Here are translations of the 9 songs released on Anssi Kela’s album “Nummela”, in March 2001, as well as the song “Milla”, released in November 2001. The original lyrics in Finnish are all written by Anssi Kela.
The translations were done by members of the old discussion forum at www.anssikela.com. The translations are intended mainly to give an idea of the meaning of each song and there might be some artistic liberties taken.
Alla löydät englanninkielisinä käännöksinä Nummela-albumin laulut sekä Milla-kappaleen. Käännökset ovat Anssin kotisivujen foorumilaisten tekemiä ja julkaistu alun perin kyseisellä foorumilla. Käännösten tarkoituksena on antaa englannin kielellä jonkinlainen kuva kunkin laulun sisällöstä. Käännökset on julkaistu tekijöiden luvalla.
Kaksi sisarta / Two Sisters
Mikan faijan BMW / Mikey’s Father’s BMW
Esko Riihelän painajainen / Esko Riihelä’s Nightmare
Puistossa / In the Park
Kaunotar ja basisti / Beauty and the Bassist
Rouva Ruusunen / Mrs. Rosebud
Harhaa / Living a Lie
Kissanpäivät / Cat`s Days
Nummela / Nummela
– – –
Milla / Milla
Kaksi sisarta
This is the opening song on the album “Nummela”. “Kaksi sisarta” was also released as a single in February 2001, one month prior to the album. It received lots of airplay. This is one of the songs whose lyrics were inspired by Raymond Carver’s poetry.
TWO SISTERS
I was caught again
by that old longing
those sisters came to my mind
I keep wondering
what’s up with them
are they okay
the other sister believed in God
the other just wanted to get drunk
they were both crazy – so people said
once I loved them both
the other one took me into heaven
we were drifting to the most beautiful dreams
the other one dragged me to hell
I regret neither of them
I got the older sister
just for one night
she said: “after this you have to forget me
the only one you can love is God”
she spoke about heaven
and eternal death
I think she wanted to save my soul
all I wanted was just one kiss
the other sister took me into heaven
we were drifting to the most beautiful dreams
the other one dragged me into hell
I regret neither of them
and the younger one
neither was she that bad
but sometimes you just make some stupid things
like that night when
we broke into that gas station
no money, only some Christmas decorations
and ice fishing overalls
we got caught, of course
that night in jail made me a new man
the other sister took me into heaven
we were drifting to the most beautiful dreams
the other one dragged me to hell
I regret neither of them
the other sister took me into heaven
we were drifting to the most beautiful dreams
the other one dragged me to hell
today I missed them both
Translation by Sami
Mikan faijan BMW
“Mikan faijan BMW” was released as a promotional single in July 2000. It was tough at first, but after a couple of months the radio stations started playing the song. It remains one of Anssi’s best known songs, and was instrumental in making Anssi Kela a household name in Finland.
MIKEY’S FATHER’S BMW
After many long years
Lawrence called and ask me this:
”Let’s gather old our old gang again
We haven’t seen for the longest time
You still remember that BMW
My old man still has it
Why don’t we ride it to town
Do everything just as before”
And so I sit again
To ride old BMW
Mikey is driving of course
It’s his fathers car
Mike is the silent one
Lawrence can’t keep his mouth shut
Raymond is a nutcase
I’m a sex maniac
Mikey’s father’s BMW
On the the road again, yohoo
Once again this car
Takes our gang to party hard
Mikey’s father’s BMW
On the road again, yohoo
And though everything is fine
Nothing is the same
Last time me and Raymond met
We almost sent each other to death
Now he pats my back
”Nice to see you, old fag”
Mikey is still silent as always
Rumor says he hasn’t got laid for days
People say his wife is frigid
But no-one dares to ask, dig it?
Lawrence is a business man now
Makes millions, oh wow
He never used to drink
Now he is barely able to think
”Why God, why” he cries
He says he hopes that he dies
And everyone is quiet
Unusually quiet
One week from that
I saw Mikey, he was sad
With tears in his eyes
”Lauri killed himself” he cries
”He was found yesterday
He was dead, vot tu sei
No message,
No nothing”
Mikey’s father’s BMW…
Translation by JMN
Esko Riihelän painajainen
Esko Riihelä is a legendary Finnish radio journalist specialising in traffic issues. The song, ”Esko Riihelän painajainen” has nothing to do with him, though.
ESKO RIIHELÄ’S NIGHTMARE
High-school drop-out
Matilda’s world turned around
Now she’s escaping
Alone hitch-hiking
She was seen by the road to north
Wilhelm learned to hate
His home and his mates
So he burned them all
Now he’s having a ball
He’s driving up north
Road to north remains
Everything else vanishes
Road to north
Destination unknown
When you have to go
Flames catching up not far
Wilhelm pulls his car
Matilda jumps in and says ”go”
This is what we know
They disappeared to the north
Neither of them
Was ever found
But the legend rebel son
And Matilda lives on
I heard it on my way to north
Translation by JMN
Puistossa
“Puistossa” was issued as a single in July 2001. It was a huge hit.
