Birthday Song Don McLean

1986

S tím bláznem si nic

nezačínej

Vladimír Poštulka 1980

Don’t Fall in Love with a

Dreamer

Kim Carnes, David

Ellingson

1987 A tak to půjde dál Vladimír Poštulka 1977 Sail Away Rafe Van Hoy

1988 Můj rodný dům Michael Žantovský 1985 My Hometown Bruce Springsteen

Table 1 Song overview

23

The author decided to examine each of the lyrics pairs to determine the changes and

summarize the type of meaning shift and language shift that is noticeable in most of them.

The pairs are listed accordingly by year of release of the Czech version, however, the

subchapters are named with the original names, for the original versions are examined sooner,

and only after that, the Czech versions are contrasted with them. Both – the original and the

Czech – lyrics are inserted for better convenience at the beginning of each subchapter. The

lyrics are later divided into subgroups of translations, adaptations, and replacement texts. For

each of these groups, the predominant tendency is determined and described in detail.

4.2. Lyrics Analyses

Although the lyrics sometimes differ in the count of verses or number of repetitions of the

refrain, the music mostly stays almost unchanged. When most of the songs start playing on

the radio, nearly none of the listeners can tell the original and the cover version apart. Pavel

Bobek often tries to imitate the sound of the original, and therefore in most cases, the only

feature of the song that changes is the meaning – the story the lyrics tell. The research

concentrates on the stories the songs tell – in particular on the specific parts of the individual

texts where the meaning does not quite match the original.

4.2.1. “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”

Melvin Tillis 1969:

Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town

You’ve painted up your lips rolled and curled your tinted hair

Ruby, are you contemplating going out somewhere?

The shadow on the wall tells me the sun is going down

Oh, Ruby, don’t take your love to town

It wasn’t me that started that old crazy Asian war

But I was proud to go and do my patriotic chore

And yes, it’s true that I’m not the man I used to be

Oh, Ruby, I still need some company

Jiří Grossmann 1970:

Oh, Ruby, nechtěj mi lásku brát

Mám naději, že uslyšíš mé tiché volání,

stín už padá na zdi bílé, nic mu nebrání,

já tuším, že jsi hezká, jak bývalas’ tolikrát,

oh Ruby, nechtěj mi lásku brát.

Já nevymyslel válku, to jen prstem někdo kýv’,

mě učili jen střílet, jenže druhý střelil dřív

a nevím sám, je mi přáno živořit či žít,

oh Ruby, chci nablízku tě mít.

24

It’s hard to love a man whose legs are bent and paralyzed

And the wants and the needs of a woman your age

Ruby, I realized

But it won’t be long I’ve heard them say until I’m not around


She’s leaving now ‘cause I just heard the slamming of the door

The way I know I’ve heard it slam 100 times before

And if I could move I’d get my gun and put her in the ground


Oh, Ruby, for God’s sake, turn around

Je zázračné to vědomí, že ještě vůbec bdím,

že tím, co je muž ženě, nemohu ti být,

Ruby, já pochopím,

a je to možná hloupost nesmírná, spíš odvážím si přát,

oh Ruby, nechtěj mi lásku brát.

Proč utápíš se do mlhy, snad nechystáš se jít

a nechápu, proč po létech se zase slyším klít,

jenom ruku vztáhnu za tebou, když nemůžu už vstát,

oh Ruby, nechtěj mi lásku brát,

oh Ruby, Ruby, jak žil bych rád.

Table 2 “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”

The song was recorded in 1969 by American pop and country singer Kenny Rogers who

made it famous all around the world. It is a song about an American soldier who comes back

from the war. Wounded and unable to move he is forced to watch his partner, Ruby, getting

dressed and heading into the city and not being able to stop her.

Melvin Tillis, when speaking about the song, described the soldier as a paralyzed

veteran who would “get drunk and accuse Ruby of everything under the sun” (Moore 2020).

The original is about an angry disabled man who blames his wife for wanting to have a

company (other than his). He is annoyed and although he expresses his understanding for

Ruby, he tries to command her and force her to stay with him.

The first line bitterly comments on Ruby’s actions and it seems that the protagonist

tries to mock his wife by asking her if she really is planning to go to the city to be with

someone else. The ironic remark aimed at Ruby changes into a “silent call” (Grossmann

1970: line 1) and the whole text continues in the same mood. The command in the last line of

the first verse is clear, his only wish (and order) is for her not to go anywhere, stay there with

him. Right from the beginning, Grossmann’s version is significantly less aggressive. The

soldier is in the same situation, but rather than mocking his wife and ordering her to stay, he is

speaking about hopes and wishes and he is almost nostalgic when thinking about her beauty.

25

Tillis 1969: lines 1-4:

You’ve painted up your lips rolled and curled your tinted hair

Ruby, are you contemplating going out somewhere?

The shadow on the walls tells me the sun is going down


Groossmann 1970: lines 1-4:

Mám naději, že uslyšíš mé tiché volání,

stín už padá na zdi bílé,

nic mu nebrání,

já tuším, že jsi hezká, jak bývalas’ tolikrát,

oh Ruby, nechtěj mi lásku brát

Literal translation:

I have hope you will hear my silent call,

the shadow is already falling on the white walls,

there’s nothing stopping it,

I guess you’re pretty like you used to be,

oh Ruby, don’t take my love away

The rawness of the expression of the original disappears and in the Czech version, it changes

to a somewhat more poetic and nicer version of it. The message seems to be the same, but the

voice telling the story is very different.

In the second verse, the element of patriotism, so symptomatic for American country

music, appears. The veteran speaks about the war and his attitude towards it. In the Czech

version, nonetheless, the soldier does not mention being proud of his actions. The patriotism

disappears and the protagonist complains and blames his misfortune on someone else and

considers the war something made up by the others.

Tillis 1969: lines 5-6:

It wasn’t me who started that old crazy Asian war

But I was proud to go and do my patriotic chore

Grossmann 1970: lines 5-6:

Já nevymyslel válku,

to jen prstem někdo kýv’

mě učili jen střílet,

jenže druhý střelil dřív


I did not invent the war,

someone just moved a finger

they taught me how to shoot,

but the other one shot first

The third verse is very similar in both versions of the song. The protagonist expresses his

understanding of Ruby and her needs. Gossmann’s version is finished with an almost archaic

sounding line: “a je to možná hloupost nesmírná, spíš odvážím si přát / oh Ruby, nechtěj mi

26

lásku brát” (Grossmann 1970: lines 11-12) which again expresses hope and wishes, in

contrast with the honest, pessimistic, and angry original: “But it won’t be long I’ve heard

them say until I’m not around / Oh, Ruby, don’t take your love to town” (Tillis 1969: lines

11-12).

Maybe the most obvious omission comes in the last verse. Line 15 that in the original

version of the song says: “And if I could move I’d get my gun and put her in the ground”

(Tillis 1969) expressing the protagonist’s absolute helplessness and at the same time the

determination to kill his wife so no one else could have her. In the translation, the violent part

disappears and the line is replaced with one more desperate sigh: “jenom ruku vztáhnu za

tebou, když nemůžu už vstát” (Grossmann 1970: line 15) that indicates the protagonist is

feeling sorry for himself, for he did not do anything wrong but he is the one suffering.

Although both of the songs tell the same story with the same protagonists, a war

veteran and his wife, Ruby, each of them tells it differently. The original is a love song, but its

tone is honest, angry, and aggressive and at the same time it expresses patriotic mentality. The

Czech version is a very similar love song about the same two people. Nonetheless, the

patriotism and violence disappear and the whole song tells a story of a wounded, sad man

who begs his loved one to stay with him. From ironic and raw expressions become poetic and

neat ones that erase the distinctive authorial expression and replace it with supposedly more

appealing and less provocative version. This kind of meaning shift might be attributed to the

regime’s restrictions. The authorities of course wanted to promote neither aggressiveness nor

American patriotism and so their aim could have been to get rid of it. Despite the discussed

changes in the meaning and the language used, the overall theme of the song stays the same

and the Czech version can be considered a translation.

27

4.2.2. “Cupid”

Sam Cooke 1961:

Cupid

Cupid, draw back your bow

And let your arrow go

Straight to my lover’s heart for me, for me

Cupid, please hear my cry

And let your arrow fly

Straight to my lover’s heart for me

Now, I don’t mean to bother you but I’m in distress

There’s danger of me losing all of my happiness

For I love a girl who doesn’t know I exist

And this you can fix

So, Cupid, draw back the bow


Straight to my lover’s heart for me, nobody but me




Now, Cupid, if your arrow make her love strong for me

I promise I will love her until eternity

I know between the two of us her heart we can steal

So help me if you will

So, Cupid, draw back the bow


Straight to my lover’s heart for me, nobody but me




Now, Cupid don’t you hear me

Calling you I need you

Cupid, why don’t you hear me?

You know I need you, I need you Cupid

Help me, help me, help me,

help me Cupid and take me



Úsvit

Úsvit spásou je mou,

svítá a tím pádem jsou

zlé sny tou září sváté, novou stránku psát si smím, he

hej hej.

Úsvit ví, co chci znát,

tím spíš mám prý mu dát

právo k mé dívce jít páté.

Je totiž mojí pátou známostí, leč na tom trvám,

že v důsledku svých předností je u mě prvá.

Trápím se a bádám, jak jí dát znamení,

ó v tom je umění.

Úsvit spásou je mou,



hej hej.




Když stane se, že úsvit bude tím údobím,

co mi sílu dá, že pak na dámu zapůsobím,

já přísahám, že dlouho zas ho rád budu ctít,

jenom jestli bude chtít.

Úú úsvit spásou je mou,



hej hej.




He hej úsvit, úsvit je přítel můj,

už je tu úsvit, úsvit je přítel můj,

he hej úsvit, už je tu úsvit,

he hej úsvit, už je tu úsvit,

he hej úsvit, ...

Table 3 “Cupid”

The American “Cupid” and Czech “Úsvit” have nothing in common except for the fact that

they are both love songs. The Czech version tries to imitate the original only from the

phonetic point of view. It is demonstrated the best on the name of the song, for the word

“cupid” [ˈkjuːpɪd] sounds like the Czech “úsvit” [ˈuːsvɪt]. The phonetic matches occur

throughout the whole song, but the meaning is different. In the original version of the song,

28

the protagonist speaks to the Cupid, urging the god of love to make a girl fall in love with

him. The Czech version celebrates the time of the daybreak and its powers.

A similar phenomenon can be observed in another Czech text examined in this thesis,

written by the same author – Jiří Grossmann – thanks to whom Pavel Bobek started to sing in

the Czech language (Kuchyňová 2016). A song called “Ann” [æn] becomes “Má dívka ‘N’”,

where the “N” sound is pronounced the same way as in English – [ɛn] – which imitates the

name perfectly (especially because for Czech-speaking people, it is hard to distinguish

between the [æ] and [ɛ] sounds). This strategy of mimicking the original can be observed in

most of Grossmann’s lyrics for he “wanted the Czech language to sound like English”

(Kuchyňová 2016) which allowed imitating the western culture on more levels. When

listening to Bobek singing “Úsvit”, the listener is under the impression that the lyrics are in

English.

4.2.3. “I Am… I Said”

Neil Diamond 1971:

I am… I Said

L.A.’s fine, the sun shines most the time

And the feeling is “lay back”

Palm trees grow and rents are low

But you know I keep thinkin’ about

Making my way back

Well I’m New York City born and raised

But nowadays I’m lost between two shores

L.A.’s fine, but it ain’t home

New York’s home but it ain’t mine no more

“I am”... I said

To no one there

And no one heard at all

Not even the chair

“I am”... I cried

“I am”... said I

And I am lost and I can’t

Even say why

Leavin’ me lonely still

Did you ever read about a frog

Vladimír Poštulka 1971:

Krajem já šel

Vzpomínám na činžák, kde jsem žil,

na tu hrůzu modrých stěn.

Dětský pláč a samý rváč.

Bez sklepní bitvy, přísahám Vám,

nebyl nikdy den.

Pak jen útěk byl mou záchranou

a teď slunce svítí oknem mým.

Co mě táhne stále zpět

do míst, o nichž spoustu let jen sním?

Krajem já šel,

šel dál jak v snách.

A s láskou chtěl zas

stoupat na rodný práh.

Já ctím ten kraj

tam líp mě znaj.

A pořád jen tam hledám

ztracený ráj.

Teď už tam nepatřím.

Už se dobře mám,

29

Who dreamed of bein’ a king

And then became one

Well except for the names

And a few other changes

If you talk about me

The story is the same one

But I got an emptiness deep inside

And I’ve tried but it won’t let me go

And I’m not a man who likes to swear

But I never cared for the sound of being alone


To no one there

And no one heard at all

Not even the chair

“I am”... I cried

“I am”... said I

And I am lost and I can’t

Even say why


“I am”... I cried… “I am”

přece však pospíchám

zase zpátky tam,

kde žil jsem jako kluk.

Jen o návratu sním, přestože i já vím,

že si nezvyknu víc

na mokré zdi a hluk.

Tam já někde jsem cítil v duši své

poprvé, že mě má někdo rád.

A jak blázen zas v létě půjdu tam

a znát chci to místo, kde může totéž se stát.

Krajem já šel,

šel dál jak v snách

a s láskou chtěl zas

stoupat na rodný práh.

Já ctím ten kraj.

Tam líp mě znaj.

A pořád jen tam hledám

ztracený ráj.

Table 4 “I Am… I Said”

Neil Diamond’s song is a scream to the world about an existential crisis of the protagonist.

A man lost between two big American cities, not belonging to either one of them, tries to find

his place. Poštulka’s version can be considered its very distant – and to a great extent

domesticated – parallel. The protagonist, too, is lost between two places, but they are not

cities or towns in the United States. The original surroundings are replaced by an old

apartment building and some indeterminate sunny place. The exact location is not mentioned,

but a difference is indicated. For many people, living in Czechoslovakia during the period of

normalization meant living in housing estates where families were often crammed in small

apartments (Hromková 2017). Sometimes it meant difficult living conditions, however, the

feeling of living in tiny dark places could be easily overshadowed by good memories. The

Czechoslovak listeners could probably better identify with the living in and moving out of an

apartment building than traveling between two big American cities.

The first two verses express the same feeling of not belonging anywhere, although the

destinations and the feelings are categorically different.

30

Diamond 1971: lines 1-8:

L.A.’s fine, the sun shines most the time

And the feeling is “lay back”

Palm trees grow and rents are low

But you know I keep thinkin’ about

Making my way back

Well I’m New York City born and raised

But nowadays I’m lost between two shores

L.A.’s fine, but it ain’t home

New York’s home but it ain’t mine no more

Poštulka 1971: lines 1-8:

Vzpomínám na činžák,

kde jsem žil,

na tu hrůzu modrých stěn.

Dětský pláč a samý rváč.

Bez sklepní bitvy, přísahám vám,

nebyl nikdy den.

Pak jen útěk byl mou záchranou

a teď slunce svítí oknem mým.

Co mě táhne stále zpět

do míst, o nichž spoustu let jen sním?


I remember the apartment building,

where I used to live,

the dread of the blue walls.

Baby’s cry and brawlers all around.

Without a fight in the basement, I swear,

A day wouldn’t go by.

Then only an escape was my salvation

and now the sun is shining through my window.

What is it that still pulls me back

to the places I’ve been just dreaming about for so

many years?

The original depicts both places as good. The protagonist is, though, unable to experience the

real belonging or happiness in connection to them. On the other hand, the Czech version

seems to describe a dark and violent place where the only hope is an escape to a better one.

As was mentioned above, many people emigrated after WWII, there were several big waves

of emigration, but people were leaving the country continuously (Petr Horký 2021). After

careful reading, the lyrics of the Czech version of the song might – to some – evoke the

feelings the emigrants might have had after they left Czechoslovakia. Feeling of regret and

wondering what it might have been like if they stayed.

Both the songs are about unfulfilled expectations. The original is rather about not

finding happiness in riches and fame, whereas the Czech one tells a story about the country

one should worship and appreciate. For even though it might seem that somewhere else life

31

might be better, the reality is different. The song carefully manipulates the listeners into

relishing life in their country without them even noticing it. The original theme of celebration

of American cities and the life there disappears, and listeners of Poštulka’s version are left

“looking for the lost paradise” (literal translation of Poštulka 1971: lines 37-38) that is

probably at home.

The language of both versions is similarly simple. There are no long phrases in either

one of them, and the actions are described without any metaphorical or overly poetic

expressions. The lyricist did a good job preserving the narrative style of the original.

