Знов відчуття повні хвилювань,
Я намагаюсь знайти слова,
Давні часи у моїх думках,
Ті, що ми знали.
Ночами холодно від зими,
Боюся смерті, стаю старим,
Ці перегони виграли ми,
Йдучи помалу.
Напевно скоро затихнемо,
Повільно вгору, вниз впевнено,
У землю рідну повернемось,
Котру ми знали.
Колись кишені були пусті,
Ми мріяли, щоб кудись піти,
Часи важкі ті звели мости
Плідним рокам.
Тримай синицю в своїх руках,
Доки журавель десь у небесах,
Бери що можеш з цього життя,
Поки є час.
В тебе свій шлях, мені треба йти,
Бажаю щастя тобі знайти,
Пригадуй наші найкращі дні,
Ті, що ми знали.
Translate by Yuriy Veres. Arangement by Kamyaniy gist (album 60/70, 2012).
We Used to Know (Song by Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull)
Whenever I get to feel this way,
Try to find new words to say,
I think about the bad old days
We used to know.
Nights of winter turn me cold
Fears of dying, getting old.
We ran the race and the race was won
By running slowly.
Could be soon we'll cease to sound,
Slowly upstairs, faster down.
Then to revisit stony grounds,
We used to know.
Remembering mornings, shillings spent,
Made no sense to leave the bed.
The bad old days they came and went
Giving way to fruitful years.
Saving up the birds in hand
While in the bush the others land.
Take what we can before the man
Says it's time to go.
Each to his own way I'll go mine.
Best of luck in what you find.
But for your own sake remember times
We used to know.
There is a version of that famous song by "Eagles" "Hotel California" may have been written under the influence of the song "We Used to Know" from the album "Stand Up" (1969) Jethro Tull. The group toured together prior to the release of the song; in addition, very similar melody and chords. Of course, the idea of "We used to know" expressed in the last line (But for your own sake remember times we used to know) very far from the ideas of the prisoners in "Hotel California", but musically the Hotel California is only slightly modified, "We used to know". Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull concerts in the late 70's had himself emphasised it, starting to play We Used to Know, and from the second verse of the text performing Hotel California.