Translation of the song Ljudmila (Noć kad je Tisa nadošla) artist Đorđe Balašević

Spalio je juli seno

July has incinerated hay

a Tisa nezapamceno opala

and the Tisa fell back like never before

i otkrila sprud kraj slepa

revealing the sandbar near the scow

k'o stvoren za njena lepa stopala

perfect for her beautiful feet

Stari joj je bio ladjar

Her old man was boatman

polu Rumun, polu Madjar, besni ker

half-Romanian, half-Hungarian, mad dog

prema meni nikad zao

But never foul to me

nekako je znao, da mu volim kcer

Somehow, he knew that I love his daughter

Bodom sitnim kao prezla

By the stitch small as breadcrumbs

moje ime je izvezla, stidljivo

She embroidered my name, shyly

plavim koncem na gacice

Using the blue thread on the panties

i pod karner spavacice, jedva vidljivo

and under the hem of the nightie, barely visible

Skrila camac mlada trska

Young cane hid the boat

koju mozes sa dva prsta poviti

But you can break it with two fingers

molila se Bogu suse

She prayed to the God of the Drought

da sto duze ne da im otploviti

Not to let them float away as long as possible

Tu noc je Tisa nadosla

That night the Tisa flooded

a na njoj nosnja raskosna

And she was in luxurious dress

samo sandalice, prstencic

Only little sandals, a small ring

i u kosi vencic od ivanjskog cveca

And in the hair corolla made of Midsummer flowers

pa ipak, nije nesreca sto me se ona ne seca

Nevertheless, it's not bad that she doesn't remember me

ma kakvi, nesreca je sto se ja nje secam

No, it's bad that I remember her

Nastavila voda rasti

The water lever continued to rise

nije htela naglas kazti, a znala je

She didn't want to say out loud, but she knew

drugog jutra sve po starom

Everything went as usual on the next morning

al' nikad da sladje garov zalaje

But the bark from the boat was never heard

Zaklela me da je cekam

She swore me to wait for her

da ce me se cela veka secati

That she will always remember me

na promaji zar malakse

In the draft the flame languish

ima l' ista lakse neg' obecati

Is there anything easier than a promise

Tu noc je Tisa nadosla

That night the Tisa flooded

a na njoj nosnja raskosna

And she was in luxurious dress

samo sandalice, prstencic

Only little sandals, a small ring

i u kosi vencic od ivanjskog cveca

And in the hair corolla made of Midsummer flowers

pa ipak, nije nesreca sto me se ona ne seca

Nevertheless, it's not bad that she doesn't remember me

ma kakvi, nesreca je sto se ja nje secam

No, it's bad that I remember her