4.2.4. “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”

Kristoffer Kristofferson 1969:

Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down

Well, I woke up Sunday morning

With no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt

And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad

So I had one more for dessert

Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes

And found my cleanest dirty shirt

And I washed my face and combed my hair

And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day

I’d smoked my brain the night before

On cigarettes and songs that I’d been pickin’

But I lit my first and watched a small kid

Cussin’ at a can that he was kicking

Then I crossed the empty street

And caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin’ chicken

And it took me back to somethin’

That I’d lost somehow, somewhere along the way

On the Sunday morning sidewalk

Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned

‘Cause there’s something in a Sunday

Makes a body feel alone

There ain’t nothin’ short of dyin’

Half as lonesome as the sound

On the sleepin’ city sidewalks

Sunday mornin’ comin’ down

In the park I saw a daddy

With a laughin’ little girl who he was swingin’

And I stopped beside a Sunday school

Listened to the song they were singin’


Nedělní ráno

Zvonil budík, bylo ráno,

V hlavě mé byl kámen snad a pod ním tma.

Když jsem snídal džbánek piva,

Ještě zdálo se, že divnou příchuť má.

Když jsem spláchl chladnou vodou z očí sny

A z tváře závoj šedivý,

řek mi pohled pouhý z okna ven,

že nedělní je den a lenivý.

Já cítil dál, že v ústech mám chuť cigaret

A písní prošlé noci.

Tak jsem vyšel ven a díval se,

Jak slunce nový den má ve své moci.

A pak mi vánek poslal vstříc tu vůni nedělní,

Co z horkých ploten voní

A náhle chtěl jsem být zas s tebou

Někde za městem ve stínu jabloní.

Chtěl bych být v nedělní ráno

V chodníku kvádrem žulovým

A proč divný smutek mívám,

To snad se nikdy nedovím.

A snad i smrt je méně vážná,

Než tyhle chvíle nedělní,

Kéž mi zvony ranní písní

Na prášek srdce rozmělní.

Šel jsem dál tou vůní ranní

Kolem bílých kočárků a dětských mašlí.

Pak jsem dlouho stál a díval se

Na věci, které svět občas krášlí.

32

Then I headed back for home

And somewhere far away a lonesome bell was ringin’

And it echoed through the canyons

Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday




Makes a body feel alone








Makes your body feel alone





Snad vrátil se mi zrak a já se najednou

Zas díval na svět zpříma,

Teď už možná tvému štěstí lépe rozumím,

Ač vím, že nejsi má.

Já chtěl bych být v nedělní ráno


A proč divný smutek mívám,

To snad se nikdy nedovím.

A snad i smrt je méně vážná,

Než tyhle chvíle nedělní,

Kéž mi zvony ranní písní

Na prášek srdce rozmělní

Table 5 “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”

Another of the lyrics from Czech songwriter Vladimír Poštulka at first seems to copy the

original version almost completely. Both the original and the Czech version tell a story of a

man waking up on Sunday morning with a hangover from Saturday evening. While the

original confesses its content already in the title, the Czech version is a bit more mysterious.

“Nedělní ráno” is only a part of the name the original song has. Perhaps the title would be too

much, for originally it essentially says: “Sunday morning hangover”.

The beginning of the song is almost identical, and even the Czech version confesses

being a song about Saturday drinking, there are, nonetheless, significant shifts in the use of

figures of speech:

Kristofferson 1969: lines 1-4:

Well, I woke up Sunday morning

With no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt

And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad

So I had one more for dessert


Zvonil budík, bylo ráno,

V hlavě mé byl kámen snad a pod ním tma.


The alarm went off, it was morning,

A stone was in my head and darkness below it

33

Když jsem snídal džbánek piva,

Ještě zdálo se, že divnou příchuť má.

As I was having a mug of beer for breakfast

It still seemed to have a strange taste

The ironic casual remark – so characteristic of Kristofferson’s style – about the “head that

didn’t hurt” (Kristofferson 1969: line 2) is replaced with a metaphor about a “stone […] and a

darkness below it” (Poštulka 1973: line 2). The honesty of the original is, again, replaced with

a more pleasing and more poetic language. Although the protagonist admits to drinking beer,

the Czech text does not fully imitate the initial mood of the original version. Kristofferson’s

version is somewhat rawer and more straightforward. Two beers become one, the line “I’d

smoked my brain the night before” (Kristofferson 1969: line 9) changes into sleeker and

poetic “Já cítil dál, že v ústech mám chuť cigaret” (Poštulka 1973: line 9). And the “smell of

someone fryin’ chicken” (Kristofferson 1969: line 14) becomes a poetic “Sunday smell”

(literal translation of Poštulka 1973: line 14).

Even the first few lines of the Czech refrain eliminate the impression of the

protagonist of the original version. Not only the rawness of wishing for being stoned

disappears, and is replaced with much more poetic ambition, but also the “Lord” vanishes in

the Czech version of the song:





Chtěl bych být nedělní ráno



I would like to be the Sunday morning

The granite block in the sidewalk

The alcohol and other drugs were, amongst other things, objectionable, and the less of them in

public media – whose role music performed – the better. Moreover, the state of being stoned

was probably unknown to a majority of Czechoslovak citizens. Therefore the aim was

34

probably to get rid of them in songs that were often played on the national radio and other

media.

The disappearance of the religious elements can be attributed to the regime’s approach

to religion, and the attempted “liberation of the working masses from religious prejudices”

(Smith 2019) for the religious beliefs were considered false by the communist regime, and

Marx himself called it “the opium of the people” (Zacharia 2020). In other words, religion

stayed in the way of communism, and it most likely needed to be removed from the stage.

The text of the song “Nedělní ráno” is one of the more faithful copies of the originals.

After a more thorough examination of the lyrics, one finds many substantial differences that

somehow change their mood and make them a whole lot less provocative. The text loses

Kristofferson’s distinctive raw and ironic style and becomes a more common and pleasing

work of art.

4.2.5. “Vincent”

Don McLean 1972:

Vincent

Starry, starry night

Paint your palette blue and gray

Look out on a summer’s day

With eyes that know the darkness in my soul

Shadows on the hills

Sketch the trees and the daffodils

Catch the breeze and the winter chills

In colors on the snowy, linen land

Now, I understand

what you tried to say to me

And how you suffered for your sanity

And how you tried to set them free

They would not listen, they did not know how

Perhaps they’ll listen now


Flaming flowers that brightly blaze

Swirling clouds in violet haze

Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue

Colors changing hue

Morning fields of amber grain

Zdeněk Rytíř 1973:

Vincent

Stále stejnou tmou

Svítí plátno bloudících,

Malíř půlnoc kreslí smích,

Ten obraz píseň zpívá pojednou.

Stíny na kopcích,

Ticho hnízd a moudrý sníh

Svál sem hřích všech dětských cích

V těch barvách, které prosí tě pojď k nám.

Já už vím a znám,

Co jsi tenkrát toužil říct

A jak jsi trpěl pro své nadání

Učit lidi vidět víc,

Však nebyl nikdo, kdo by naslouchal,

Snad dnes tu s tebou stál.

Stále stejnou tmou,

Stejné louky tu hoří dnes,

Mrak je láká do nebes,

Kde Vincentovy modré oči sní.

Jak jen pozmění

Barvy žhnoucích slunečnic,

35

Weathered faces lined in pain

Are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand

Now, I understand,

what you tried to say to me

How you suffered for your sanity

How you tried to set them free



For they could not love you

But still your love was true

And when no hope was left inside

On that starry, starry night

You took your life as lovers often do

But I could have told you, Vincent

This world was never meant for one

As beautiful as you


Portraits hung in empty halls

Frameless heads on nameless walls

With eyes that watch the world and can’t forget

Like the strangers that you’ve met

The ragged men in ragged clothes

The silver thorn of bloody rose

Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow

Now, I think I know what you tried to say to me

How you suffered for your sanity

How you tried to set them free

They would not listen, they’re not listening still

Perhaps they never will

Vítr v tváři má pár skic,

To smýknul štětcem touhy van Gogh sám.







A svět tě tak trýznil,

Tvou lásku splácel zlým.

Jen černé vrány nad hlavou

Ctí tvou mysl bolavou,

Svět nazval velkou vášeň šílenstvím

A já chci ti říct Vincente,

že není nikde svět pro lásku

Tvou, se kterou bdím.

Stále stejnou tmou,

Portrét v tichu muzejním,

Něžná dlaň, hold váženým

Všem očím, které nesmí rozumět.

Prohlíží si prázdnou zeď

A chlápka v cárech nejchudších,

V tvých růžích trn snad ostřejší,

Než kord, co slouží srdci divným hrám.

Já už dávno znám, co jsi tenkrát toužil říct



Však není nikdo, kdo by naslouchal

Tak hledat musíš dál.

Table 6 “Vincent”

Don McLean wrote the song after reading a book about Vincent Van Gogh and realizing that

the artist’s life was not only the cliche he thought it was, and so he wrote the lyrics of

“Vincent” to shed light on Van Gogh’s story and to express his own pain (Paulson 2020). The

Czech version imitates the overall mood of the original as well as the individual language

elements. Except for a few discrepancies, the lyrics are very similar.

Although the mood described is the same in both of the lyrics, the original is a bit

more specific, for immediately the first line says that the painting Starry Night is the

inspiration for the whole song. The “Starry, starry night” (McLean 1972: line 1) changes into

less informative: “Stále stejnou tmou” (Rytíř 1973: line 1), which does not refer to Van

Gogh’s work directly, nonetheless it induces a very similar effect on the listener.

36

McLean 1972: lines 9-14:

Now, I understand

What you tried to say to me

And how you suffered for your sanity

And how you tried to set them free



Rytíř 1973: lines 9-14:








I already know and I understand

What you longed to say back then

And how you suffered for your talent

Teaching people to see more

But there was no one who would listen

Perhaps he was standing here with you today

There is a slight change that somehow sleekens the Czech text, for it deletes the reference to

Van Gogh’s mental health when the word “sanity” is changed for “talent”. In Rytíř’s version,

his sanity is addressed only later in the song, where there is the reference to Van Gogh’s

“aching mind” but only at the cost of deleting the mention of suicide that creates the climax of

the original McLean’s version of the song.


For they could not love you

But still your love was true

And when no hope was left inside

On that starry, starry night

You took your life as lovers often do

But I could have told you, Vincent

This world was never meant for one

As beautiful as you


A svět tě tak trýznil,

Tvou lásku splácel zlým.

Jen černé vrány nad hlavou

Ctí tvou mysl bolavou

Svět nazval velkou vášeň šílenstvím

A já chci ti říct, Vincente,

Že není nikde svět pro lásku

Tvou, se kterou bdím


And the world tortured you so,

It repaid your love with evil

Only the black crows overhead

Honour your aching mind

The world has called a great passion a madness

And I want to tell you, Vincent,

That there is no world for the love of yours

With which I stay awake

37

“Vincent” written for the Czechoslovak audience is only another proof that the texts were

(often unnoticeably) changed and somewhat sleekened. The changes, though, are minor, and

they probably cannot even be attributed to the period in which the lyrics were created. The

language means are very similar, and the figurativeness of both texts is on a very similar

level.

4.2.6. “I’ve Been a Long Time Leavin’”

Roger Miller 1966:

I’ve Been a Long Time Leavin’

I’ve been a fool, I’ve been a fool

Forgivin’ you each time that you’ve done me wrong

I’ve been a long time leavin’

but it’ll be a long time gone

Loved you so much, I loved you so much

I stayed around when I should’ve moved along

I’ve been a long time leaving


Hello high line, hello highway

Here come a big old semi my way

Stick up my thumb, hear the truck come

Trees goin’ by, lookin’ like a fly

On the big legs are my Levi’s





Hello high line, hello highway

Here come a big old semi my way

I stick up my thumb, hear the truck come

Trees goin’ by, lookin’ like a fly

On the big legs are my Levi’s




But it’ll be a long time gone


Já jsem byl bloud

Já jsem byl bloud, já jsem byl bloud,

já hříchy tvé odpouštím pořád jen,

teď vím, že nesmím váhat,

já zmizím dřív, než skončí den,

dddd dddd dddd dede den.

Měl jsem tě rád, měl jsem tě rád,

teď toulaví ptáci lákají mě ven,

já vím, že nesmím váhat,

já zmizím dřív, než skončí den.

Tak mi šálu, kabát, klobouk můj dej,

pak jen ze dveří za mnou mávej.

Já čekám svůj vlak, půjdu rád pak,

kde snad najdu klid, budu mít se jak v ráji.

Slyším vlak, zvuky kol už z dálky zněj,

klapou hup hup hup hup hu hu hu hu.

Já jsem byl bloud, já jsem byl bloud,



já zmizím dřív, než skončí den.

Tak mi šálu, kabát, klobouk můj dej,

pak jen ze dveří za mnou mávej.

Já čekám svůj vlak, půjdu rád pak,

kde snad najdu klid, budu mít se jak v ráji.

Slyším vlak, zvuky kol už z dálky zněj,

klapou hup hup hup hup hu hu hu hu.

Já jsem byl bloud, cha cha, já jsem byl bloud,



já zmizím dřív, než skončí den,

den den den, den den den.

Table 7 “I’ve Been a Long Time Leavin’”

38

Another song from Poštulka’s workshop is, despite completely different names of the two

songs, a very faithful translation. The authors of the texts each chose a different line to name

the song with. The Czech cover version, nonetheless, kept the majority of crucial features of

the original. The meaning of Roger Miller’s lyrics that tell a story of a man singing about

being done wrong by his women is almost exactly transferred to the target language. There

are just seemingly negligible changes in the text. At first glance, they look like they were

made for the purpose of domestication of the text – to make it more relatable to the Czech-

speaking audience.

The individual verses of the songs are to a great extent identical and could be

considered an almost word-for-word translation. There are a few instances where the simple

description of action changes into a more metaphorical expression. “I stayed around when I

should’ve moved along” (Miller 1966: line 5) is replaced with “teď toulaví ptáci lákají mě

ven” (Poštulka 1975: line 5) and in the refrain, the line describing the movement of the truck,

comparing trees to flies, changes into the elegiac wish of a better place: “kde snad najdu klid,

budu mít se jak v ráji” (Poštulka 1975: line 10). The refrain is the most changed part of the

song. It has the same meaning and the rhymes, too, sound very similar. Nonetheless, Poštulka

somewhat domesticates its content. The lines about hitchhiking and stopping a semitrailer:

“Here come a big old semi my way / Stick up my thumb, hear the truck come” (Miller 1966:

lines 8-9) change into – for the Czech audience more familiar and relatable – : “Slyším vlak,

zvuky kol už z dálky zněj” (Poštulka 1975: line 11). This change can be attributed to the fact

that trains were associated with the idea of carefree traveling, and the road freight traffic was

not that usual.

Another – almost unnoticeable change – is that the mention of Levi’s in the last line of

the original refrain seems to somehow disappear from the text. This deletion, however, cannot

be considered a mere act of domestication of the text. Rather, it might be the consequence of

39

the fact that for a long time, jeans (and especially Levi’s or “levisky” – the true American

jeans) were a symbol of western culture, and therefore of the opposition to the regime

(Vránková 2009). People perceived them as a symbol of resistance. Even Pavel Bobek

himself said that wearing the American jeans meant defiance of the regime (Vránková 2009).

And although Bobek was not allowed to sing about the American jeans, surprisingly enough,

he never had a problem with wearing them.

Despite the similarity of the sound and the meaning of the lyrics, they passed the

censorship, Bobek recorded the song, and he successfully managed to mimic the original

style.

4.2.7. “Ann”

Billy Edd Wheeler 1964:

Ann

I know, I’ll never meet another

hunk or woman like my Ann

She makes me feel like a great big man

I’m gonna go tell her mama

what I think about her, say, thank you ma’am

for giving me your daughter Ann

She sure is stacked from her toes

to the birdie little nape

of her neck she’s packed like a seed in a grape,

she’s smooth as marble skin

When I see her I believe, I’m a real young guy

And every time I go to work, I think I might die if I can’t

hurry home again

If the good Lord worked all night at makin’ me a female

plan

I’d say, no thanks Lord, I’ll just keep Ann

How could I

ever look at any other woman when I’ve got Ann

I feel so good when she takes my hand, yeah

I’m gonna go tell her daddy

what I think about her, say, thank you man

for giving me your daughter Ann

When I come home and I feel like

I’ve been run over

by a ten-ton truck she can rub my shoulder


Má dívka “N”

Sázím se o co chcete,

že na světě není více žen,

co se rovnají mé dívce “N”.

Dá mi voňavou pusu

a já v okamžiku tom jsem přesvědčen,

nemůže být nad krásnou “N”.

Má bílou pleť jako sníh,

za to hlavu položím

a na ústech med, proto snad vydržím

spíš půst, nežli být bez ní.

Tak získávám vědomí, že i milión mám,

a ačkoliv jsem bez peněz, tak přechovávám ten

malý klenot líbezný.

