Текст песни Борода Бабая - Рыбак

On the outskirts of the village, beside the stream,
Lived a fisherman.
And the women everywhere would whisper
That something wasn't right with him.
At night he’d run off somewhere, abandoning
His home, his wife, his kids—
As if he had a tryst with a mermaid,
And had fallen under her spell.


"I caught her in my net—a beauty
Not of this earth.
Her fins didn't faze me; I didn't give
A damn about her scales.
The rest of her was just like a woman—
Everything was there: her face, her breasts.
I’ve never seen such wonders in my life;
I’m a lucky man to have found you."


I—I—I—I am the son of a harbor whore!
And—and—and—and I’ve never known a love like this!
What—what—what—what do I care
For your moralizing?
I—I—I—I gave my whole heart to a mermaid!


From his great love for the mermaid,
The fisherman grew scales all over.
His eyes bulged from their sockets;
He was pale as a corpse.
Soon he looked just like a fish,
Terrifying everyone in the village.
Straining his gills wide open,
He would mutter in a tongue of the sea.


I—I—I—I am the son of a harbor whore!
And—and—and—and I’ve never known a love like this!
What—what—what—what do I care
For your moralizing?
I—I—I—I gave my whole heart to a mermaid!


The whole village reached a verdict:
"Let's skin the fisherman alive!
We'll brew a massive pot of fish soup,
And invite the whole town to dine!"

It was a feast for the entire village—
And even the fisherman's wife,
With a smirk upon her face,
Ate the soup made from her scoundrel husband!