Music to learn Russian
Lyrics in Russian + English translation
Song: Песенка крокодила Гены
Crocodile Gena's Song
Singer: Vladimir Ferapontov
Learning Russian songs by heart is a great way to improve your language skills. Watch the song, read the translation and pay close attention to the highlighted words. "Crocodile Gena's Song" appears in the iconic Soviet cartoon "Cheburashka" (1971), which is based on the famous story "Crocodile Gena and his friends" (1966), written by E. Uspensky. Both the cartoon and the book remain widely popular to this day, while the song became one of the most favourite children's songs in Russia.
Russian lyrics and English translation
Пусть бегу́т неуклю́же
Пешехо́ды по лу́жам,
А вода́ по асфа́льту реко́й.
И не я́сно прохо́жим
В э́тот день непого́жий,
Почему́ я весёлый тако́й.
Let the pedestrians run
Clumsily across the puddles,
And the water - down the asphalt like a river.
And it's not clear to the passersby
On this nasty day,
Why I am so joyful.
Ах я игра́ю на гармо́шке
У прохо́жих на виду́,
К сожале́нию, день рожде́ния
То́лько раз в году́.
Ah I am playing the accordion
In front (in full view) of the pedestrians,
Unfortunately, a birthday is
Just once per year.
Прилети́т вдруг волше́бник
В голубом вертолёте
И беспла́тно пока́жет кино́.
С днём рожде́ния поздра́вит
И, наве́рно, оста́вит
Мне в пода́рок пятьсо́т эскимо́.
A wizard will come (flying) all of a sudden
In a blue helicopter
And (he) will show a movie for free.
(he) will say happy birthday (lit.: will congratulate (me) with (my) birthday)
And probably, will leave
Five hundred Eskimo ice creams as a gift for me.
Ах я игра́ю на гармо́шке
У прохо́жих на виду́,
К сожале́нию, день рожде́ния
То́лько раз в году́.
К сожале́нию, день рожде́ния
То́лько раз в году́.
Ah I am playing the accordion
In front of the pedestrians,
Unfortunately, a birthday is
Just once per year.
Unfortunately, a birthday is
Just once per year.
Words and grammar
- пе́сенка: little song Diminutive of "пе́сня"
- пусть: let
- неуклю́же: (adverb) clumsily, awkwardly The form without "не" doesn't exist
- пешехо́д: pedestrian
- лу́жа: puddle
- асфа́льт: asphalt "Вода́ по асфа́льту (dative) реко́й (instrumental)": water (flows/runs) down/on the asphalt like a river.
- прохо́жий: passerby (this is a noun, but it has an adjective form) "Не я́сно прохо́жим (dative)": it's not clear to the passersby
- непого́жий: nasty (about weather, day, etc.) The form without "не" doesn't exist
- тако́й: (pronoun, masculine) 1. so; 2. such; 3. like this Тако́й/така́я (fem.)/тако́е (neuter)/таки́е (plural) are used with adjectives ("тако́й весёлый": so happy/joyful)
- гармо́шка: accordion; concertina Colloquial for "гармо́ника"/"гармо́нь"
- вид: view, sight "На виду́": in full view of somebody; in the public eye; in front of somebody. "У прохо́жих (genitive) на виду́": in front of passersby
- к сожале́нию: unfortunately
- день рожде́ния: birthday
- раз: once, one time раз в год (accusative)/раз в году́ (prepositional): once per year
- прилета́ть-прилете́ть: come flying; arrive by air
- вдруг: suddenly; all of a sudden
- волше́бник: wizard; magician; sorcerer
- вертолёт: helicopter
- беспла́тно: for free; free of charge
- пока́зывать-показа́ть: to show
- поздравля́ть-поздра́вить: to congratulate Поздравля́ть с днём рожде́ния: to say/wish happy birthday
- наве́рно: (=наве́рное) probably
- оставля́ть-оста́вить: to leave (something somewhere)
- пода́рок: gift; present В пода́рок (accusative): as a gift/present
- эскимо́: ice cream (chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream on a stick, like "Eskimo Pie")
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