Translation of the song Boža zvani Pub artist Đorđe Balašević

Ovo je priča koju vrlo rado pričam,

This is a story that I very much enjoy telling

to je priča o Boži zvanom Pub.

It's the story of Boža AKA The Jack.

Jedni ga hvale, drugi žale,

Some sing him praises, others pity him

treći kažu: E, moj brale,

Yet others say: Oh, brother,

taj je bio kvaran kao šupalj zub.

He was as rotten as a hollow tooth.

Odavde pa sve do Pešte i do Srema na jugu

From here all the way to Budapest and to Srem in the south

još priča bajke o njemu mutni kockarski krug

Stories about him are still told in shady gambling circles

i kažu: Taj u životu nije igr'o na dug!

And they say: He never played on credit in his life!

I svi se slažu kako danas

And they all agree that these days

nema takvih kao Boža Pub.

There are none like Boža The Jack

Negde je imao imanje, to se znalo, više - manje,

He had some land somewhere, that was more-or-less known

mada o tom nije prič'o ni za lek.

Even though he never said a word about it

Treb'o je biti veterinar, al' je ter'o neki inat,

He was supposed to be a veterinarian, but he was having none of it

pa je živeo od kocke ceo vek.

So he lived off gambling all his life

O, taj je pratio karte k'o da vidi kroz njih.

Oh, that man followed cards as if he saw through them

I uvek 'ladan kao špricer, uvek opasno tih,

Always cool as spritzer, always dangerously silent

i samo kad tera maler on bi rekao stih.

And only when warding off bad luck he'd say a verse

I svi jos pamte reči kojim maler

And everybody still remembers the words for warding off bad luck

tera Boža zvani Pub.

As said by Boža The Jack

Džaba vam novci moji sinovci,

Money won't help you, my dear nephews*

džaba vam bilo dobre volje.

And neither will good will

I pogledi čvrsti, lepljivi prsti,

Not your stern gazes, and not your sticky fingers

ja ipak varam malo bolje.

I still cheat a little better

E, pa da!

Yes, that is so!

Al' karta je kurva, izvin'te me što psujem,

But the card is a whore, excuse my French

jer ja samo pričam onako kako čujem.

Because I just tell it as I hear it

I ako su lagali mene i ja lažem vas.

And if I was lied to, then I'm lying to you now

Tu priču zna svako, od vraga do popa,

Everybody knows this story, from the devil to the priest

jer mnogi su mangupi ostali tropa.

For many scoundrels were left with nothing

Kockar se krije i čuči u svakom od nas

There's a gambler hiding and lurking in every one of us

i čeka pravi čas:

And waiting for the right moment

Jednom se kart'o s nekim ruskim emigrantom,

He once played cards with some Russian emigrant

to je bio lihvar, bogat kao knez.

That was a loan shark as rich as a prince

Igr'o je i upravnik pošte zvani Ljupče od milošte

There was also the postmaster, endearingly called Ljupče

i neki švercer kog je jurio sav srez.

And some smuggler that the whole district was looking for

U, to je partija bila, još se priča o njoj,

Oh, that was a game, stories are still told

kibiceri u transu, 'ladan probija znoj.

Onlookers in trance, cold sweat breaking

Na stolu kamara para, da ne spominjem broj,

A heap of money on the table, let's not mention the amount

i povuk'o je damu na osamn'est,

And he drew a queen on eighteen*

mrtav ladan, Boža zvani Pub.

Cool as ice, Boža The Jack

A znate li za ono kad je s izvesnim baronom

Have you heard about the time when he played with a certain baron

igr'o četir' dana? To je bio rat!

For four days? That was war!

Išle ga stalno karte jake pa je odn'o i fijaker,

He had strong cards all the time, so he won a carriage

crnog konja, tabakeru, štap i sat.

A black horse, a cigarette case, a walking stick and a watch

Baron je pričao posle da je špil bio star,

The baron later complained that the deck was old

da je previše pio, da ga poneo žar!

That he drank too much, that he was caught up in the excitement

Ma, svi što gube se ljute, to je poznata stvar,

But all the losers moan, that's a well known thing

a svako gubi bar ponekad

And everybody loses at least sometimes

ali nikad Boža zvani Pub.

But never Boža The Jack

Džaba vam novci moji sinovci,

Money won't help you, my dear nephews

džaba vam bilo dobre volje...

And neither will good will...

Sa švalerske strane nije spad'o u Tarzane,

In matters of love, he was no Tarzan

al' daleko od tog da je bio zec.

But he was by no means a hare

Im'o je neke tu i tamo, al' svi vrlo dobro znamo

He had some ladies here and there, but we all know very well

da kod žena igra neki peti kec.

That what counts with women is some fifth ace

Ljubav je igra u kojoj često ne pali blef,

Love is a game in which bluffing often doesn't work

srce se otvara teže nego najbolji sef.

A heart is harder to get into than the best safe

Im'o je on svoje dame: karo, pik, herc i tref,

He had his ladies of diamonds, spades, hearts and clubs

i bio im je veran sve do

And he remained faithful to them

sudnjeg dana Boža zvani Pub.

Until the judgement day, Boža The Jack

Gospodo draga, on je nestao bez traga

My dear gentlemen, he disappeared without a trace

i to celoj priči daje čudan ton.

Giving the whole story a weird tone

Neki se džambasi kleli da su kod Sombora sreli

Some horse traders swore that near Sombor they met

jednog tipa što je bio isti on.

Some guy that looked exactly like him

Možda ga odvela karta čak u Prag ili Beč.

Maybe cards took him all the way to Prague or Vienna

Već dugo niko o njemu nije čuo ni reč.

Nobody's heard a word about him for a long time

Dal' se još drži na svetu il' je predao meč

Is he still hanging around on Earth or has he thrown in the towel

pa s anđelima na vrh neba

And now plays with angels in heaven

igra raub, preferans i ajnc?

Raub, Préférence and Pontoon*

Džaba vam novci moji sinovci,

Money won't help you, my dear nephews

džaba vam bilo dobre volje...

And neither will good will...