Kdyby samotnou krásnou vílu z hor mi sem přivál fén,

já řeknu díky vám, já patřím “N”.

Mám přání,

abych uměl opakovat stokrát sto něžných jmen

a příběhů, jež mi říká “N”.

Dá mi bolavou duši

zase dohromady a pro tu chvíli jen,

znám poslání své vlídné “N”.

Když smůla zlá poručí,

že i přijde nouze,

pak anděl “N” pošeptá mi pouze,

že stůl a přístřeší

40

and ease my aches and pains

If I lose my job and I’m down to a silver dollar

and I feel like a dried up gourd in a holler,

she soothes my brow

like summer rain

If the good Lord worked a hundred years at makin’ me a

female plan

I’d say, no, thanks, Lord, I’ll just keep Ann

I know, I’ll never meet another

hunk or woman like my Ann


If the good Lord worked a hundred years at makin’ me a

female plan



znamená snad víc, nežli zámek a spousta krásy

a že “N” dokud mám jsou v úžasu časy

a tak trápení mi vyřeší.

Kdyby samotnou krásnou vílu z hor mi sem

přivál fén,

já řeknu díky vám, já patřím “N”,

vzkážu dík vám, já patřím “N”.

Table 8 “Ann”

As was mentioned earlier in the text, the song “Má dívka ‘N’” by Jiří Grossmann resembles

its original for the Czech version sounds like it was being sung in English. Although the name

Ann exists in Czech, its Czech version is Anna – pronounced [ʌnʌ] – which does not sound

like the original name. Unlike in the songs “Cupid” and “Úsvit”, the sound form is not the

only thing that connects the two versions of this song. Like its original, “Ann” by Billy Edd

Wheeler, Grossmann’s version tells a story of a man singing about his beautiful woman.

To be able to imitate the sound to the extent Grossmann does, the sacrifices in the

semantic field need to be more extensive than a translation would allow. Although the texts

communicate the same message, the means of telling the story are a bit different. The target

text is “extensively modified” (Munday 2009: 166), and still, it resembles the source text to a

great extent. It is, therefore, a perfect example of an adaptation. This can be demonstrated

right in the first verse:

Wheeler 1964: lines 1-4:

I know, I’ll never meet another hunk or woman like my Ann


I’m gonna go tell her mama what I think about her, say, thank you ma’am

For giving me your daughter Ann



41

Sázím se o co chcete,

že na světě není více žen,

Co se rovnají mé dívce ‘N’.

Dá mi voňavou pusu

a já v okamžiku tom jsem přesvědčen,

Nemůže být nad krásnou ‘N’.

I bet you what you want,

there are no more women in the world,

That match my girl ‘N’.

She gives me a scented kiss

and at that moment I am convinced

That there is nothing above my beautiful ‘N’.

The original is somewhat more straightforward and even a bit cheeky. The protagonist talks

about a “hunk” (Wheeler 1964: line 1) that “sure is stacked” (Wheeler 1964: line 5), as

opposed to the Czech version, in which the author uses commonplace and considerably less

provocative expressions, such as “beautiful” (author’s translation of Grossmann 1975: line 4)

and a “sweet little jewel” (author’s translation of Grossmann 1975: line 10). The expressions

used make the target text more likable and not as rude as the source text. In addition to the

flattening of the Czech lyrics, the Czech version leaves out the protagonist’s thanking to all

that helped to create Ann, including the “Lord”. The girl’s parents and the God are replaced

with a general “you” which somehow makes the song lose the element so characteristic of

many of the American songs.


If the good Lord worked all night at makin’ me a female plan

I’d say, no thanks Lord, I’ll just keep Ann


Kdyby samotnou krásnou vílu z hor mi sem

přivál fén,

Já řeknu díky vám, já patřím ‘N’.


If a foehn brought me a beautiful fairy from

the mountains

I’d say thanks to you, I belong to ‘N’.

Like in many other cases, the language of the song changes, and the raw and expressive

information style of the original changes into an overly poetic version of itself. It can be

demonstrated on the second verse of the song:


When I come home and I feel like I’ve been run over

By a ten-ton truck she can rub my shoulder

An ease my aches and pain

42

If I lose my job and I’m down to a silver dollar

And I feel like a dried up gourd in a holler, she soothes my brow

Like a summer rain

The explicit feeling of being “run over by a ten-ton truck” (Wheeler 1964: lines 17-18) is

expressed by a poetic “smůla zlá poručí, že i přijde nouze” (Grossmann 1975: line 17) and

being “down to a silver dollar” (Wheeler 1964: line 20) is made into: “stůl a přístřeší

znamená snad víc, nežli zámek a spousta krásy” (Grossmann 1975: lines 19-20). The shift in

imagery is noticeable throughout the whole text. Nonetheless, despite the number of changes,

the result of the mediation resembles the original to a great extent, and it conveys the same

message even if using more poetic language.

4.2.8. “Don’t Bogart Me”

Elliot Ingber and Lawrence J. Wagner 1968:

Don’t Bogart Me

Don’t bogart that joint, my friend

Pass it over to me


Pass it over to me

Roll another one

Just like the other one

You’ve been hanging on to it

And I sure would like a hit


Pass it over to me


Pass it over to me

Roll another one

Just like the other one

That one’s just about burnt to the end

So come on and be a real friend


Pass it over to me


Pass it over to me


Pass it over to me


Pass it over to me


Pojď stoupat jak dým

Pojď stoupat jak dým, až tam,

kam jen ptáci mohou.

Pojď stoupat jak dým,

až tam, kam jen ptáci mohou.

Plout po nebi jen,

výškou být opojen

jen své sny si můžeš vzít

tam kde vládne mír a klid.





Plout po nebi jen,

výškou být opojen

jako dým z mé dýmky nebem pluj

za sebou nech zem a smutek svůj.







Table 9 “Don’t Bogart Me”

43

After hearing the original, “Pavel Bobek was delighted with the idea of a song about cannabis

and the lyricist had a task that had been bothering him for several days. How do you write a

song about weed without using that word?” (author’s translation of Dědek 2012). Vladimír

Poštulka, the author of the Czech version of the song, claims that he managed to preserve the

original meaning of the song and that the censor did not notice the true meaning of its lyrics

(Dědek 2012).

With a bit of effort and prior knowledge of the original song, one might be able to tell

what it is that the two versions have in common. However, as the censor Dědek talks about in

his article, the majority of the listeners probably failed to recognize the Czech song’s true

meaning. The crude language of the original which, with its limited vocabulary, perfectly

evokes the act of smoking a marihuana joint becomes an almost spiritual song about heaven.

The most repeated lines – in the original very trivial and straightforward – turn into a

metaphoric expression suggestive of heaven in an almost religious sense.

Ingber and Wagner 1968: lines 1-2:


Pass it over to me





Come up like smoke as high

As only the birds can go

The impression of a spiritual song is reinforced by the lines: “jen své sny si můžeš vzít / tam

kde vládne mír a klid” (Poštulka 1975: lines 7-8) that replace the English: “You’ve been

hanging on to it / And I sure would like a hit” (Ingber and Wagner 1968: lines 7-8).

The culmination comes towards the end of the song, where a remark about an ending

of a joint: “That one’s just about burnt to the end / So come on and be a friend” (Ingber and

Wagner 1968: lines 15-16) is transformed to: “jako dým z mé dýmky nebem pluj / za sebou

44

nech zem a smutek svůj” (Poštulka 1975: lines 15-16) that seem to invite the listener to the

afterlife.

Although the author attempted to recreate the original meaning of the song, it got

practically lost during the process of translation. But had it been more like the source text, it

probably would not pass the censorship.

4.2.9. “Smokey Put the Sweat on Me”


Smokey Put the Sweat on Me

I’ve known some women in every state

New York City to the Golden Gate

I’ve lived with some, and buddy, I loved ‘em all.

(Yes, I did)

But no one woman had a claim on me

‘Cause I still had a lotta world to see

And I sometimes stagger, but sugar, I seldom fall.

Then like a hungry man, I went to Louisiana

Where the lovin’ and the livin’ was good

Without a care to hide and just as satisfied as I could be.

A lotta women and wine and not a tie to bind me

And behaving just as cool as I could

‘Til that long legged, sweet walkin’ ravenhaired cajun lookin’

Devil put the sweat on me

They call her Smokey, she’s a little bit-a evil

Smokey, right as wrong can be.

Smokey, she could shake the very devil

Smokey put the sweat on me.

Oh, my pulse is a beatin’ to the clickety clack

Of this one-way ride that’s gonna take me back

And my body’s just a-breathin’ in that Mississippi River smell

Well, my feet wasn’t ready yet for settling down

But my soul kept tellin’ me to turn around

And the longer I tried to fight it, the harder I fell

And like a hungry man, I went to Louisiana

Where the lovin’ and the livin’ is good

I’ll get a brand new bride and be as satisfied as I can be

And I won’t even mind the world I’m leavin’ behind

Because I never really thought that I could

‘Til that long legged, sweet walkin’ ravenhaired cajun looking

Devil put the sweat on me.

They call her Smokey, she’s a little bit-a evil

Smokey, right as wrong can be

Smokey, she could shake the very devil


Tak já se loučím

Jak monzun prošel jsem celý svět

A velkoměsta znám už nazpaměť,

Ve všech žil jsem sám chladný, jak jižní pól.

Možná víc.

Mě žádná žena dlouho nezdrží,

Mám svůj cíl, dokud dýchám, mám proč žít,

Neznám smůlu, smutek a kašlu na světobol.

Jediným zákonem mi bylo chladné ráno,

V kterém začínala má nová pouť

Na hrázi přístavní, kde jsem postával jak prázdný šíf.

Dálka nekonečná, to se jen krásně říká,

Dokud nezkusíš jak já po ní plout

Skončí tam, kde tvé kroky zastaví dívčí boky,

Probudí tvé svědomí.

Tak já se loučím, už mě nebudete vídat,

Loučím se svým soužením,

Loučím se, že nechci města střídat,

Pozítří se ožením, óó, pozítří se ožením.

Já měl jsem to ráno v krvi od dětských let,

Znal jsem pouze cestu tam a žádnou zpět

A mé rodiče to trápilo, že dělal jsem si, jen co jsem chtěl.

Pro mě klid byl vždycky velkou neznámou,

Někdy chtěl jsem se vrátit domů za mámou

A říct jí, co tenkrát v mládí jsem říct neuměl.

Jediným zákonem mi bylo chladné ráno,

V kterém začínala má nová pouť

Na hrázi přístavní, kde jsem postával jak prázdný šíf.


Dokud nezkusíš jak já po ní plout

Skončí tam, kde tvé kroky zastaví dívčí boky,




Loučím se, že nechci města střídat,

45

Smokey put the sweat on me

Smokey put the sweat on me

Awww, Smokey put the sweat on me.

Pozítří se ožením, óó, pozítří se ožením,

Pozítří se ožením, jé, pozítří se ožením,


Table 10 “Smokey Put the Sweat on Me”

The Czech version of another of Kristofferson’s songs, this time transferred to the target

language by Zdeněk Rytíř, shares many features with the one already discussed. Like in the

case of Poštulka’s version of “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”, Rytíř’s lyrics are similarly

less forthright. Although the original and the Czech version both have the same theme, the

language used, and the places and events described differ.

One of the most obvious changes is the exchange of the American toponymy for a

more general naming of places or a completely different expression. In the first instance, the

line: “New York City to the Golden Gate” (Kristofferson 1972: line 2), used to describe one

of the easternmost and of the westernmost places of the United States, is replaced with “the

whole world” (author’s translation of Rytíř 1975: line 1). This change makes the text more

suitable for the mid-European audience, for even if the toponymy had been preserved

somehow, the average Czechoslovak listener probably would not be aware of the locations of

different American places. Further in the text, other places that can be found in the US

disappear and are substituted by different expressions or omitted completely. “Louisiana”

(Kristofferson 1972: lines 8, 25) becomes a “great beyond” (author’s translation of Rytíř

1975: lines 11, 28) and the “Mississippi River smell” somehow vanishes. This strategy

probably cannot be considered a domestication, rather a kind of generalization of the specific

information which can be found in the original text.

The original revolves around one specific woman that was able to tame the

protagonist, who initially admits to “love ‘em all” (Kristofferson 1972: line 3). The woman,

“Smokey” is described in the refrain as a “long legged, sweet walkin’ ravenhaired cajun

looking devil” (Kristofferson 1972: line 13). This rather apt description of the woman gives

the listener the chance to imagine the situation of the protagonist who, after being everywhere

46

and trying everything – and enjoying it – is finally tied up by this “a little bit-a evil […], right

as wrong can be” (Kristofferson 1975: line 15) one.

Although the Czech version describes the same (or similar) sequence of events that

lead to the protagonist settling down, the text leaves a different impression. There is no

specific mention of the one woman that tames the protagonist who is enjoying his life. The

end of the effervescent era is indicated only by the lyrics of the refrain:




Loučím se, že nechci města střídat



So I say goodbye, you will no longer be seeing me

I say goodbye to my misery

I say goodbye, I don’t want to change cities anymore

The day after tomorrow I’m getting married, oh,

The day after tomorrow I’m getting married

And by the line where the protagonist’s “steps are stopped by a girl’s hips” (author’s

translation of Rytíř 1975: line 13). The Czech text indicates, that rather than being quelled by

a mean woman, the protagonist decided to end the supposedly great – but irresponsible, way

of living that brought him misery – and he wants to continue his life as a married man:



Dokud nezkusíš jak po ní plout

Skončí tam,

kde tvé kroky zastaví dívčí boky,



The great beyond, it’s just a beautiful thing to say

Until you try to sail it

It ends

where your steps are stopped by a girl’s hips

It awakens your conscience.

The language of the original is very straightforward. Although “Tak já se loučím” is

somewhat bolder than the texts discussed so far, the meaning is still often conveyed more

poetically. The simple descriptions of events are substituted for less specific but more poetic

lines. “I went to Louisiana” (Kristofferson 1972: line 8) changes into a poetic: “začínala má

nová pout” (Rytíř 1975: line 9) and “my feet wasn’t ready for settling down” is replaced with

vague: “Pro mě klid byl vždycky velkou neznámou” (Rytíř 1975: line 22). Through these

47

changes, the impression of the song is somewhat reversed. Nonetheless, Rytíř managed to, at

least partially, re-tell the story of Kristofferson’s protagonist.

4.2.10. “Take Me Home, Country Roads”

Bill Danoff, John Denver, Taffy Nivert 1971:

Take Me Home, Country Roads

Almost heaven, West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountain, Shenandoah River

Life is old there, older than the trees

Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze

Country roads, take me home

To the place I belong

West Virginia

Mountain mamma,

take me home Country roads

All my memories, gather around her

Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water

Dark and dusty, painted on the sky

Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye



West Virginia

Mountain Mamma,

take me home Country roads

I hear her voice in the morning hour as she calls me

The radio reminds me of my home far away

Driving down the road I get a feeling

That I should have been home

yesterday, yesterday



West Virginia

Mountain Mamma, take me home

Country roads



West Virginia, West Virginia

Mountain Mamma, oh Mamma, take me home

Country roads

Take me home, that country road

Take me home, that country road


Veď mě dál, cesto má

Někde v dálce cesty končí,

každá prý však cíl svůj skrývá.

Někde v dálce, každá má svůj cíl,

ať je pár mil dlouhá anebo tisíc mil.

Veď mě dál cesto má,

veď mě dál, vždyť i já

tam kde končíš,

chtěl bych dojít,

veď mě dál cesto má.

Chodím dlouho po všech cestách,

všechny znám je, jen ta má mi zbývá.

Je jak dívky, co jsem měl tak rád,

plná žáru bývá, hned zas samý chlad.



tam kde končíš,

chtěl bych dojít,


Pak na patník poslední napíšu křídou,

jméno své a pod něj, že jsem žil hrozně rád.

Písně své, co mi v kapsách zbydou,

dám si bandou cvrčků hrát

a půjdu spát, půjdu spát.



tam kde končíš,

chtěl bych dojít,




tam kde končíš,

chtěl bych dojít,




Table 11 “Take Me Home, Country Roads”

48

A song recorded and co-written by John Denver was composed as a tribute and a celebration

of American nature, its mountains, rivers, and endless roads (West Virginia University

Athletics). The protagonist is speaking about the beauties of his home and all that beckons

him to come back there. Although the road is the central theme of the Czech version, the

original idea of the text is not preserved at all.

The American nature and the home the protagonist is admiring are erased and replaced

with a description of an indefinite distance:

Danoff, Denver, Nivert 1971: lines 1-4:

Almost heaven, West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountain, Shenandoah River

Life is old there, older than the trees

Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze


Někde v dálce cesty končí,

Každá prý však cíl svůj skrývá.

