I miss my eskimo friend...
 

Hi, firstly, well done on the site, it's a great resource. :smiley20:

Just thought I'd mention something in relation to your FAQs, not as an amendment as such, but in case you're interested. You've translated the line 'minä kaipaan eskimo-ystävääni' from the Finnish opera in 'Eskimo' as 'I look to my eskimo friend'; were those the English lyrics that were translated in the first place for this part of the song? Only that I asked a good friend of mine from Rovaniemi in Finland the other day how the words translated and he read this line as 'I miss my eskimo friend'. I suppose it could be either, but being an English student and thusly inclined to pounce on alternative interpretations of poetry or lyrics, I thought this might be worth noting.

Anyhow, keep up the good work.

thanks for that. i got the finnish lyrics and translation from the girl who gave them to damien, so i guess that's what damien meant them to be... but maybe you're right... i'll try to find out...

Ooh, that would be good, thanks. :)

i googled a translation for "minä kaipaan eskimo-ystävääni" and it said "ego desire eskimo-friend" lol

internet translations are so goofy :smiley29:

Hmm...did you translate it from Finnish to Latin by any chance? :smiley17:

hehe... no! :smiley17:

but i also found this translation of the finnish verse while googling

Kosketa minua.....Touch me
Halua käsilläsi.....Want me with your hands
Mua niin että.....So that
tunnen sinut.....I feel you
Halua minua.....Want me
Halua käsilläsi..... Want me with your hands
Huuto sielussa......A loud cry in the soul
saa.....makes...
Minä kaipaan.....Me miss
eskimoystävää.....An eskimo friend
Minä kaipaan.....I miss
eskimoystävää.....An eskimo friend
Minä kaipaan.....I miss
eskimoystävääni.....my eskimo friend

When I'm down, down, down.
When I'm down, down, down.

where did that one come from?? i found it on a lyric site... i like the translation emmett has posted better than that one...

so emmett you say you got the translation from the girl who gave it to damien? does that mean damien told her what he wanted to say and she translated the lyrics into finnish for him? wonder if the translator is the eskimo friend :smiley24:

and why finnish? it's not really innuit is it? hmm...

Many questions, but who knows the answer?

Too much for my brain on a Saturday morning... :smiley22:

i'm still interested

i know this finnish girl, she's coming to visit next week. maybe i should ask her to translate?

yeah do cille that would be nice :) let her listen to eskimo and see what she thinks she's singing... in the two versions of the lyrics it looks like they are different words in finnish, so maybe they're slightly similar words and could change the meaning. a native speaker's ear might be able to distinguish them better...

maybe it's me but when i listen to a song so much after awhile i'd like to know what's really being said :)

would be so much easier if it was danish, that's what i say!

i'll try to find the right moment to present it to finnish ears this week. my bf actually says the fin person might enjoy damien, so maybe i'll even have the opportunity to convert her. yay.

good idea new recruits!

i haven't successfully converted anybody yet, and i've really tried... i've actually had people tell me to shut up about damien rice already :mad: :(

awww... i think i converted my friend; i made a mix-cd for her last year, and this year for her b'day she wanted O - guess who gave it to her *angelic face*

and then i think i've converted people over the internet, but only b/c they already seemed to share my *superior* taste in moosic.

Ok, so this is what the sweet finnish lady said it means:

kosketa minua - touch me
älä käsilläsi - not with your hands
vaan niin että tunnen sinut - but the way I can feel you

kosketa minua - touch me
älä käsilläsi - not with your hands
mutta sielussasi - but with your soul

minä kaipaan eskimo-ystävääni - I miss my eskimo friend
:smiley14:

Thank you very much to you, Cille and to your friend the transaltor!!!

aha so it is "i miss my eskimo friend" then! that kind of puts a different spin on the meaning... touch me with your soul (i always kind of read it like that anyway)

i just love these lyrics, they're so simple but so powerful i think... i've finally come to the conclusion that eskimo is my all time favorite song of damien's :smiley1:

thank you to the sweet finnish woman and the super sweet danish woman too :smiley31: :smiley31:

:smiley16: Thanks Cille and Anonymous:smiley10:

Thanks, Cille. :) I've since talked about it again with my Finnish friend and he said he'd definitely read it as 'miss' rather than 'look to'. Plus, I've now converted him to Damien Rice appreciation as well. :D I think I actually prefer this interpretation, but it would be interesting to know the 'official' translation anyway... :)

mutta sielussasi - but with your soul

I'm from Finland and this part is not correct :smiley1: It should be:
mutta sielussasi - but in your soul

if you'd like to say but with your soul in finnish it would be mutta sielullasi

But can anyone help me why does that song has a part in finnish?!? :smiley29: