PLEASE HELP WITH - English translation of the song: When Someone Knows

Mar 30

5 min read

I am looking for advice and ratings for the most accurate, most meaningful and best translation of the song from Croatian to US-English, which will become the official translation.

I would be grateful for comments, even if it is just a comment, "This is the best version for me" or "This one is not good because it is not written in proper US-English" or "This translation does not make sense". Please only contact me or comment if you live in the US, or if you are completely confident in your excellent command of English and grammar.

Thank you all.

Here is the table of contents, or rather the list and description of the translations.

By clicking on the description you can go directly to the desired version, or you can scroll down to see all versions.

VERSIONS (Kad netko zna - When Someone Knows)

1. Original Croatian

2. Closest possible direct translation of the poem (without rhyme)

3. Closest possible direct translation of the poem (with rhyme)

4. Attempt at a slightly freer translation (with rhyme)

5. Slightly more creative and freer translation (with rhyme)

6. Completely free translation (with rhyme)

1. Original Croatian

Kad netko zna

Kad netko zna,

što je bolje za mene,

od mene,

pa to još kaže,

a tako laže,

ja bi ga ubio..

Bez milosti,

mu srce.

rukom izgulio,

žuč mu zubima izvadio,

i s čašom pelina,

ga popio.

Tankom žicom, bi mu kroz jedno oko ušao,

a kroz drugo izašao.

Sve mu dlake, lemilom zapalio, usne bi mu koncem zašio, a jezik vani ostavio, pa bi mu ga, na mašinu za salamu, na fetice isjeckao.

Joj što bi mu radio.

I da sve ne ponavljam, i da dalje ne nabrajam, što bi mu sve radio, da se nekom ne bi zgadio, reći ću samo još što bi mu, na kraju napravio.

Kroz uho bi mu mozak na slamku popio.

2. Closest possible direct translation of the poem (without rhyme)

When someone knows

When someone knows

what’s best for me,

better than I do,

and then says it,

while lying without shame,

I’d kill him.

Without mercy,

I’d rip out his heart

with my bare hands,

extract his bile with my teeth,

and drink it down

with a glass of bitters.

I’d slip a thin wire

through one eye

and pull it out the other.

I’d burn all his hairs

with a soldering iron;

I’d sew his lips shut with a thread,

leaving his tongue hanging out.

Then I’d chop him up on a salami machine

into little slices.

Oh, what I’d do to him.

And I won’t repeat further,

nor will I count them more,

all I’d do to him,

so I don’t disgust someone.

I’ll just say what I’d do

to him in the end.

I’d drink his brain

through a straw

from his ear.

3. Closest possible direct translation of the poem (with rhyme)

When someone knows

When someone knows and see,

what's best for me,

better than I might,

then speaks it outright,

while lying through his teeth,

I’d kill him and end his life beneath.

Without mercy,

I’d rip out his heart,

with my bare hands,

extract his bile, tearing apart,

and drink it down,

savoring the bitters’ frown.

Through one eye,

I’d thread a thin wire

and pull it from the other,

a moment that inspires.

I’d burn all his hairs,

with a tool of despair,

I’d sew his lips closed using thread,

leaving his tongue exposed to feel the dread.

Then I’d chop him up in a meat machine,

into tiny slices, crisp and clean.

Oh, what I’d do to him.

And I won’t repeat further,

nor will I count them done,

all I’d do to him,

so I don’t disgust someone.

I’ll just say what I’d do

to him in the end.

I’d sip his brain, oh what a shock,

Through his ear, a slurping knock.

4. Attempt at a slightly freer translation (with rhyme)

When someone knows

When someone claims to know

what’s best for me,

better than I can show,

and with lies, they speak so free,

I’d end their spree.

With no mercy, I’d start,

rip out their beating heart,

from my hands, it would depart,

their bile, I’d chew apart,

then wash it down, bitter dart.

Through one eye, I’d weave a thread,

pull it out where the other bled.

Burn all their hair, leave them dead,

sew their lips, no words left said,

with a slicer, they’d be shred.

Oh, the things I would do,

the torment I’d put you through.

But I’ll refrain from listing the queue,

to spare some from being blue.

I’ll just share my final view.

From their ear, I’d take a drink,

sipping brain, as they sink,

through a straw, I’d slink,

leaving them no time to think.

5. Slightly more creative and freer translation (with rhyme)

When someone knows

When someone thinks they know it all,

What’s best for me, and makes that call,

While cloaked in lies, they dare to speak,

I’d wish them harm, for they’re so weak.

With no remorse, I'd tear apart,

Their beating soul, right from the heart.

With teeth I'd bite, and greedily sip

Their bitter essence, take a dip.

A thin wire through their eye I'd thread,

And pull it back, their pain widespread.

I’d toast their hair with sizzling flame,

And stitch their lips, oh what a game!

With tongue outstretched, in cruel delight,

I’d chop them up, what a fright!

Just think of all the things I’d do,

A twisted fate, oh yes, it’s true.

But to save you from the gruesome scene,

I’ll skip the rest, though what a glean.

Instead, I’ll share, just one last thing,

Before I’m done with this dark fling.

From ear to brain, I’d take a sip,

A final drink from that long trip.

6. Completely free translation (with rhyme)

When someone knows

When someone claims to know my way,

What’s best for me, come what may,

And lies with such a devil's grin,

Oh, how I'd love to take him in.

Without a shred of sympathy,

I’d tear his heart out viciously.

With hands of steel, I'd make it right,

Extract his bile, what a sight!

With wire thin, a lethal thread,

Through one eye, then out—he’d be dead.

I’d scorch his skin with molten heat,

His lips sewn tight, he’d face defeat.

His tongue would hang in cruel display,

I’d slice him up, no other way,

On a salami maker's blade,

Oh, such sweet vengeance would be laid.

What horrors I would gladly weave,

But I won’t list nor bare, believe,

All of the ways my wrath would bloom,

To spare the squeamish from the gloom.

So here’s the end, my grand design,

I’d sip his thoughts—through ear, divine.

A brainy drink with twisted cheer,

To show what happens when you leer.

Song Description: (Scroll down for Voting)

This is a poem about family relationships.This is a song about a special kind of people, and instead of writing about them and this "Horror song," I will write a warning. (So you don't find yourself in a situation where you write a song like this).

Dear and kind people: beware of those who know everything, especially those who think they know what’s best for you but can't even help themselves. These individuals always offer advice—if not the best, at least the most numerically extensive—to everyone and everything, not just you.

So don’t get frustrated like I do; instead, be aware of their frustrations and shortcomings—when they can’t help themselves or be wise for themselves, they try to project that wisdom onto others.

Now, here is a brief and simple survey where you can vote for the version of the song in English that you find most accurate or best.

It would also be beneficial to read both negative and positive comments and critiques to understand where we might have gone wrong in the translation.

Thank you all once again, especially to those for whom American English is their native language and who speak it daily while living in the United States.