Někde v dálce, každá má svůj cíl,

Ať je pár mil dlouhá, nebo tisíc mil.


Somewhere in the distance, all the roads end

But each is said to hide its end

Somewhere in the distance, each of them has its end

Whether it is a few miles long or a thousand miles

The message of Poštulka’s lyrics is that inevitably, all roads lead to an end. What might seem

to be a song about traveling and exploring different roads turns out to be quite a pessimistic

song about the inevitable end of everything. In the second half of the lyrics, instead of

describing the way home – as in the original text – the author of the Czech text even indirectly

indicates that the protagonist himself is thinking about his own death:

Danoff, Denver, Nivert 1971: lines 19-20:

I hear her voice in the morning hour as she calls me

The radio reminds me of my home far away


Pak na patník poslední napíšu křídou

Jméno své a pod něj, že jsem žil hrozně rád.


Then on the last bollard, I will write in chalk

My name and under it that I lived living.

49

The “last bollard” refers to a gravestone on which the protagonist writes an epitaph. The verse

is then concluded with the words: “I will go to sleep” (author’s translation of Poštulka 1975:

line 23) that cannot mean anything else than the end of one of the roads.

A song about American nature is transformed into one about the end of life. Although

the road is present in the name of the original and the Czech version and throughout the

songs, the Czech version is so distant from the original version that it cannot be considered an

adaptation anymore.

4.2.11. “Who’s Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet”

The original lyrics of the song were composed by G. Foster in 1929. They were inspired by

old ballads and adapted many times before Zdeněk Rytíř created the version written in the

Czech language in 1975 (Rypens 2020). Foster’s version had been re-created and alternated

several times. The version with which Zdeněk Rytíř worked was probably the one recorded

by The Everly Brothers in 1958 (Songs Our Daddy Taught Us - The Everly Brothers):

Isaac Donald Everly and Philip Everly 1958:

Who’s Gonna shoe your pretty little feet?

Who’s gonna shoe your pretty little feet?

Who’s gonna glove your little hand?

Who’s gonna kiss your ruby-red lips?

Papa’s gonna shoe your pretty little feet

Mama’s gonna glove your little hand

And I’m gonna kiss your ruby-red lips

Who’s gonna shoe your pretty little feet?

Who’s gonna glove your little hand?

Who’s gonna kiss your ruby-red lips?

Papa’s gonna shoe your pretty little feet

Mama’s gonna glove your little hand

And I’m gonna kiss your ruby-red lips


Víš, kdo ti smí z tvých vlásků copy splést

Víš, kdo ti smí z tvých vlásků copy splést,

víš, kdo ti smí pohladit dlaň,

a víš, kdo tě smí na ústa políbit,

hm, hm, hm.

Táta, ten ti smí z tvých vlásků copy splést,

máma hladívá tvou malou dlaň

a já tě teď smím na ústa políbit,

hm, hm, hm.

Víš, kdo ti smí z tvých vlásků copy splést,

víš, kdo ti smí pohladit dlaň,

víš, kdo tě smí na ústa políbit,

hm, hm, hm.

Táta, ten ti smí z tvých vlásků copy splést,

máma hladívá tvou malou dlaň

a já tě teď smím na ústa políbit,

hm, hm, hm.

Table 12 “Who’s Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet”

50

Unlike the other adaptations of the original song, the one by The Everly Brothers has the

same rhythm and identical count of verses followed by the “hm” sound at the end of each of

them (Let’s Rock! 2016). The changes made during the process of translation are, therefore,

minimal.

The only thing the translator needed to alter more significantly was the song's name -

and consequently the wording in the first line of the song. The part of the phrase “shoe your

pretty little feet” (Everly and Everly 1958: line 1) changes into “z tvých vlásků copy splést”

(Rytíř 1975: line 1) and instead of the verb “glove” (Everly and Everly 1958: line 2), the verb

“pohladit” occurs in the Czech text.

Both the versions of the song are otherwise identical. The reason might be the length

and composition of the song because it is composed of only two verses that repeat.

4.2.12. “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”

Paul Simon 1975:

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

The problem is all inside your head, she said to me

The answer is easy if you take it logically

I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free

There must be fifty ways to leave your lover

She said, it’s really not my habit to intrude

Furthermore, I hope my meaning won’t be lost or misconstrued

But I’ll repeat myself at the risk of being crude


Fifty ways to leave your lover

You just slip out the back, Jack, make a new plan, Stan

You don’t need to be coy, Roy, just get yourself free

Hop on the bus, Gus, you don’t need to discuss much

Just drop off the key, Lee and get yourself free

Ooh, slip out the back, Jack, make a new plan, Stan

You don’t need to be coy, Roy, you just listen to me



She said it grieves me so to see you in such pain

I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again

I said I appreciate that and would you please explain

Michael Žantovský 1977:

Dvě stě cest, jak sbohem dávat

Řekla já nevím, proč se tváříš tragicky

všechno je prosté, když budeš myslet logicky

můžu ti pomoct chceš-li být volný na vždycky

je přece 200 cest, jak sbohem dávat.

Řekla vždyť víš, že se nechci do tvých věcí plést

a prosím nemysli, že tě chci jenom svést

jestli se omílám, pak zkus to ještě snést

je přece 200 cest, jak sbohem dávat.

200 cest, jak sbohem dávat.

Jen vymysli sám plán, nedumej proč, skoč

nebo zahoď svůj klíč pryč, běž po svém si žít.

Chyť příští vlak pak, už se nemusíš hádat

tak zadem se ztrať ať, smíš volný být.

Jen vymysli sám plán, nedumej proč skoč



tak zadem se ztrať ať, smíš volný být.

Řekla ty hloupý přestaň si to tak brát

přestaň se mračit, já teď chci se s tebou smát

povídám to je pěkné, tak zkus ještě popsat

51

About the fifty ways

She said, why don’t we both just sleep on it tonight?

And I believe in the morning you’ll begin to see the light

And then she kissed me and I realized she probably was right


Fifty ways to leave your lover









těch 200 cest.

Řekla pojď spát noc přece na všechno lék zná

a možná, že snad zítřek lepší odpověď ti dá

dala mi pusu a já připustil, že asi pravdu má

je přece 200 cest, jak sbohem dávat

200 cest, jak sbohem dávat.




tak zadem se strať ať, smíš volný být.




tak zadem se strať ať, smíš volný zas být.

Table 13 “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”

Although Paul Simon said that the song is just nonsense that popped into his head (50 Ways to

Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon), it has a catchy melody and quite relatable content which

Michael Žantovský managed to transmit to the Czech language very well. The tone, the

message, and the language of the Czech version are pretty much identical to the features of

the original:

Simon 1975: lines 1-4:

The problem is all inside your head, she said to me

The answer is easy if you take it logically

I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free


Žantovský 1977: lines 1-4:

Řekla já nevím, proč se tváříš tragicky

Všechno je prosté, když budeš myslet logicky

Můžu ti pomoct chceš-li být volný navždycky

Je přece 200 cest jak sbohem dávat.


She said I don’t know why you look tragic

Everything I simple if you think logically

I can help you if you want to be free forever

There are 200 ways to say goodbye

In every verse, there are slight changes made to the text, none of them, though, change the

meaning of the original. The expressions are equally straightforward, and the message of the

song stays the same. The number 50 is changed for 200 simply because the word “padesát”

does not have the number of syllables that would fit. And since there are only five ways listed

52

in both the songs, it does not matter at all. The majority of alterations are made just because of

the need to fit the lyrics to the pre-existing music.

The “she said” form that the original employs is maintained, and the language means

are very similar except for a few cases of mild poetizing of the Czech version. The more

overly poetic language of the Czech text, though, might be caused simply by the need to fit

the words to the lines.


She said, why don’t we both just sleep on it tonight?

And I believe in the morning you’ll begin to see the light


Řekla, pojď spát noc přece

na všechno lék zná

A možná, že zítřek snad lepší odpověď ti dá


She said go to sleep the night knows

the cure for everything

And perhaps tomorrow will give you better answer

The tendency to use poetic expressions is not – in comparison with other lyrics – as strong.

There are no significant changes, except for the ones made to the refrain:


You slip out the back, Jack, make a new plan, Stan




Žantovský 1977:

Jen vymysli plán,

nedumej proč, skoč

Nebo zahoď svůj klíč pryč, běž po svém si žít.

Chyť příští vlak pak,

už se nemusíš hádat

Tak zadem se ztrať ať, smíš volný být.


Just think up a plan,

don’t speculate why, jump

Or throw away your key and go live your way

Catch the next train,

you don’t have to argue anymore

Go out the back door so you can be free

The most obvious change made in the Czech text is the omission of the English names. The

reason for this might be the non-existent Czech equivalents of the man's names or the fact that

53

none of the Czech ones are monosyllabic in the genitive. The individual names are, therefore,

replaced with nonspecific addressing of one man – probably the protagonist.

Imitating not only the content but also the form of the original text, Žantovský’s lyrics

of the song “Dvě stě cest jak sbohem dávat” are one of the best translations examined in this

thesis.

4.2.13. “I May Smoke Too Much”


I May Smoke Too Much

Once my future was shiny as the

seat of my pants are today

Then old mother luck and all her

daughters started duckin’ me

When I finally got tired of just sittin’ there

watching my life slip away

I said I better start takin’ all the living

that’s a-comin’ to me

Now I love too much, fight too much

Stay out late at night too much

But you bet your butt I’m going to

live before I die

And I may smoke too much, drink too much

every blessed thing too much

It’s a low-down life, but it ain’t gonna pass me by

I don’t care if the world don’t ever hear

the sound of my name

And old mother luck and all her daughters

keep a-duckin’ me

As long as that cat that I gotta look at when

I shave ain’t ashamed

There ain’t no Jody in the world

I’d ever rather be.

Now I love too much, fight too much

Stay out late at night too much

But you bet your butt I’m going to

live before I die

And I may smoke too much, drink too much

every blessed thing too much

It’s a low-down life, but it ain’t gonna pass me by

Vít Hrubín 1977:

Proč mám v koutě stát

Slýchal jsem jako kluk,

že mě čeká jen zářivý cíl,

chtěl jsem všechno umět, všechno znát

a všechno hezké mít.

Však stárnul jsem dál a teď ze všech svých

nadějí mám směšný díl,

tak chci jen každý okamžik si vychutnat

jak budu sám chtít.

Proč mám v koutě stát dál se bát,

že čas mi mé sny chce brát,

tím zmeškal bych co právě

bych dopřál rád

a tak chci víno pít, lásky mít,

ze všech nocí své si vzít.

Čas okrádám a zpátky mu nic nechci dát.

Dávno vím, že už těžko poznám

ten svůj zářivý cíl,

blýská se jako moje

obnošené kalhoty,

tak proč bych měl litovat nadějí

ze kterých dál zbývá díl.

Sázím na chvilku co mi

sama padne do noty.

Proč mám v koutě stát dál se bát,

že čas mi mé sny chce brát,

tím zmeškal bych co právě

bych dopřál rád

a tak chci víno pít, lásky mít,

ze všech nocí své si vzít.

Čas okrádám a zpátky mu nic nechci dát.

Table 14 “I May Smoke Too Much”

54

Hrubín’s version of Kristofferson’s song can be considered a very distant adaptation of it – as

far as the language of the text itself is concerned. The theme of the song is the same one

should enjoy life to the fullest not waiting for it to just happen. The author of the Czech text,

however, uses different strategies to convey the original meaning. While in the original, the

protagonist speaks in colloquial English which helps to paint the picture of the reckless,

irresponsible, and a bit rude individual, the Czech language is standardized and therefore it

does not express the original mood completely.

“Proč mám koutě stat” is different from the other adaptations examined so far, for the

placement of the different information in the text is different. In other words, the message of

the texts are very similar, but the individual sub-parts are different – in the original, the “seat

of my pants” (Kristofferson 1974: line 1) occurs right in the first line and in the Czech

version, the “worn-out trousers” (author’s translation of Hrubín 1977: line 11) are not

mentioned until the second half of the song.


Once my future was shiny as the seat of my pants are today

Then old mother luck and all her daughters started duckin’ me

When I finally got tired of just sittin’ there watching my life slip away

I said I better start takin’ all the living that’s a-comin’ to me

Hrubín 1977: lines 1-4:

Slýchal jsem jako kluk,

že mě čeká jen zářivý cíl,

chtěl jsem všechno umět,

všechno znát

a všechno hezké mít.

Však stárnul jsem dál a teď ze všech svých

nadějí mám směšný díl,

tak chci jen každý okamžik si vychutnat

jak budu sám chtít.


As a boy, I used to hear

that only the shining goal awaits me

I wanted to be able to do everything,

know everything

and have everything nice

But I kept getting older and now all my

hopes turned into a ridiculous part

So I just want to enjoy every moment

as I please

The message of the first verse is very similar, the means of conveying it differ. The first line

expresses the same information, the original is, nonetheless, more authentic than the more

55

complicated and somewhat unnatural form of the Czech text. The biggest difference between

the two texts is that the language of the original makes it authentic and more relatable than the

language of the Czech version. The figures of speech, the archaic word order, and vocabulary

used in Hrubín’s text is inconsistent with the message of the lyrics: “Však stárnul jsem dál a

teď ze všech svých nadějí mám směšný díl” (Hrubín 1977: line 3) – amongst others – is

definitely not a sentence that a person who is living a “low-down life” (Kristofferson 1974:

line 9) would use.

Throughout the whole text, there is only one line that can be considered a translation.

It is probably the most important one, for it sums up the text in just a few words. The third

sentence of the refrain of the original: “And I may smoke too much, drink too much every

blessed thing too much” (Kristofferson 1974: line 8) which is quite similarly phrased in the

Czech version: “a tak chci víno pít, lásky mít, ze všech nocí své si vzít” (Hrubín 1977: line 9).

Although the message is basically the same, Hrubín euphemizes and poeticizes the lyrics. The

strategy that the translator – adaptor – applies throughout the whole text can be proven on this

one line. There is a substantial difference between “drinking too much” (Kristofferson 1974:

line 8) and simple “drinking wine” (author’s translation of Hrubín 1977: line 8) and if a

person says that they “do every blessed thing too much” (Kristofferson 1974: line 8), the

Czech version of “having loves and taking what is theirs from all the nights” (author’s

translation of Hrubín 1977: line 8) does not really do it justice.

4.2.14. “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”

John Martin Sommers 1975:

Thank God I’m a Country Boy

Well life on the farm is kinda laid back

Ain’t much an old country boy like me can’t hack

It’s early to rise, early in the sack

Thank God I’m a country boy

Well a simple kinda life never did me no harm

A raisin’ me a family and workin’ on a farm


Sláma v botách

To já vždycky žil jen v rámusu měst

a milióny prošel jsem jich na mou čest

nebudu lhát smíte se smát

Já dál slámu v botách mám

I můj krejčí povídá vy jste podivný typ

a ukažte mi někoho, kdo umí šít líp

56

My days are all filled with an easy country charm


Well I got me a fine wife I got me old fiddle

When the sun’s comin’ up I got cakes on the griddle

Life ain’t nothin’ but a funny riddle


When the work’s all done and the sun’s settin’ low

I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow

The kids are asleep so I keep it kinda low

And thank God I’m a country boy

I’d play “Sally Goodin” all day if I could

But the Lord and my wife wouldn’t take it very good

So I fiddle when I can, work when I should





Thank God I’m a country boy, whoo hoo!

Well I wouldn’t trade my life for diamonds or jewels

I never was one of them money hungry fools

Rather have my fiddle and my farmin’ tools


Yeah, city folk drivin’ in a black limousine

A lotta sad people thinkin’ that’s a-mighty keen

Son, let me tell ya now exactly what I mean





Thank God I’m a country boy, yes sir!

Well, my fiddle was my daddy’s till the day he died

And he took me by the hand, held me close to his side

Said, “Live a good life, play the fiddle with pride

and thank God you’re a country boy”

Well my daddy taught me young how to hunt and how to whittle

Taught me how to work and play a tune on the fiddle

Taught me how to love and how to give just a little--





Whoo! Thank God I’m a country boy, yeah!

ať mám třeba frak, ať se do parády dám


Tohle dávno už vím, z toho úniku není

kdyby stal se i div, tak málo se změní

vždyť vím, kdybych měl mít kdoví jaké jmění


Ten kdo potká mě, ten pozná hned

jak málo se hodím pro ten nablýskaný svět

čím to je, že ať dělám, co dělám, přísahám

Já dál slámu v botách mám.

