Translation of the song Nevernik artist Đorđe Balašević

K'o ukleti jedrenjak

As a cursed sailboat

u gusti modri mrak

Through the thick and livid darkness

uranja kolodvor.

The railway station is appearing.

O, dobra noć Banja Luko!

Oh, good evening Banja Luka!

Ne, ne dolazim,

No, I am not coming in,

samo prolazim.

I am just passing by.

Nismo se videli dugo.

We haven't seen each other for a long time.

Dal' to beše čast, šinjel maslinast?

Is a soldier's overcoat honor?

Znam, ona spava sad

I know, she is sleeping now

i možda ponekad

But maybe sometimes

predgrađem njenog sna

Crazy soldier walks

prošeta ludi desetar.

Through her mind.

Dal' ikad pomisli

Does she ever think about me

kroz prozor pokisli

Beside the rain-wet window?

il' je sve pomeo vetar?

Or wind cleaned it away?

Hej, oči čarne ispred kasarne!

Hey! Beautiful eyes in front of military barrack!

Njenima nisam bio po volji,

Her family didn't like me,

važno im bilo odakle su moji.

They asked too much about my origin.

Zašto to smeta, sa ovog su sveta,

Why is it problem? My family is from this planet!

hlebotvorci, čestit soj?

They also eat bread, they are honest race.

Njen me je baba uz'o na nišan:

Her baba (muslim's father) was gunpointing me:

dal' sam od njinih il' baš i nisam?

''Are you our race's or no?''

Sloven sam, belac, slobodni strelac.

I am a Slav, a white man, a rifleman...

Mani se čiča, ja sam svoj.

What do you want to know? I am myself.

Od Stare Kanjiže,

Near Stara Kanjiža (city in Serbia),

pa malko naniže,

A little down beside it,

gde Tisa uspori

Tisa (river) flows so slowly.

dici ću salaš na bregu.

I will build a city there.

Možda im pobegne

Maybe she will run away from them,

kad žito polegne,

When the grain lay down,

kad se jarebice legu.

When partridges are brooding.

Možda kad sneva meni dospeva.

Maybe she dreams herself coming to me.

Otpravnik klima crvenom kapom:

Railway-dispatcher is wagging with the red cap:

Vreme je bilo, 'ajmo polako.

''The pause time passed, run forward!''

Prosipa vetar behara pehar,

The wind spills a cup of air,

spavaj mala, mašala.

Sleep my mollycoddle, mašalla (''bravo'')

Ne volim kad me uzmu na nišan:

I don't like to be gunpointed,

dal' sam od njinih il' baš i nisam?

To be asked if I am their race's or no.

Sloven sam, belac, slobodni strelac.

I am a Slav, a white man, a rifleman...

Za svaki slučaj, još uvek samo svoj.

I am myself...