IN THE PARK
In the park the evening’s getting cold
Peter skips to warm himself
And swearing glances at his watch
Lighting his last cigarette
Number one in his class
Now hooked on sixteen
Different drugs
And his mother cares not
His father, him he’s never seen.
Peter takes care of himself
Got a message from a friend the other day
”Easy money for us now
If you’re in, meet me in the park
Peter takes a last blow
And pulls the last puffs
One more time a thought runs through his head
”I’ve got nothing here to lose”
The world is turning in it’s path
The days are raising once again
Nothing changes nevermore
Things will always be the same
Same winds are blowing once again
Same rain is falling here once more
All the beauty disappears
All things die in their time
Young and beautiful that’s what Laura is
After graduating Economy Class
Set up her own little firm
Got herself a huge debt from the bank
But then the troubles got up with her
And the business tumbled down the drains
She can’t make through all of her bills
Not to mention all her debts
Her parents, they’d have money, they
But helping her they will not do
”Welcome to the harsh reality”, they say,
”Here you make with what you have”
Laura wakes at night and prays:
”God, please help me survive”
The world is turning in it’s path
The days are raising once again
Nothing changes nevermore
Things will always be the same
Same winds are blowing once again
Same rain is falling here once more
All the beauty disappears
All things die in their time
Laura arrives on her bike
And parks around the corner of the park
Peter jumps up on the back
Neither one says a single word
And they drive up to the mansion front
Laura hands over the keys
And reminds her friend Peter
Where her mother keeps the goods
They thought they’d just made it
When Laura in the mirror sees
How the light behind her blink in blue
Requesting her immediate stop
With the pedal to floor, she shouts
”Hold on, Peter Rosebud!”
And for an instant they were at least
A legend in the book of time
The world is turning in it’s path
The days are raising once again
Nothing changes nevermore
Things will always be the same
Same winds are blowing once again
Same rain is falling here once more
All the beauty disappears
All things die in their time
Translation by Chride
Kaunotar ja basisti
“Kaunotar and basisti” has been mentioned by Anssi as one of his favourite tracks on the album.
BEAUTY AND THE BASSIST
Lapland’s tour in January
We piss on bus’s cardan
It must be tough to be a woman
When we wiggle our members
But she takes it well
She tells us to go to hell
But I think that in my case
She doesn’t mean it
Is this just
my imagination
Is it just me dreaming
Just me dreaming
I can’t stop thinking of her
And so I wonder
Does she feel the same about me?
Others have passed out
I have to drive the bus all night
She keeps me company
And tells about herself, alright
She tells me how her mam freaked out
When she started to twist and shout
And I wish that shake those hips
Quit her whining and kiss my lips
Is this just
My imagination
Is it just me dreaming
Just me dreaming
I can’t stop thinking of her
And so I wonder
Does she feel the same about me?
In January
In Lapland’s night
We’re running
Out of gas
Translation by JMN
Rouva Ruusunen
This lady has been seen at concerts in many shapes. It has been played as rockabilly, punk and latin versions just to mention some of them.
MRS. ROSEBUD
I watch the ceiling
I hear her playing
Mrs. Rosebud
Is playing her cello
I know this song
I’ve heard it before
It has some words to it
But I can’t remember
She lives upstairs
She moved upstairs
After that Rivercounty
Who was jailed
I watch the ceiling
Hear the music playing
And I think of her
Try to picture what she’s wearing
She’s a fine lady
Mrs. Rosebud
I can’t get no relief
When I think of her
Once I took
The elevator with her
She had milk and bread
In her shopping bags
And I wanted
To tell her how I feel
But I only managed to say
”Do you know what time it is?”
Her old man
I’m not his fan
Mr. Rosebud
That little Mussolini
That kind of lady
She deserves better
I’d give her anything
That kind of lady
But things will change
In the end I shall win
First I shove his husband
Into a dustbin
I take Mrs. R
To someplace warm
Someplace far away
I’ll save no expenses
But her children
They can stay here in the cold
They mess up the walls
And urinate in the elevator
Translation by JMN
Harhaa
In one of the most touching songs on the album, Anna Kuoppamäki duets with Anssi, giving it a very special feeling. “Harhaa” includes three different stories about trying to find a way out of depressing reality. But what kind of a way out?