Já vím, že se ryba nesmí nožem jíst

umím báječně psát, taky báječně číst

a čím víc se snažím, tím prozrazuju sám






Já se v městě narodil, tady žiju moc let

ale s venkovanem odjakživa si mě každý plet

proto jsem se dneska s tímhle svěřil právě vám


Chtěl bych se s někým vzít, ale pořád nemám s kým

ono někdy nestačí mít sako jako manekýn

čím to je, že ať dělám co dělám přísahám






Teď už dávno je mi fuk, co si kdo povídá

když jsem takový, tak prostě i s tím se dožít dá



Žiju jako venkovan v bytě nad hlavní třídou

to jsem Já co si ho děti na zeď malujou křídou

a tak říkám všem i těm co ještě příjdou






Table 15 “Thank God I’m a Countryboy”

The song “Sláma v botách” could be considered a unique case of an adaptation, although – or

maybe because – the meanings of the two songs are contradictory.

57

Sommers’s song “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” is a prototype of an American

country song. The lyrics are a perfect example of a song that praises American values and

views, and as such a flawless example of the authentic country song generally. Although the

genre of country and folk music has a long tradition in our country, the songs are closely

associated with the basic historical conventions of the United States. Therefore, it can never

have the same meaning for a Czech or Czechoslovak listener. And even less so if the lyrics

are translated.

When working with the text of Sommer’s song, Vladimír Poštulka has gone further

with the adapting process, and whether it was intentional or not, he created lyrics that, in a

way, ridicule the original:

Sommers 1975: lines 1-4:

Well life on the farm is kinda laid back

Ain’t much an old country boy like me can’t hack

It’s early to rise, early in the sack



To já vždycky žil jen v rámusu měst

a milióny prošel jsem jich na mou čest




I’ve always lived in the noise of the cities

And I walked through millions of them, honestly

I won’t lie, you can laugh

I still have the straw in my shoes

The last line of the example shows the connection between the two texts. Whereas in the

original, the protagonist talks about his life on the farm, his wife and children, the manual

labor and playing the fiddle, the Czech song’s protagonist’s life is exactly the opposite, even

though he is not quite suited for it. The first verse aptly summarizes the whole text – a

boy/man that “still has the straw in his shoes” has no place in the city. Sommers’s lyrics point

out the importance of God and religion in the lives of the American countrymen: “But the

Lord and my wife wouldn’t take it very good” (Sommers 1977: line 18), which does not show

at all in the Czech text. Even though the texts themselves cannot really be compared, the

58

Czech version possesses the characteristics of some of the adapted texts examined. Like in

many other lyrics this thesis deals with, even in this case, the American patriotism and

celebration of American life disappear and are replaced with features more relatable for the

Czechoslovak audience.

What does not make sense entirely is the fact that the protagonist of the Czech text has

“always lived in the noise of the cities” (author’s translation of Poštulka 1977: line 1), and

still, he says that he is the countryman that everyone mistook him for (Poštulka 1977: line 26).

Unlike the other songs examined so far, Poštulka’s “Sláma v botách” is written in a less

formal language, which gives the song a more realistic and authentic impression. Expressions

like “já vždycky žil” (line 1), “já se v městě narodil” (line 25) and “už dávno je mi fuk” (line

37) are those of common Czech that indicate the protagonist is a common man and no

scholar. Nonetheless, to imitate the style of the original – Sommers uses the English slang

expressions to indirectly characterize the protagonist: “kinda” (line 1), “ain’t” (line 2), g-

dropping, etc. – Poštulka would need to include more nonstandard Czech language to write

even less poetic and more authentic text.

4.2.15. “Lucille”

Roger Dale Bowling and Hal Bynum 1977:

Lucille

In a bar in Toledo across from the depot

On a barstool, she took off her ring

I thought I’d get closer so I walked on over

I sat down and asked her name

When the drinks finally hit her she said “I’m no quitter

But I finally quit livin’ on dreams

I’m hungry for laughter and here ever after

I’m after whatever the other life brings”

In the mirror, I saw him and I closely watched him

I thought how he looked out of place

He came to the woman who sat there beside me

He had a strange look on his face

The big hands were calloused, he looked like a mountain

For a minute I thought I was dead

Michael Janík 1979:

Lásko, mně ubývá sil

Já sám pozdě večer jsem do sálu vešel,

sedl za stůl a uslyšel smích,

krásná se zdála a na mě se smála,

já se zeptal, jak říkat jí smím.

Jestli chceš, tak mi tykej, jak chceš mi říkej

a máš-li touhu, tak líbat mne smíš

a bílá jak svíce už neřekla více

a já se jen díval, jak sedá si blíž.

A pak jsem ho spatřil, on k silákům patřil,

vzápětí namířil k nám,

já cítil, jak blednu a dech můj se krátí,

já malý byl a byl jsem sám.

To, co potom se stalo, mě úplně vzalo

měl začít a právem mě zbít,

59

But he started shaking, his big heart was breaking

He turned to the woman and said

“You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille

With four hungry children and a crop in the field

I’ve had some bad times, lived through some sad times

But this time your hurting won’t heal

You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille”

After he left us, I ordered more whiskey

I thought how she’d made him look small

From the lights of the barroom to a rented hotel room

We walked without talking at all

She was a beauty but when she came to me

She must have thought I’d lost my mind

I couldn’t hold her ‘cause the words that he told her

Kept coming back time after time





You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille

You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille





však zničil mé plány, řek namísto rány slov pár,

dodnes slyším je znít.

Řekl jí lásko, mně ubývá sil,

já říkal si dávno, že bídným jsem byl,

já cítil se králem, teď chudák jsem málem

a v mlhách se ztrácí můj cíl,

řekl jí lásko, mně ubývá sil.

Dál vím, že zmizel jak spadané listí,

ale jeho stín nezmizel s ním,

my jsme dál tu hru hráli, ve dveřích stáli,

i tam s námi stál ten stín.

Byla krásná, jak nebe, já slyšel sám sebe,

jak říkám, že nepůjdu dál,

už nevím nic o ní, jen hlavou se honí

těch slov pár a stín co tam stál.











Table 16 “Lucille”

Although Janík did a good job preserving the overall message of the original song, the Czech

version is, once again, narrated a bit differently. Both the songs tell a story of a man that – in

a bar or a similar facility – encounters a woman that is above his level, and her ex-husband,

who comes to them and talks to her.

The main difference – as far as the meaning of the song is concerned – is the indirect

description of the female character. In the original, she is the pro-active one who gives the

signals to the protagonist by taking “off her ring” (Bowling and Bynum 1977: line 2) and

saying she is “after whatever the other life brings” (Bowling and Bynum 1977: line 8). In the

Czech version, the same nature is not attributed to her much, and she is portrayed as a

somewhat more reserved one.

60

Bowling and Bynum 1977: lines 1-8:

In a bar in Toledo across from the depot

On a barstool, she took off her ring

I thought I’d get closer so I walked on over

I sat down and asked her name

When the drinks finally hit her she said “I’m no quitter

But I finally quit livin’ on dreams

I’m hungry for laughter and here ever after

I’m after whatever the other life brings”

Janík 1979: lines 1-8:

Já sám pozdě večer jsem do sálu vešel,

sedl za stůl a uslyšel smích,

krásná se zdála a na mě se smála,

já se zeptal, jak říkat jí smím.

Jestli chceš, tak mi tykej, jak chceš mi říkej

a máš-li touhu, tak líbat mne smíš

a bílá jak svíce už neřekla více

a já se jen díval, jak sedá si blíž


Late at night, I walked alone into the hall

I sat at the table and I heard a laughter

she seemed beautiful and she smiled at me

I asked her how I can call her

If you want, we can be on first-name terms,

you can call me whatever you like

and if you desire it, you can kiss me

and white as a candle she said nothing more

and I just watched as she was sitting closer

“Bar” changes into a “hall”, instead of taking her ring off, the woman just laughs at the

protagonist and the fact that when she starts to talk it is only because “the drinks finally hit

her” (Bowling and Bynum 1977: line 5) completely disappears. The alcohol vanishes from

another part of the text too. Although the Czech text is quite straightforward – in comparison

to others – the language in it is, too, more poetic than in the original. The line: “a máš-li

touhu, tak líbat mne smíš” (Janík 1979: lines 6) sounds a lot more archaically than it should in

a type of a song such as this.

Like in the case of “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”, the American working-class

values disappear from the song and are ignored completely:

Bowling and Bynum 1977: lines 17-21:




61










He said to her, love, I’m losing my strength

I told myself a long time ago that I was miserable

I felt like a king and now I’m almost a loser

And my purpose is getting lost in the fog

He said to her, love, I’m losing my strength

What happens in the refrain completely changes the story that is being told. Whereas in the

original, the man is hurting because the woman left “with four hungry children and a crop in

the field” (Bowling and Bynum 1977: line 18), and there is indicated that she did something

similar before, because he says: “this time your hurting won’t heal” (Bowling and Bynum

1977: line 18), the Czech version is less definite. And what is more, the listener might be

under the impression that the man is the one to be blamed for the disagreements.

If the semantic discrepancies were ignored, stylistically, the Czech text is on a very

similar level. The grammar used corresponds with the original and had the sense stayed the

same, it would be a very successful translation. Nonetheless, the changes made to the lyrics

are too big to consider the target text a translation. Like in many other songs, the alcohol

disappears and the language is a bit more refined. And maybe because it would not be

exemplary to sing about a mother leaving a family of six, this fact vanishes from the text too.

Perhaps the most faithfully translated part of the lyrics is the second half of the last

verse. Unlike the first one wherein the Czech text, the protagonists are staying in the doorway

as opposed to the original, where the text explicitly says that they are heading “to a rented

hotel room” (Bowling and Bynum 1977: line 24). Changes like these are far from an isolated

case. It cannot be said for sure if the lyricist made them to fit the classic image of a nice song,

if the regime intervened or if the original message of the text simply did not appeal to the

artist.

62

4.2.16. “Coward of the County”

Roger Dale Bowling and Billy Edd Wheeler 1979:

Coward of the County

Everyone considered him the coward of the county

He’d never stood one single time to prove the county wrong

His mama named him Tommy, but folks just called him Yellow

But something always told me, they were reading Tommy wrong

He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison

I looked after Tommy, ‘cause he was my brother’s son

I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy

“Son, my life is over, but yours has just begun”

“Promise me, son, not to do the things I’ve done

Walk away from trouble if you can

Now it won’t mean you’re weak if you turn the other cheek

I hope you’re old enough to understand

Son, you don’t have to fight to be a man”

There’s someone for everyone and Tommy’s love was Becky

In her arms, he didn’t have to prove he was a man

One day while he was working, the Gatlin boys came calling

They took turns at Becky an’ there was three of them

Tommy opened up the door and saw Becky crying

The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand

He reached above the fireplace and took down his daddy’s picture

As his tears fell on his daddy’s face, he heard these words again

“Promise me, Son, not to do the things I’ve done

Walk away from trouble if you can

Now it won’t mean you’re weak if you turn the other cheek

I hope you’re old enough to understand

Son, you don’t have to fight to be a man”

The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room

One of them got up and met him half way cross the floor

When Tommy turned around they said, “Hey look! Old Yellow’s leaving”

But you could’ve heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door

Twenty years of crawling was bottled up inside him

He wasn’t holding nothing back, he let ‘em have it all

When Tommy left the bar room, not a Gatlin boy was standing

He said, “This one’s for Becky”, as he watched the last one fall

And I heard him say

“I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you’ve done

I walk away from trouble when I can

Now please don’t think I’m weak, I didn’t turn the other cheek

And Papa, I should hope you understand

Sometimes you gotta fight when you’re a man”


Michael Janík 1981:

Drž se zpátky, chlapče můj

Říkávali: To je on, ten, co se stále bojí.

To snad ani není chlap, když neumí se prát.

Jeho jméno zapomněli a kdo chtěl hodit blátem,

Ten klidně blátem házel, ostatní se mohli smát.

Nejspíš nikdo nevěděl, co mu jeho táta řekl,

Od té doby uběhla už hezká řádka dní.

Můj soused o tom povídal, že slyšel, dřív než smekl,

Co na srdce mu kladl ve své chvíli poslední.

Stůj, klidně stůj a drž se zpátky, chlapče můj,

Od malérů drž se raděj dál.

Ruku na to dej, špatný příklad ve mně měj.

Já na siláka rád si často hrál,

Teď vidíš sám, za co můj život stál.

Pak přešla léta a pravá láska do cesty mu vešla.

Byla krásná jako sen, a kdekdo záviděl.

Když jednou byla sama, na návštěvu přišlo

Pár nezvaných hostí, každý dělal to, co chtěl.

Když pak vstoupil do dveří a uslyšel, jak pláče,

Pochopil, že stane se jen to, co udělá.

Kouk’ na obrázek táty a chvíli se mu zdálo,

že znovu slyší, jako kdysi, ta slova vzdálená.

Stůj, klidně stůj a drž se zpátky, chlapče můj,

Od malérů drž se raděj dál.

Ruku na to dej, špatný příklad ve mně měj.

Já na siláka rád si často hrál,

Teď vidíš sám, za co můj život stál.

Když po stopách těch výtečníků šel rozvážným krokem,

Prázdno v duši měl a v očích divný chlad.

Jen malou chvíli volali: To je ten, co se bojí.

Pak v tichu náhlém byl by slyšet špendlík, kdyby spad’.

Jen malá muška na zdi snad podívat se směla

Na spousty boulí, podlitin a různých jiných ran.

Když odcházel, tak oslovil ta sténajíci těla:

Jó, každý totiž uléhá, jak ustele si sám.

A pro sebe si řekl:

Já celý život svůj se držel zpátky, táto můj,

Vždyť vím, že to sis vždycky nejvíc přál.

Však nemá smyslu víc ráně nastavovat líc,

Když chlapem zkrátka člověk už se stal,

Tak přijde někdy čas, aby se pral.

Říkávali: To je on, ten, co se stále bojí.

Table 17 “Coward of the County”

Janík’s text is, once again, a good demonstration of the changes that were happening during

the process of translation – or adaptation – of the American songs during the Normalization

63

period in Czechoslovakia. In terms of meaning, the Czech lyrics might seem identical to their

original. Yet closer examination ensures the differences start popping up.

Bowling and Wheeler 1979: lines 1-4:


He’d never stood one single time to prove the county wrong

His mama named him Tommy, but folks just called him Yellow

But something always told me, they were reading Tommy wrong


Říkávali: To je on,

ten, co se stále bojí.

To snad ani není chlap, když neumí se prát.

Jeho jméno zapomněli

a kdo chtěl hodit blátem,

Ten klidně blátem házel, ostatní se mohli smát.


They used to say: That’s him,

the one that is scared all the time

He’s not even a man, when he cannot fight

They forgot his name

and who wanted to throw the mud

Threw the mud and the others just laughed

As with other songs this thesis deals with, the changes identified are the most common on the

level of imagery of the text. The English text is direct, and the descriptions of events, things,

and actions are specific. Whereas in the original, the protagonist is called the “coward of the

county” (Bowling and Wheeler 197: line 1), in the Czech version, he is depicted as “the one

that is scared all the time” (author’s translation of Janík 1981: line 1) which is an expression

far less expressive than the original one.

The protagonist’s and his love’s names, the timings, and some of the facts – like the

one that “his daddy died in prison” (Bowling and Wheeler 1979: line 5) either disappear or

get replaced with more general information:

Bowling and Wheeler 1979: lines 14-17:

There’s someone for everyone and Tommy’s love was Becky

In her arms, he didn’t have to prove he was a man

One day while he was working, the Gatlin boys came calling

They took turns at Becky an’ there was three of them


Pak přešla léta


Then years had passed

64

a pravá láska do cesty mu vešla.

Byla krásná jako sen,

a kdekdo záviděl.

Když jednou byla sama,

na návštěvu přišlo pár nezvaných hostí,

každý dělal to, co chtěl.

and a true love had crossed his way

She was beautiful as a dream

and everyone envied him

Once when she was alone,

a few uninvited guests came to visit,

every one of them did what they wanted

Aside from the fact that a lot of information is omitted, the ones that are preserved are

communicated differently. The phrase: “One day while he was working” (Bowling and

Wheeler 1979: line 16) explicitly says when the event occurred, the Czech “když jednou byla

sama” (Janík 1981: line 16) is somewhat remote and much less specific. There is probably no

need to say that the fact that the “Gatlin boys […] took turns at Becky” (Bowling and

Wheeler 1979: lines 16-17) is euphemized – the Czech text says that “the uninvited guests

[…] did what they wanted” (author’s translation of Janík 1981: lines 16-17) which describes

the same situation, but not quite accurately – or specifically enough.

The original can be considered a natural and authentic piece of work, the Czech text,

although the theme of it is the same, reads somewhat differently. The lyricists probably aimed

to create more likable lyrics that would not provoke as much as the originals.

