Da te mogu pismom zvati – If I could call you with a song

/ October 5, 2016

Every so often, a song will haunt me, even if I don’t quite understand the lyrics. Recently it’s been the beautiful song composed by Ivan Badurina, Frane Bilić and Andrej Baša, performed by Klapa Maslina: Da te mogu pismom zvati – If I could call you with a song. Sung first at the Šibenik festival in 1998, it’s now one of the most-performed folksongs in Croatia. Everyone knows the refrain, and I’m working on learning it so I can sing along too!

Here’s Klapa Maslina performing it at Poljud Stadium in Split with full audience participation. The words are given below, along with my translation into English. Enjoy!

Da te mogu pismom zvati

Ti za me si bila ka rosa na cviću
sa usana pila i ljubav i sriću
a ja bi tija pismom ti prići
jos ljubavi ima ka ulja u svići

Da te mogu pismom zvati
ja bi piva život cili
da se barem opet vrati
vrime kad smo sritni bili

Da te mogu pismom zvati
ja bi piva, ne bi staja
da se stara ljubav vrati
ne bi pismi bilo kraja

Ne vraćaš se vise u pisme i rići
i nema te sa mnom u nijednoj prići
a ja bi tija pismom ti prići
još ljubavi ima ka ulja u svići

 If I could call you with a song

You were to me like dew on a flower
from your lips drinking love and happiness
I want to be close to you in song
love still burns as oil in a lamp

If I could call you with a song
I would sing my whole life long
to bring back in some way
times when we were happy

If I could call you with a song
I would sing, I wouldn’t stop
to bring back old love
with no end to the song

You don’t return in songs or words
and you’re not with me in any story
and I want to be close to you in song
love still burns as oil in a lamp

Klapa Maslina official facebook page

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