LIVING A LIE
”I’ll just get cigarettes”
Ilkka says
He shuts the door
Takes a deep breath
And counts to ten
Then he moves on
But suddenly stops
Hides his ring
Knowing he’s taking a step
into a lie
Stay Away by Nirvana
Riikka sits in her chair
Draws her sleeve up
Cobain watching
From the wall
Only he understands
No one else
The room disappears
And all that is left
Is a lie
She slides away
Little by little
To another world
More beautiful than this
Life is like a dream
So much easier to live
But still it’s a lie
Nothing but a lie
Jesse hold his ears
Alone in the dark
Humming any song
Not to hear his parents fight
The hits disappear
Reality mixes
With lies
He slides away
Little by little
To another world
More beautiful than this
Life is like a dream
So much easier to live
But still it’s a lie
Nothing but a lie
Translation by Sami
Kissanpäivät
This song is about leaving one’s adolescence and innocence behind. Kissanpäivät (= cat’s days) is a Finnish expression, meaning easy and happy living.
CAT’S DAYS
The end of summer, autumn coming
Little kittens waited for drowning
Ahti put them into a sack
Asked me to lend a helping hand
And we didn’t say a word
Quietly I started to row
Ahti drove a truck for living
Called me his little journeyman
Now because of this drowning-case
Sat there with his saddest face
And the lake was so silent
Deep and dark were the waters
But those days were cat’s days
All the cats stayed alive
We weren’t cruel, couldn’t kill them
The merciful stayed innocent
But nowadays it’s not the same
Now we have to take the blame
Cat’s days are distant memories
And sometimes I miss those days
We left after a few days
Said goodbye to the cats
Hopped into a grey bus
Drove back to city lights
I didn’t see it fade away
The old chapter of my life
The next summer was the last
And it didn’t go by too fast
Rowing the boat on the lake
Lovely cats were just a fake
I missed the city lights
Me and Ahti had some fights
But back then were the cat’s days
those days the cats stayed alive
We weren’t cruel, couldn’t kill them
The merciful stayed innocent
But nowadays it’s not the same
Now we have to take the blame
Cat’s days are distant memories
Oh how much I miss those days
Translation by Mari
Nummela
The title song of the album and one of Anssi’s most loved. Everything Anssi tells in this autobiographical song is true. The line ”I have to keep on walking” refers to nostalgic feelings when Anssi feels a need to visit the places of his childhood and youth. Nummela is the name of Anssi’s old hometown.
NUMMELA
These old city streets, all the houses and gardens
I walk my dog and think of all the great years gone by
Long ago we dragged our bikes from that tiny little ditch
A crazy bet and foolishness just to get some kicks
At school we chased the girls, Mary was the one for me
They screamed and ran away, that’s how things were meant to be
When my daddy’s band played, I took all my friends to see
I felt the beat and had to hear those sweet sounds in my ears
I have to keep on walking
I have to keep on walking
As a voice inside is talking
I was twelve years old when we moved countryside
Just one year later I had to say “daddy, goodbye”
Mum was left with four kids and the payment of our house
Somehow she managed through it, life was on the rails again
Me and all my friends, this park and the dark sky
We balanced on the bridge, drove fast as the blink of an eye
And we knew how to make all the streetlights go out
I began to write songs about death, faith and doubt
I have to keep on walking
I have to keep on walking
As a voice inside is talking
I met the woman of my dreams, I said “please, grow old with me”
When I was twenty-five, we walked down the aisle, the river had found the sea
My wife works as a teacher, she knows what life is all about
And me, I stay up at nights, I have to let the songs come out
Sometimes late in the evening I take my dog up to the hill
From there we watch Nummela sleeping so still
And I think of us and the lucky, oh yes, the lucky man I am
This is my hometown…
I have to keep on walking
I have to keep on walking
As a voice inside is talking
Translation by Sami
Milla
“Milla” was written after the release of the album Nummela, and was released as a single in November 2001. It was the theme song of the movie “Minä ja Morrison”. “Milla” was a huge hit, Anssi’s biggest so far. Milla is a Finnish woman’s name.
MILLA
There’s a guy in my bed
Morrison tattoo on his shoulder
He is sleeping there naked
And I really can’t remember
Who the hell is that man
He is not the hero on a white horse
and I’m surely not madly in love
So I get up, and quietly
take my clothes, dress up in the stairway
I find myself sitting at the table
staring at the yellow cafe wall
Feeling everything but proud
with my life – I’ve messed it all
My mom calls, she wants to tell
it would be nice to meet again
And I would hear the same words
the ones I’ve heard way too often
Chorus:
And she would say
Milla hey you have to change
you’ve lost the direction in your life
you always choose the shortest way
it doesn’t lead you anywhere
You aren’t a little girl no more
you shouldn’t be acting like a whore
quit the childish games you always play
Old picture with wooden frames
hanging on the yellow cafe wall
A smiling lady on a beach
wind trying to catch her hat
Keeps her eyes on a little boy
who’s playing in wet sand
with a sea shell in his hand
listening to the sound of the waves
The loudly ringing phone
brings me back to my yellow cafe
Heli wants to hear if I’m still alive
And I tell her, even if I know
this will become another tragedy show
I know all the words by heart
of the preach she’s gonna start
It goes like this
Milla hey you have to change…
Translation by Mari