4.2.17. “Stranger”


Stranger

Maybe she was smilin’ in the mirror

Maybe I was too, ‘cause I was stoned

Singin’ every sad song on the juke-box one more time

Honey, they were hittin’ close to home

And I said - Maybe this’ll make you think I’m crazy

Honey, don’t feel lonesome if you do

But if you wanna make a young man happy one more time

I’d sure like to spend the night with you

And she said – Stranger shut out the light and lead me

Somewhere - shut out the shadows, too

And while we lay there, makin’ believe you love me

Stranger, could I believe in you

Maybe you got all you got together

Vít Hrubín 1981:

Známě se míň, než chvíli

Její úsměv v zrcadle jsem zahlíd

Možná že i já se usmíval

Poslouchal jsem staré písně, co hrál automat

Zpíval jsem s ním, každou z nich jsem znal.

A já řek: vidíme se prvně, jsem tu cizí,

Ale cítím, že tě dlouho znám,

A pokud tě snad trápí, že jsi sama jako já,

Dám ti radu, chci být s tebou sám.

Ona řekla: Vím, že známe se míň než chvíli,

Jen chvíli budem se možná mít,

Věř mi chvíli, že máme se léta rádi,

Tu chvíli, s tebou chci kde chceš být.

Možná máš jen to, co nosíš s sebou,

65

Maybe you keep rollin’ like a stone

Maybe some old lonesome song’ll take you by surprise

And leave you just a little more alone

Singing – Stranger shut out the light and lead me




Keep Singing – Stranger shut out the light and lead me




Možná máš jen to, co já ti dám,

Snad až se mnou tuhle starou píseň dozpíváš,

Budeš ještě víc než před tím sám.

Já vím, že známe se míň než chvíli,


Věř mi chvíli, že máme se léta rádi,

Tu chvíli, s tebou chci kde chceš být.

Řekla: vím, že známe se míň než chvíli,


Věř mi chvíli, že máme se léta rádi…

Table 18 “Stranger”

Although Hrubín did a good job transferring the original meaning of the text, the lyrics of

“Známe se míň, než chvíli” are no exception to the rule that the Czech songs miss something

in comparison with their English-written originals. The changes, though, are not nearly as

extensive as in the other texts.


Maybe she was smilin’ in the mirror

Maybe I was too, ‘cause I was stoned

Singin’ every sad song on the juke-box one more time

Honey, they were hittin’ close to home


Její úsměv v zrcadle jsem zahlíd

Možná že i já se usmíval

Poslouchal jsem staré písně, co hrál automat

Zpíval jsem s ním, každou z nich jsem znal.


I saw her smile in the mirror

Maybe I was smiling too

I listened to the old songs from the jukebox

I sang with it, I knew all of them

The source text is translated quite literally, nonetheless, the strategy of omitting

the controversial topics, such as smoking, drinking, violent behavior, etc., as well as avoiding

the translation of English idiomatic expressions and replacing them with more neutral Czech

ones is applied. These strategies make the target text somewhat flattened and not as authentic

as the original.

Whereas in the original, right in the second line, the protagonist says that he was

smiling “‘cause [he] was stoned” (Kristofferson 1977: line 2), in the Czech lyrics, the element

66

of smoking (a joint, presumably) completely disappears. The lyricist does not even make the

effort of substituting it with something more acceptable – or something the listener could

relate to – that would preserve the original mood of the lyrics better. With an omission like

this, the text acquires a whole other subtext, although it is very similar to Kristofferson’s

version.

Another feature that occurs in this case (as in many others) is replacing the idioms and

elements of spoken English that help to create the impression of the realness of the lyrics –

with non-idiomatic, standard Czech language expressions. This results in a noticeable

reduction of the target texts’ authenticity and spontaneity. In the original, the songs the

protagonist sings about are “hittin’ close to home” (Kristofferson 1977: line 4), which could

likely be translated more suitably than the prosy: “každou z nich jsem znal” (Hrubín 1981:

line 4).

Although the texts are very similar and it looks like a translation, the slight alterations

and deletions make it a case of adaptation. The line between the two types of target texts is,

though, very thin. And with narrative songs, such are the ones by Kris Kristofferson, the

translation process is bound to be more difficult than in cases of others. The changes made

can probably be attributed to the rules implied in the period in which the Czech versions – not

only this particular one – were created. The notion of a song appropriate for being performed

during the normalization era was definitely different from what was acceptable in the US at

that time.

The refrain, too, is noticeably different, although its message is the same:


And she said – Stranger shut out the light and lead me




67


Ona řekla: Vím,

že známe se míň než chvíli,


Věř mi chvíli,

že máme se léta rádi,

Tu chvíli,

s tebou chci kde chceš být.


She said: I know

we’ve known each for other less than a moment

Only for a moment, we will maybe have each other

Trust me for a moment

that we’ve liked each other for years

For a moment,

I want to be with you where you want to be

The lyrics have the same form, and they tell the same story, the Czech version is, though,

euphemized a great deal. “And while we lay there, makin’ believe you love me”

(Kristofferson 1977: line 11) indicates a different turn of events than the innocent Czech:

“Věř mi chvíli, že máme se léta rádi” (Hrubín 1981: line 11). The Czech version of the lyrics

seems to be short of the information that makes it rich and spicy. Once again, the author’s

distinctive style is superseded by the neutral and common one. Hrubín tries to approximate

the style of the original. He does so by using the colloquial Czech expressions – mainly

skipping endings in past tenses of verbs – which is not enough, unfortunately.

4.2.18. “My Rifle, My Pony and Me”

Paul Francis Webster 1959:

My Rifle My Pony and Me

The sun is sinking in the west

The cattle go down to the stream

The redwing settles in the nest

It’s time for a cowboy to dream

Purple light in the canyons

That’s where I long to be

With my three good companions

Just my rifle, pony and me

Gonna hang (gonna hang) my sombrero (my sombrero)

On the limb (on the limb) of a tree (of a tree)

Coming home (coming home) sweetheart darling (sweetheart darling)


Just my rifle, my pony and me

(Whippoorwill in the willow

Sings a sweet melody

Riding to Amarillo)


Mé tělo má duše a já

Já bloudil ulicemi měst

a nenašel nic oč bych stál

mé dlaně zšedly prachem cest

jen má touha mě nutí jít dál

Cesta má se v dálce ztrácí

a bezcílnou se mi zdá

jen šlápot pár tou cestou kráčí

jen mé tělo duše a já

Každý z nás jinam míří

každý svou cestu má

jen šlápot pár mou cestou zvíří

jen mé tělo duše a já

možná však, že někde v dáli

za obzorem se protíná

cestá má (cesta má) s něčí jinou (s něčí jinou)

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No more cows (no more cows) to be roping (to be roping)

No more strays will I see

Round the bend (round the bend) she’ll be waiting (she’ll be waiting)

For my rifle, pony and me

For my rifle, my pony and me

pak mé tělo má duše a já

pochopí (pochopí), že došli k cíli (došli k cíli)

ani smrt (ani smrt) pak není zlá

pak prach všech cest smyjem z dlaní

mé tělo, duše a já

moje tělo má duše a já

Table 19 “My Rifle, My Pony and Me”

The replacement text written by Michael Žantovský is a peculiar case of what might seem like

an adaptation at a first sight/listen. The main reason for this is the trinity in its name and the

whole text. However, the original tells a story of a cowboy, traveling with his horse and a

firearm, that changes into an almost spiritual song. Žantovský’s text tells about the

inevitability of reaching the end of the proverbial road of life. The triad of “rifle”, “pony” and

“me” (Webster 1959) changes into very poetic and almost spiritual “body”, “soul” and “me”

(author’s translation of Žantovský 1984) that completely changes the whole theme of the

song.

Webster’s version of the song is a classic example of an old western – or cowboy –

song; it is promoting the values of the American life of the 19th century as well as praising the

beauty of American nature. The song “My Rifle, My Pony and Me” was featured in a 1959

Western movie about a town in Texas and the events that took place there (AFI|Catalog).

Although the genre of Western movies and books was familiar in Czechoslovakia and a large

portion of folk and country songs were about cowboys and the Wild West, Žantovský decided

to change the meaning of the song completely. One can only guess what caused his decision

to do so since the source text is not a violent or otherwise inappropriate one.

Webster 1959: lines 1-4:

The sun is sinking in the west

The cattle go down to the stream

The redwing settles in the nest

It’s time for a cowboy to dream

Žantovský 1984: lines 1-4: Literal translation:

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Já bloudil ulicemi měst

a nenašel nic oč bych stál

mé dlaně zšedly prachem cest

jen má touha mě nutí jít dál

I wandered the streets of the cities

And I found nothing that would interest me

My palms turned grey with the dust of the roads

Only my desire makes me move on

Instead of describing the nature of the Wild West and rhapsodizing its beauties, the Czech

text’s protagonist tells a story about rambling the streets and about how his “road is getting

lost in the distance” (author’s translation of Žantovský 1984: line 5). The lyrics, again, end up

implying – like Poštulka’s “Veď mě dál, cesto má” – that all roads lead to an inevitable end.

Although the original text suggests that there is, in fact, an end of a road – of a

lonesome cowboy who is “coming home [to his] sweetheart darling” (Webster 1959: line 11)

– the Czech text speaks about a completely different road and about the unavoidable reaching

of the destination (Žantovský 1984: line 18) and claims that “ani smrt pak není zlá /pak prach

všech cest smyjem z dlaní / mé tělo, má duše a já” (Žantovský 1984: lines 19-21).

The changes made to the text are very similar to those that can be observed in the case

of the lyrics of “Veď mě dál, cesto má”, written almost ten years earlier by Vladimír Poštulka,

already mentioned in the subchapter 4.2.10.

4.2.19. “Birthday Song”

Don McLean 1972:

Birthday Song

If I could say the things I feel,

it wouldn’t be the same

Some things are not spoken of,

some things have no name

And though the words come hard to me

I’ll say them just for you

For this is something rare for me

this feeling is so new

You see I love the way you love me

Love the way you smile at me

I love the way we live this life we’re in

Long ago I heard the song


Právě tak

Měl bych možná něco říct

Ale nevím, jak

O tom, co je za námi

A co bude pak

Slovy se to nedá snad

Jsou věci, které vím

A náhle zmizí, bůh ví kam

Dřív, než je vyslovím

Vím jen že právě tak se díváš

A právě tak se usmíváš

A právě tak i já tě mám nejraději

Jednu starou písničku

70

that lovers sing to me

And through the days with each new phrase

I hummed that melody

And all along I loved the song

but I never learned it through

But since the day you came along,

I’ve saved it just for you

You see I love the way you love me

Love the way you smile at me,

I love the way we live this life we’re in

I don’t believe in magic

but I do believe in you

And when you say you believe in me

There’s so much magic I can do

Now you see me, now you don’t

watch me dive below

Deep down in your love lake

where the sweet fish come and go

And I might sink, and I might drown

but death don’t mean a thing

‘Cause life continues right or wrong

when I play this Birthday song

I learned from you

And you can’t even sing...

Jsem slyšel někde hrát

Dobře nevím, čím to je

Ale mám ji dodnes rád

Vím, že možná správně má

Jinak znít, než ji hraju já

Kéž ji přijmeš místo prázdných slov

Je tobě podobná

Ty totiž právě tak se díváš

A právě tak se usmíváš

A právě tak i já tě mám nejraději

Nejsou to žádná kouzla

Věřím spíše náhodám

Nemám nic, než jen spoustu plánů

Ale rád ti všechny dám

Naučím se hrát ten song

Nač mi slova jsou

Skočím do té tůně

Kde se zlaté rybky třou

A možná víc mě nespatříš

To vůbec nevadí

Vždyť vím, že život půjde dál

Před chvílí tu někdo hrál

Ten starý song

Co znám už tolik dní

Table 20 “Birthday Song”

Although the lyrics of the Czech version of Don McLean’s song are not transferred to Czech

quite literally, there is no substantial shift in the meaning of Poštulka’s version. The language

of both versions is similarly simple and relevant. There are no overly poetic expressions that

would change the initial mood of the English-written version. In spite of the fact that the word

“love” that occurs throughout the original text is changed for a perhaps semantically weaker

“like”, the theme and the overall impression of the songs are the same.


Long ago I heard the song

That lovers sing to me

And through the days with each new phrase

I hummed that melody

And all along I loved that song but I never learned it through

But since the day you came along

I’ve saved it just for you

71


Jednu starou písničku

Jsem slyšel někde hrát

Dobře nevím, čím to je

Ale mám ji dodnes rád

Vím, že možná správně má

Jinak znít, než ji hraju já

Kéž ji přijmeš místo prázdných slov

Je tobě podobná


An old song

I heard playing somewhere

I don’t know why

But I still like it

I know it should probably sound

Different from how I play it

May you accept it instead of empty words

It is like you

Though the lyrics are not identical, they tell the same story. Some of the passages are more

alike, some are altered to a greater extent, but the main message of both the texts stays the

same.


Now you see me, now you don’t

watch me dive below

Deep down in your love lake

where the sweet fish come and go

And I might sink, and I might drown

but death don’t mean a thing

‘Cause life continues right or wrong

when I play this Birthday song

I learned from you

And you can’t even sing...


Naučím se hrát ten song

Nač mi slova jsou

Skočím do té tůně

Kde se zlaté rybky třou

A možná víc mě nespatříš

To vůbec nevadí

Vždyť vím, že život půjde dál

Před chvílí tu někdo hrál

Ten starý song

Co znám už tolik dní


I will learn to play that song

What do I need the words for

I will jump into the pool

Where the golden fish spawn

And maybe you won’t see me ever again

That doesn’t matter at all

Because I know that life will go on

Just a while ago someone played here

That old song

I have known for so many days

The strategy that occurs throughout the Czech text and can be demonstrated on the example

above is the implicitation. Whereas in the original, the text says: “And I might sink, and I

72

might drown / But death don’t mean a thing” (McLean 1972: lines 31-32), the Czech text

euphemizes the statement by only implying the same information by the lines: “A možná víc

mě nespatříš, to vůbec nevadí” (Poštulka 1984: lines 31-32). This change in explicitness

results in the target text being somewhat more poetic, for it tries to avoid the specific

descriptions of events and replaces them with less informative ones.

There are, nonetheless, instances where the source text is more poetic (even more

explicit) than the target text. The “love lake” (McLean 1972: line 29) is substituted by a

“pool” (Poštulka 1984: line 29), and the “song that lovers sing to [the protagonist]” (McLean

1972: lines 12-13) becomes “an old song that was playing somewhere” (author’s translation

of Poštulka 1984: lines 12-13). These instances are somehow equalizing the level of the two

lyrics and make them more balanced as far as the explicitness and imagery go

4.2.20. “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer”

Kim Carnes, David Ellingson 1980:

Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer

Just look at you sitting there

You never looked better than tonight

And it’d be so easy to tell ya I’d stay

Like I’ve done so many times

I was so sure this would be the night

You’d close the door and want to stay with me

And it’d be so easy to tell ya I’ll stay


Don’t fall in love with a dreamer

‘Cause he’ll always take you in

Just when you think you’ve really changed him

He’ll leave you again


‘Cause he’ll break you every time

Oh, put out the light

Just hold on

Before we say goodbye

Now it’s mornin’ and the phone rings

And you say you’ve gotta get your things together

You just gotta leave before ya change your mind

And if ya knew what I was thinkin’, girl

I’d turn around if you’d just ask me one more time


S tím bláznem si nic nezačínej

Když odcházím, předem vím,

Co řečí zas zítra uslyšíš.

Nemůžeš být víc krásná, než si právě teď,

Když Tě cítím blíž a blíž.

Já naštěstí jsem už dospělá

A lásku člověk stěží utají.

A tak si málo všímám, když zkušení a moudří

Tisíckrát nám říkají.

S tím bláznem si nic nezačínej,

Má jen spoustu krásných gest,

Bude Tě chtít do svých snů vlákat,

Do svých síti vplést.


Nenechá si svůj klid vzít.

Prý slova jen lžou,

Marná jsou,

Když vím, že mám už jít.

Teď je ráno, čajník píská,

Zas se spálím, jako mockrát předtím,

Jenže neumím si na lásku jen hrát.

A tak i já každý den poslouchám,

Jak někdo říká, abych Tě míň, než mám, měl rád.

73







Ooooooh, put out the light

Just hold ooon



Goodbye




Do svých sítí vplést.




Marná jsou,

Když vím, že mám už jít

Když vím, že mám už jít

Mám jít

Table 21 “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer”

“He’s letting her know that he’ll be out of there. They’re saying it to each other, but it’s really

a confessional to her on the last night they’ll be together.” (Carnes, Roger’s Duet: “Don’t

Fall in Love With a Dreamer”?) Kim Carnes and David Ellingson wrote a song about two

people who love each other and find it hard to leave one another, although they know it is the

best thing they can do. There is no third party having an opinion on their relationship. It is a

dialogue in which they share their feelings and thoughts.

