Já jsem muzikant
The order of the verses can be sung differently. Verses with additional instruments can be added too.
Já jsem muzikant
I am a Musician
Children's Song
Children's Song
(Czech)
(English)
(Refrén)
Hlavný spevák: Já jsem muzikant
A přicházím k vám z české země
Skupina: My jsme muzikanti,
Přicházíme k vám.
Hlavný spevák: Já umím hráti.
Skupina: My umíme taky.
Hlavný spevák: A to na housličky.
Skupina: Jak se na ně hraje?
Hlavný spevák: Fidli, fidli, staré vidli,
fidli, fidli, housličky.
Skupina: Fidli, fidli, staré vidli,
fidli, fidli, housličky.
(Refrén)
Hlavný spevák: A to na basu.
Skupina: Jak se na ni hraje?
Hlavný spevák: Stála basa u primasa,
za kamnama stála,
kdyz primaska zatopila,
basa sama hrála.
Skupina: Stála basa u primasa,
za kamnama stála,
kdyz primaska zatopila,
basa sama hrála.
(Refrén)
Hlavný spevák: A to na trumpetu.
Skupina: Jak se na ni hraje?
Hlavný spevák: Já rád játra, ty rád játra
on rád játra, trumpeta.
Skupina: Já rád játra, ty rád játra
on rád játra, trumpeta.
(Refrén)
Hlavný spevák: A to na bubínek.
Skupina: Jak se na něj hraje?
Hlavný spevák: Bumtarata, bumtarata
bumtarata bubínek.
Skupina: Bumtarata, bumtarata
bumtarata bubínek.
(Chorus)
Leader: I'm a musician
and I come to you from Czech-land.
Group: We are musicians,
we come to you.
Leader: I can play.
Group: We know how to too.
Leader: And the little violin.
Group: How do they play it?
Leader: Fidli, fidli, old garden fork*,
fidli, fidli, violin.
Group: Fidli, fidli, old garden fork,
fidli, fidli, little violin.
(Chorus)
Leader: And the double bass.
Group: How do you play it?
Leader: The double bass was standing in the mayor's kitchen**
Behind the tiled stove,
When his wife made a fire,
The double bass played itself.
Group: The double bass was standing in the mayor's kitchen
Behind the tiled stove,
When his wife made a fire,
The double bass played itself.
(Chorus)
Leader: And the trumpet.
Group: How do you play it?
Leader: I like liver, you like liver***
He likes liver, trumpet.
Group: : I like liver, you like liver
He likes liver, trumpet.
(Chorus)
Leader: And on the little drum.
Group: How do you play on it?
Leader: Dumblebee, dum
Dumtarata little drums.
Group: Dumblebee, dum
Dumtarata little drums.
Notes
Hana gave us the following explanations about what the instruments "play":
*"The words fidli fidli remind us of the sound of the violin. 'Staré vidli' means 'old garden fork', it's only used because of the rhyme with FIDLI – VIDLI.
**Primas. primaska - mayor and his wife - nowadays we do not use word 'primaska' but the meaning is something like 'town councilor'.
Basa - double bass - musical instrument
Kamna - tile stove/tiled stove - in the past tiled stoves were in every old kitchen.
The double bass was standing in the town councilor's kitchen, behind the tiled stove,
when his wife (primaska) made a fire, the double bass played itself (of its own accord).
***I think that they use the word liver – 'játra' – only because the consonant R is in 'tRumpeta', 'játRa' and 'Rád'."
![Watch](https://www.mamalisa.com/images/ml_images/watchEnglish.png)
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Thanks to Jan Kanturek for sharing this song with us! Many thanks to Hana Cice for helping with the translation and for the explanations.