The Czech version is seemingly very similar even though the protagonists are not the

ones who want to end their relationship instead they are advised to do so from the outside. It

is indicated right in the first verse when the protagonist says: “Když odcházím, předem vím, /

co řečí zas zítra uslyšíš.” (Poštulka 1986: lines 1-2). From these first two lines, it is clear that

the important thing is not how the two lovers feel but what the others will think about their

relationship. There are several references to what the outside world thinks about their life

throughout the song.

Carnes and Ellingson 1980: lines 5-8:

I was so sure this would be the night

You’d close the door and want to stay with me

And it’d be so easy to tell ya I’ll stay




74

Já naštěstí jsem už dospělá

A lásku člověk stěží utají.

A tak si málo všímám,

když zkušení a moudří

Tisíckrát nám říkají.

Fortunately, I’m an adult now

And love is hard to hide.

And so I pay little attention

When the experienced and the wise

Tell us a thousand times.

The refrain of the original is supposedly something the others would say had they had the

chance to do so. Or perhaps it is something the protagonists heard several times from people

around them. It is, nonetheless, right, they cannot be together, and they know it. The words of

the refrains are very similar, it is the rest of the song points out what the others are often

saying to the two lovers.








Oh, put out the light

Just hold on






Do svých síti vplést.




Marná jsou,

Když vím, že mám už jít.


Don’t start anything with that fool

He just has a lot of beautiful gestures

He’ll want to lure you into his dreams

Weave you into his nets

Don’t start anything with that fool

He won’t let you take his peace away

They say words only lie

They are useless

When I know, I have to go

The message of the refrain of both versions is identical, the rest of the song not that much.

Although the refrain probably sums up the advice the lovers were given by others, there is no

direct indication of it anywhere else in the text. By contrast, the Czech text is crawling with

them. Maybe it was more relatable for people – in the mind of the translator or the controller

– that the protagonists would want to leave each other because of the outside influence:

75


Now it’s mornin’ and the phone rings

And you say you’ve gotta get your things together

You just gotta leave before ya change your mind

And if ya knew what I was thinkin’, girl

I’d turn around if you’d just ask me one more time


Teď je ráno, čajník píská,

Zas se spálím, jako mockrát předtím,

Jenže neumím si na lásku jen hrát.

A tak i já každý den poslouchám,

Jak někdo říká,

Abych Tě míň, než mám, měl rád.


Now it’s morning, and the teapot whistles

I’ll burn myself again, like so many times before

But I cannot just act being in love

And so every day even I listen to

Someone saying

To like you less than I do

The difference between the two texts is perhaps best shown towards the end of the lyrics in

the last verse. Whereas in the original, the feelings and actions discussed are only limited to

what the protagonists say and do, the Czech version implicitly says that someone is telling

them what to do.

As far as the language of the songs is concerned, the texts are very alike. The language

is similarly simple and straightforward, there are some idioms used in both of the versions

that keep the lyrics appealing but not overly poetic. The similarity might be a result of

preserving the original form of a dialogue which probably allowed less room for change than

if the translator decided to change the structure of the song completely.

Poštulka even wanted to preserve the original ending of the song to make the Czech

version resemble the English one even more – he kept the English word “goodbye” in the last

line of the refrain. The controllers, though, returned the text and said it needed to be altered

for the English word is too Americanizing (Česká televize 2004). Such comments made by the

inspectors controlling the Czech cover versions of Western songs might have been the reason

for the numerous alterations in most of them.

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4.2.21. “Sail Away”

Rafe Van Hoy 1977:

Sail Away

Across the bay a lady waits to hold me tight

And my boat and I are ready to set sail

If the weather keeps on holdin’ and the wind is right

I’ll be wrapped up in my sweet one’s arms tonight

And we will sail away on the wings of love into the night

Cast out our fortunes on the sea

Then we will go to sleep together with the rocking of the water

And dream of how our life will someday be

When she sails away with me

As I skip across the waves my sails are high and full

My mind is on the one I wait to see

And I dream about an island somewhere in my mind

Where someday I will take her off with me






Then a smile comes upon me as I look across the bow

I see a lady on the side

But she will wait no more as I head for the shore

‘Cause tonight I’m gonna take her for a ride






Sail away on the wings of love into the night





Sail away on the wings of love into the night


A tak to půjde dál

Když píseň narodí se, vždycky zdá se mi,

že ty předešlé svou slávou přeskočí.

Ale pak je všechno jinak, nic se nezmění.

Musím podívat se pravdě do očí.

A tak to půjde dál, stane se jen to, co má se stát

Vždycky se úspěch neslaví.

Vím, že čas je soudce přísný, vybírá z té spousty písní

a jen pár jich to přečká ve zdraví.

Těch už se jen tak nezbavím

Zase sítě budu házet, a co vylovím,

to si snadno můžu se zlatou rybkou splést.

Možná ze všech pístní tíhnu právě k takovým,

které nechtějí si říkat o potlesk






Ale pak se náhle stane, že se píseň objeví

a ta se líbí mě i vám.

Je tu a nezmizí, jde se mnou a já jdu s ní.

Je tu i když ji zrovna nezpívám.






Table 22 “Sail Away”

Like in the cases of the majority of the replacement texts this thesis deals with, the text of the

original is completely substituted by one that has nothing in common with it. This might seem

like an unnecessary comment, nonetheless in the case of the lyrics of the song “Sláma v

botách”, the situation is different.

https://www.definitions.net/definition/waits

https://www.definitions.net/definition/ready

https://www.definitions.net/definition/weather

https://www.definitions.net/definition/wrapped

https://www.definitions.net/definition/sweet

https://www.definitions.net/definition/wings

https://www.definitions.net/definition/fortunes

https://www.definitions.net/definition/sleep

https://www.definitions.net/definition/rocking

https://www.definitions.net/definition/dream

https://www.definitions.net/definition/someday

https://www.definitions.net/definition/sails

https://www.definitions.net/definition/across

https://www.definitions.net/definition/waves



https://www.definitions.net/definition/island









https://www.definitions.net/definition/smile

https://www.definitions.net/definition/across

https://www.definitions.net/definition/tonight

https://www.definitions.net/definition/gonna
















77

Although there is no obvious political or ideological reason for the lyrics to be

changed completely, the author of the Czech text decided to do so. A love song about sailing

to the protagonist’s beloved one changes into a song about songwriting with a sort of a

nihilistic undertone.

Van Hoy 1977: lines 5-9:







A tak to půjde dál,

stane se jen to, co má se stát


Vím, že čas je soudce přísný,

vybírá z té spousty písní




And so it will go on,

whatever is supposed to happen, happens

You can’t always celebrate success

I know that time is a strict judge,

it chooses from the plenty of songs

And only a few survive in good health

I can’t get rid of them easily

Like in the cases of “Veď mě dál, cesto má”, “Pojď stoupat jak dým” and “Mé tělo, má duše a

já”, the original text of the song is substituted with one that resignedly comments on the

inevitable events of human life. What distinguishes this one from the others mentioned above

is the fact that the source lyrics are completely harmless as far as the concerns of the

communist regime go. Whereas with the songs investigated earlier in the thesis, the original

lyrics were rhapsodizing the American nature, American way of life or they had an

objectionable theme – like the one of smoking of a joint – “Sail Away” is a love song with no

elements that might have been an issue in the time of the normalization. Still, the lyricist

altered the text considerably and made it into another song about the inevitable turn of events.








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4.2.22. “My Hometown”

Bruce Springsteen 1985:

My hometown

I was eight years old

And running with a dime in my hand

To the bus stop to pick

Up a paper for my old man

I’d sit on his lap in that big old Buick

And steer as we drove through town

He’d tousle my hair and say, son, take a good look around

This is your hometown




In ‘65 tension was running high

At my high school

There was a lot of fights

Between the black and white

There was nothing you could do

Two cars at a light on a Saturday night

In the back seat there was a gun

Words were passed in a shotgun blast

Troubled times had come

To my hometown

To my hometown

To my hometown

To my hometown

Now Main Street’s whitewashed windows

And vacant stores

Seems like there ain’t nobody

Wants to come down here no more

They’re closing down the textile mill

Across the railroad tracks

Foreman says, these jobs are going,

boys and they ain’t coming back

To your hometown

To your hometown

To your hometown

To your hometown

Last night me and Kate we laid in bed

Talking about getting out

Packing up our bags, maybe heading south

I’m thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now

Last night I sat him up behind the wheel

And said, son, take a good look around



Můj rodný dům

Bylo mi šestnáct let

já znát chtěl svět, náš dům byl jen mříž,

Táta jen kýv,

řek’ máš svůj věk, tak pojď chlapče blíž.

Do kapsy sáh a dal mi klíč,

řek cestu dál už znáš

Až poznáš svět a budeš chtít kam se vrátit máš.

Je to tvůj rodný dům

Tvůj rodný dům

Tvůj rodný dům

Tvůj rodný dům

Pak přešel čas a přišel mi list

Můj strýc mi psal

A já věděl dřív

Než jsem začal číst,

že si bůh tátu k sobě vzal

Na vlak jsem sed, pak městem šel

A dlouho bloudil tmou,

Ale když jsem vzhléd’, náhle jako stín

Tam stál přede mnou

Můj rodný dům,

Můj rodný dům

Můj rodný dům

Můj rodný dům

Náš plot, rozbitá okna

a pár holých zdí,

Stará houpací židle,

Nikdo však neseděl v ní,

Byl tam cizí muž,

Na šatech prach, bílou přilbu měl,

Klíč mi na zem spad a můj vlastní

hlas náhle se chvěl,

To je můj rodný dům,

Můj rodný dům

Můj rodný dům

Můj rodný dům

Řek’ měl jste přijít dřív, už není čas,

Raději běžte kousek dál.

Za pár dní tu bude nová trať a ten dům nám v cestě stál.

Pak vyšlehl blesk a děsný třesk z úst mu slova vzal,

Já dál tam stál a do očí

černý prach mi slzy hnal,

Můj rodný dům

Můj rodný dům

Table 23 “My Hometown”

79

The original lyrics are a testimony of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s in the American East. They

were inspired by the events that took place in the United States and that influenced the lives

of a great number of American working-class people, such as a car accident Springsteen

witnessed in 1965, etc. (My Hometown by Bruce Springsteen). The Czech cover version starts

similarly with describing the idyllic memories of childhood but the overall message ends up

being different and in the next verses, the lyrics differ more and more.

Springsteen 1985: lines 1-8:

I was eight years old

And running with a dime in my hand

To the bus stop to pick

Up a paper for my old man

I’d sit on his lap in that big old Buick

And steer as we drove through town

He’d tousle my hair and say, son, take a good look around



Bylo mi šestnáct let

já znát chtěl svět,

náš dům byl jen mříž,

Táta jen kýv,

řek' máš svůj věk, tak pojď chlapče blíž.

Do kapsy sáh a dal mi klíč,

řek cestu dál už znáš

Až poznáš svět

a budeš chtít kam se vrátit máš.

Je to tvůj rodný dům


I was sixteen years old

I wanted to know the world,

our house only meant bars

Dad just nodded

He said you’re old enough, so come closer boy

He reached into his pocket and gave me a key

He said you know the way

When you get to know the world

and you want to, you have a place to come back to.

It is your family home

Whereas the original describes the nostalgic memories of the protagonist’s childhood, the

Czech version talks about the teenage boy’s desire to go and discover the world outside his

house. The original continues with the protagonist witnessing the racial violence, economic

problems connected with “closing down the textile mill” (Springsteen 1985: line 29) resulting

in empty streets and “vacant stores” (Springsteen 1985: line 26) and finally leaving the

hometown with his partner and their child. The song closes as it began with a father and a son

driving through their hometown.

80

In the Czech version, the boy’s father dies several years after he leaves home. The

protagonist comes back only to spectate the demolition of the house. Whereas the original

ending implies that the memories of the family will be preserved and that maybe one day, the

protagonist’s son may return to his hometown and continue the tradition, the Czech version

ends with irreversible destruction of the house and the place to come back to:

Springsteen 1985: lines 36-42:

Last night me and Kate we laid in bed

Talking about getting out

Packing up our bags, maybe heading south

I'm thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now

Last night I sat him up behind the wheel

And said, son, take a good look around



Řek' měl jste přijít dřív,

už není čas,

Raději běžte kousek dál.

Za pár dní tu bude nová trať

a ten dům nám v cestě stál.

Pak vyšlehl blesk a děsný třesk

z úst mu slova vzal,

Já dál tam stál a do očí

černý prach mi slzy hnal,

Můj rodný dům


He said You should have come sooner,

there is no more time

You better step aside

In a few days, there will be a new track

and the house stood in the way

Then lightning flashed and a terrible bang

took the words right of his mouth

I was standing there and into my eyes

The black dust brought tears

My family home

As far as the language and imagery of the texts go, they are well balanced. There are almost

no instances of overly poetic expressions in the target text where there are none in the original

and the language is adjusted accordingly to fit the mood of the song. The Czech version is

clearly inspired by Springsteen’s version and to a certain extent, it tries to imitate it. The

mood of Žantovský’s lyrics is, nonetheless, again somewhat more pessimistic and hopeless in

contrast with the promising atmosphere of the original that, most of all is promoting the value

of the family.

81

4.3. Findings

Based on the thorough examination of all the lyrics listed in Table 1, at the beginning of this

chapter, it is possible to divide the texts into three categories discussed in the theoretical part

of the thesis. The boundaries between translation and adaptation are truly thin, but for most

cases, the type of the target text is clear, based on the amount of similarity to the source text.

Of the 22 Czech lyrics examined, there are nine translations, seven adaptations, and

six replacement texts. The texts in the category of “translations” are usually very free

translations – as is the case of majority translations of poetry and song – and some might

argue that a few of them should be considered adaptations (and vice versa). The reason for

this is the personal bias that must necessarily show when working with material such as this.

The author, nonetheless, tries to list enough reasons for justifying her decisions.

In the three subchapters below, the songs belonging to each of the three different

categories are listed. The features and the most common changes made in process of

translation/adaptation/writing the Czech lyrics of each of those categories are summarized.

The categories are sorted accordingly to the number of changes made in each of them; from

the most changed to the closest resembling their originals.

4.3.1. Replacement Texts

Year of

Release Name Author

1970 Úsvit Jiří Grossmann

1975 Pojď stoupat jak dým Vladimír Poštulka

1975 Veď mě dál, cesto má Vladimír Poštulka

1977 Sláma v botách Vladimír Poštulka

1984 Mé tělo, má duše a já Michael Žantovský

1987 A tak to půjde dál Vladimír Poštulka Table 24 Replacement texts

82

As was mentioned earlier, Bobek chose the songs he wanted to sing as well as the artists he

wanted to write the lyrics very consciously. He required the meaning of the original to be

preserved as well as its sound (Česká Televize 2004). He demanded the lyrics written for him

resembled the original as much as possible as far as the meaning and the sound were

concerned – which sometimes made it very difficult for the lyricists to create the Czech text.

In some cases, the lyricists did not succeed in preserving both, and the Czech lyrics are

so far from the original form that the result of the mediation can no longer be qualified as a

translation – or an adaptation – although the lyricists might have intended to do so. The task

of creating the Czech lyrics accordingly to Bobek’s wishes was definitely even harder,

considering the period in which they were written, and the regime that ruled the country back

then.

There is not much direct evidence that the lyricists were somehow – even obliguely –

forced by the regime to alter the lyrics. The changes made to them can, nonetheless, very

often be regarded as a result of the regime’s preferences and rules. When examining

Poštulka’s “Pojď stoupat jak dým”, the author of the thesis relies on the information obtained

from an article “NEJ HITY: Pavel Bobek – Raději víno, o trávě jen zpívám” (Dědek 2012)

and a television show Kam zmizel ten starý song (Česká televize 2004). In these sources,

Vladimír Poštulka – the man who created hundreds of lyrics for Pavel Bobek and other

Czechoslovak artists – admits that some of the changes made to the lyrics were forced by the

Communist censorship.

Out of the six replacement texts, two are rather entertaining. The lyrics of “Úsvit” are

mainly supposed to imitate the sound of the English language and the original rhymes and

rhythms which helped Jiří Grossmann with writing a mellow love song. In the case of the

song “Sláma v botách”, the Czech text in a way ridicules the original, yet not overly or

83

unmannerly. The sound simulates the original, and it could, perhaps, be even considered a

special type of adaptation – for the themes of the songs are related.

The strategy of replacing the original text with one that has no overt relationship to the

original and instead the target lyrics have somewhat hopeless and fatalistic undercurrent can

be observed in the remaining four of the song lyrics investigated in this thesis. Three of these

four lyrics are works of Vladimír Poštulka, and therefore the changes made might be

attributed to his style rather than to anything else.

The song “Pojď stoupat jak dým” is a unique case about which the author of the lyrics

himself says that he managed to preserve the original meaning in it. It is only well hidden so

the lyrics passed the censorship test. He, nonetheless, did so good a job hiding it that not

many – if any – listeners managed to interpret it correctly. Lyrics describing the act of

smoking a joint were replaced with text about letting go and traveling up to the skies.

As for the meaning of the remaining three songs, the shifts are significant, although

often somewhat illogical – for the original meaning is not really objectionable for the regime

or otherwise potentially harmful for the Czechoslovak listeners. The lyrics concerned are:

“Take Me Home, Country Roads”, “My Rifle, My Pony and Me” and “Sail Away” and

consequently “Veď mě dál, cesto má”, “Mé tělo, má duše a já” and “A tak to půjde dál”.

The first two lyrics’ originals are celebrating the beauties of American nature and

the home in it. The last one is a love song about sailing and traveling to the loved one. They

are all replaced with texts about reaching the proverbial destination and about the inevitable

end of life.

84

4.3.2. Adaptations

Year of

Release Name Author

1971 Krajem já šel Jiří Grossmann

1975 Má dívka ‘N’ Vladimír Poštulka

1975 Tak já se loučím Zdeněk Rytíř

1977 Proč mám v koutě stát Vladimír Poštulka

1979 Lásko, mně ubývá sil Zdeněk Rytíř

1986 S tím bláznem si nic nezačínej Michael Janík

1988 Můj rodný dům Vít Hrubín Table 25 Adaptations

The shifts and changes that are perhaps the most difficult to determine are present in the

category of adaptations. After hearing/reading the two versions of the songs, the

listener/reader might often be under the impression that the lyrics are identical – or at least

very similar. Once the research begins, the discrepancies start to show.

Interestingly, the meaning of the target songs changes - in contrast to replacement

texts and translations - whereas language-wise and stylistically, the texts are on a very similar

level. This might be caused by the fact that the deflection from the original meaning allows

the author of the target text to use more similar language. There are, of course, cases when the

Czech versions are confirming the hypothesis of flattening and poeticizing of the original raw

lyrics (“Má dívka ‘N’”, “Tak já se loučím” and “Proč mám v koutě stát”), the rest of them,

though, shows no such tendency. In the remaining four lyrics, the language used and the

narrative style corresponds with the original to a great extent.

The changes are mostly made to the sense of the lyrics due to a kind of domestication.

The American cities and places change to smaller-scale and probably Czechoslovak places

(“Krajem já šel”, “Lásko, mně ubývá sil”, “Můj rodný dům”) or, on the contrary, to the

indefinite notion of a whole world (“Tak já se loučím”). Like in the case of translations, the

mentions of alcohol and other drugs either disappear (whiskey in “Lucille”) or their

significance changes (“Proč mám v koutě stát”).

85

The Czech versions of the songs are usually very distant parallels to their English

originals. The meanings are, nonetheless, changed to such a great extent that the cover

versions can no longer be considered translations. The inspiration for the Czech lyrics is clear

each time but as a result of altering the lyrics too much – whether because of the regime’s

rules or the mediators’ preferences – the songs acquire different meanings.

4.3.3. Translations

Year of

Release Name Author

1970 Oh, Ruby, nechtěj mi lásku brát Jiří Grossmann

1973 Nedělní ráno Vladimír Poštulka

1973 Vincent Zdeněk Rytíř

1975 Já jsem byl bloud Vladimír Poštulka

1975 Víš, kdo ti smí z tvých vlásků copy splést? Zdeněk Rytíř

1977 Dvě stě cest, jak sbohem dávat Michael Žantovský

1981 Drž se zpátky, chlapče můj Michael Janík

1981 Známe se míň než chvíli Vít Hrubín

1984 Právě tak Vladimír Poštulka Table 26 Translations

The nine songs listed above are evaluated as translations for the resemblance between the

originals and the Czech versions are the closest. Although some shifts in a sense appear, they

are – for the most cases – nearly negligible.

One of the hypotheses assumes that most likely the only theme that stays untouched

during the process of translating the lyrics is love. By examining the different lyrics-pairs this

hypothesis is confirmed. Where there is love in the original, it appears in the cover version

too. The protagonists have the same feelings and their nature is depicted similarly. The

original messages of the songs are preserved and the cover versions allow the listener to

gather the same meaning they would obtain from the original.

The changes made are minimal, nonetheless, the assumed flattening of the lyrics and

deletion on the controversial topics occurs even in this category of texts. Although the degree

86

of change is not as high as in the other two categories, the changes are apparent. The

manifestations of patriotism (“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”) and cases of violence

or death (“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” and “Vincent) disappear or are only

implicated (“Birthday Song”). The mentions of drugs and alcohol are either completely

omitted (“Stranger”) or replaced with a somewhat more euphemistic version of the initial

action (“Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”) and a considerable degree of domestication can be

observed (“I’ve Been a long Time Leavin’”, “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and “Coward of

the County”).

As for the connection of different lyricists with the type of changes made in the

individual lyrics, none are found. Every one of the six lyricists whose works are included in

the category of “translations” seems to apply at least some of the strategies listed above. The

lyrics of “Víš, kdo ti smí z tvých vlásků copy splést?” by Zdeněk Rytíř might be considered

an exception to this rule, the reason for this, though, might simply be the brevity and the

simplicity of the original. The tendencies do not seem to change over time either, although the

lyrics were created within fourteen years.

Like in the categories mentioned earlier, the changes on the language level appear.

There is a slight shift in imagery in some cases. It is most apparent when it comes to

Kristofferson’s works in which his authentic personal style, which is characterized by irony

and rawness, is somewhat polished and made less provocative and more likable. In a majority

of works in this category, the figurativeness and language used are very similar, and the

Czech-language texts are very faithful copies of their originals.

None of the changes made to the cover versions included in this category are extensive

enough to alter the sense of the original songs completely. The shifts made are only minor as

compared to the lyrics listed in the two previous subchapters.

87

5. Conclusion

The aim of this thesis was to substantiate the claim that most of the lyrics’ meanings of songs

translated for Pavel Bobek in the second half of the 20th century are somewhat changed during

the process of translation. The assumption was that because of the Communist regime, the

lyrics were flattened and deprived of the – for the regime – disputable content.

After finishing the examination of the research material, the author managed to

partially confirm the initial hypotheses. In addition, she identified other frequent tendencies.

Her initial assumption that most of the changes are made due to the regime that ruled the

country at the time of the creation of the Czech texts, unfortunately, cannot be confirmed

fully, for there is not enough material that would offer the testimony of all of the lyricists.

Although it is not explicitly written or said anywhere, there is a strong likelihood that the

heavy-handed censorship is behind most of the changes made to the lyrics. The interview with

Vladimír Poštulka (Česká televize 2004) and several other sources at least partially confirm

the author’s theory. The fact that Pavel Bobek himself insisted on the target lyrics resembling

the source ones as much as possible is another reason for assuming that the majority of the

changes made to the meanings of the songs were involuntary.

The explanation for most of the changes made can be somehow connected to the

regime’s rules. The reasons for assuming that the alterations of the lyrics were made because

of the censorship are described in the individual lyrics’ assessments, mostly they are only

assumptions of the author founded by the information acquired in secondary sources.

One of the hypotheses was that the theme of love stays untouched. This claim is

confirmed for the most part. There are often shifts in meaning, and the protagonists’

characterization changes somehow, the love, nonetheless, stays. If there is a mention of love

88

in the original - whether it is the romantic kind or the love of the family/friends - it is

preserved in the cover version.

The main objective of the thesis was to confirm that there is a strong tendency to

smoothen the texts and erase the somewhat undesirable features. The initial assumption was

that the changes that occur in the texts are mostly on the meaning level. The research showed

that apart from deleting and altering the information contained in the source texts, there is a

strong tendency to smoothen the lyrics and make them more likable as far as the language is

concerned. Instead of the raw expressions and the non-standard language used in the originals

to emphasize the writing styles of their authors, and to approximate the environment about

which the original songs tell stories, the Czech versions are plain. They tend to use

metaphors, overly poetic expressions, and archaic phrases to sustain the impression of

a nice song.

None of the tendencies seems to change over time, for the strategies are the same – or

very similar – in songs written in the early 1970s as in the late 1980s. There is, though, a

certain pattern in the works of the different lyricists. Some of them have a kind of unique

personal style that allows distinguishing their works from the works of the others. Jiří

Grossmann’s works can be said to resemble the most originals in sound. Zdeněk Rytíř’s texts

are amongst the most faithful translations – as far as both the meaning and the language used

are concerned. The court lyricist of Pavel Bobek Vladimír Poštulka is behind the most

changed lyrics in Bobek’s repertoire examined in this thesis. Although the changes made on

the language level of the texts can be attributed to the lyricist’s personal preferences, the

alterations and deletions made can be considered involuntary – forced by the regime – ones.

One of the aims of this thesis was to determine a prevailing tendency in each of the

three categories of the examined texts. The results of the research are summed up in the

subchapter above. The changes do not differ in type, it is their extent that varies. In other

89

words, the tendencies are the same with translations, adaptations, and replacement texts, only

the range of the changes made is greater in each of the categories as listed. The style of the

changes made to the texts in the category of “replacement texts” can be probably attributed to

the fact that the majority of these lyrics are written by Vladimír Poštulka. His lyrics can be

distinguished from others by being written in even more poetic and metaphoric language than

the works of the other authors.

This thesis examined only a fraction of Bobek’s repertoire – the greater part of which

is composed by Vladimír Poštulka. This is caused by the fact that he was the one working

with Bobek the most often. Had Jiří Grossmann live longer, the composition of Bobek’s

repertoire would probably be different. To truly determine all the types of changes in the

lyrics written for Pavel Bobek, the research should constitute a much larger number of lyrics

by different authors, and it should contain the same amount of work by each of them, ideally

written at the same times and under similar circumstances.

Apart from the interviews and the articles about Poštulka’s work, the author of the

thesis did not manage to find any testimony of the other lyricists, which would help to

determine the reason for the changes discovered.

Despite the limited sources of information about the intentions of the Czechoslovak

lyricists, and the scarcity of the lyrics examined the author of this thesis can confirm her

initial hypothesis. The target texts are flattened and euphemized to a certain extent through

changing the language and altering or deleting some of the information occurring in the

source texts.

90

6. References

Primary Sources

Bowling, Roger D. and Hal Bynum (1977). Lucille [Recorded by Kenny Rogers]. On Kenny

Rogers. United Artists. Retrieved March 1, 2021, from https:

//www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kenny-Rogers/Lucille

Bowling, Roger D. and Billy E. Wheeler (1979). Coward of the County [Recorded by Kenny

Rogers]. On Kenny. United Artists Group. Retrieved March 1, 2021, from https:

//www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kenny-Rogers/Coward-of-the-County

Carnes, Kim and David Ellingson (1980). Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer. [Recorded by

Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes]. On Gideon. United Artists. Retrieved March 1,

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With-a-Dreamer

Cooke, Sam (1961). Cupid. On Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963. RCA. Retrieved

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Retrieved February 2, 2021, from https: //www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/John-

Denver/Take-Me-Home-Country-Roads

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https: //www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/neildiamond/iamisaid.html

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kenny-Rogers/Lucille

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kenny-Rogers/Lucille

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kenny-Rogers/Coward-of-the-County

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kenny-Rogers/Coward-of-the-County

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kenny-Rogers/Don-t-Fall-in-Love-With-a-Dreamer

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kenny-Rogers/Don-t-Fall-in-Love-With-a-Dreamer

https://genius.com/Sam-cooke-cupid-lyrics

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/John-Denver/Take-Me-Home-Country-Roads

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https://www.karaoketexty.cz/texty-pisni/bobek-pavel/usvit-339295

https://www.karaoketexty.cz/texty-pisni/bobek-pavel/usvit-339295

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Pavel-Bobek/M%C3%A1-d%C3%ADvka-N

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Pavel-Bobek/M%C3%A1-d%C3%ADvka-N

https://www.karaoketexty.cz/texty-pisni/bobek-pavel/proc-mam-v-koute-stat-871445

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ub%C3%BDv%C3%A1-sil

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chlap%C4%8De-m%C5%AFj-Coward-Of-The-County

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https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/The-Fraternity-of-Man/Don-t-Bogart-Me

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/The-Fraternity-of-Man/Don-t-Bogart-Me

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Pavel-Bobek/L%C3%A1sko-mn%C4%9B-ub%C3%BDv%C3%A1-sil



https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Pavel-Bobek/Dr%C5%BE-se-zp%C3%A1tky-chlap%C4%8De-m%C5%AFj-Coward-Of-The-County



https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/140227/Ray+Stevens/Sunday+Morning+Coming+Down

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kris-Kristofferson/Smokey-Put-the-Sweat-on-Me

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Sunday-Mornin-Comin-Down

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Kris-Kristofferson/I-May-Smoke-Too-Much

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94

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Sm%C3%AD%C5%A1en%C3%BD-sbor-Studiov%C3%A1-skupina/Poj%C4%8F-

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zp%C3%ADvej

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https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Pavel-Bobek/Ved-me-dal-cesto-Ma-Take-Me-Home-Country-Roads



https://www.karaoketexty.cz/texty-pisni/bobek-pavel/slama-v-botach-74972

https://www.karaoketexty.cz/texty-pisni/bobek-pavel/slama-v-botach-74972

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Pavel-Bobek/Poj%C4%8F-d%C3%A1l-a-zp%C3%ADvej



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95

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https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Pavel-Bobek-feat-Marie-Rottrova/S-Tim-Blaznem-Si-Nic-Nezacinej-2

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Pavel-Bobek-feat-Marie-Rottrova/S-Tim-Blaznem-Si-Nic-Nezacinej-2

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7. English Resumé

This diploma thesis deals with song translation during the normalization period in

Czechoslovakia. On a sample of works written for Pavel Bobek by six different lyricists in a

span of almost 20 years, it examines the changes made to the individual texts. The main goal

of the thesis is to determine the overall propensity of the majority of the target texts. And also

to explain the possible connection of the alterations with the period that the lyrics were

composed within. The aim is to demonstrate the tendency to smoothen and flatten the texts

and delete undesirable elements that appear in the originals. To do so, the author examined

each 22 lyrics pairs in detail and summarized the changes made in each of the Czech

translations/adaptations/replacement texts. The alterations made to the texts are summed up in

the last subchapter, in the fourth part of the thesis.

Although the initial hypotheses were confirmed, and the author managed to

substantiate the claim that the meaning of the majority of the songs changed in process of

translation, some assumptions remain unconfirmed. To generalize the claim that the

normalization period affected the song translation and the meaning and form of all the songs

translated between 1968 and 1989, much broader research would have to be conducted and

hundreds, even thousands, of lyrics examined. The results of the author’s research,

nonetheless, show that in the 22 songs investigated, the tendencies to alter the text in a certain

way are strong and persisting even though some of the lyricists’ works show a stronger

tendency to change the meaning of the original than the creations of the others.

107

8. Czech Resumé

Tato diplomová práce se zabývá překladem písňových textů v období československé

normalizace. Na vzorku prací, které pro Pavla Bobka napsalo šest různých textařů v rozmezí

téměř 20 let, zkoumá změny, které se objevují v jednotlivých textech. Hlavním cílem práce je

určit typ změny převládající u většiny cílových textů a pokusit se vysvětlit možnou souvislost

s obdobím, ve kterém české texty vznikaly. Cílem práce je poukázat na tendenci vyhlazovat a

zplošťovat texty a odstraňovat z nich nežádoucí prvky, které se objevují v originálech. Za

tímto účelem autorka podrobně prozkoumala každý z 22 textových párů a shrnula změny

provedené v každém z českých překladů/adaptací/náhradních textů. Změny, které se v textech

objevují, jsou podrobně popsány v poslední podkapitole ve čtvrté části diplomové práce.

Ačkoliv se podařilo potvrdit výchozí hypotézy a autorka doložila tvrzení, že význam

většiny písní se v procesu překladu změnil, není možné říct, že se tento fenomén projevuje

také u tvorby jiných autorů. K tomu, aby se dalo zobecnit tvrzení, že normalizační období

ovlivnilo význam a jazykovou podobu všech písní přeložených v letech 1968 až 1989, bylo

by třeba provést mnohem širší výzkum a v jeho rámci prozkoumat stovky, ba tisíce textů.

Výsledky autorčina výzkumu nicméně ukazují, že ve 22 zkoumaných písních jsou tendence

měnit text určitým způsobem silné a přetrvávající, i když práce některých textařů vykazují

silnější sklon k měnění význam originálu než díla ostatních.

Filosofická fakulta Masarykovy univerzity

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