Friday, September 19, 2008

Song Lyrics and Meaning

Here's what happens when you use Google's language tools to translate R.E.M.'s "So. Central Rain" from English to Finnish, from Finnish to German, from German to French, from French to Greek, from Greek to Croatian, and from Croatian back into English:

Central Rain Sunday

That's all I call you?
Waited for a call
These rivers are proposed for me
Trees are Bend, cities destroyed
Urban river, is a girl without a dream

Sorry ...

Eastern Europe and the mountains, the third request, the definition
Wise man built words, if the rock
But I am not obliged to follow
Trees turn, the debate was boring
Go to build a second home, this option is not for me

Sorry ...

That's all I call you? Waited for a call
These rivers are proposed for me
Blood in the ocean, the debate was boring
Go to build a second dream, this is not for me

Sorry ...

And here's what happens when you translate Pavement's "Here" from English to Korean, from Korean to Norwegian, from Norwegian to Russian, from Russian to Czech, and from Czech back to English:

There is

I have to succeed, but the success of the upcoming clothing
I am the only person who laughs
His jokes are so bad that
A bad jokes Semper
But because they are not so bad.
Let us pray together
We are waiting for you for your words
I like it.
Dock empty you all to prevent an attack bulimin activities.
And if you rent at the forefront when the rain fog
Of course.
We need to send in the last quarter of a temporary
Also, what's on the wall.
Painted a portrait of the slave and a midwife
Shell movie mavens and feast
Their laughter and not
And they are bad jokes?
All this is a bad guy, and a joke
But because they are not so bad.
Let us be with us.
We are waiting for you for your words
I loved
A sold all the lights in Spain, died.
A: Take a piece of rock - "shake the highway running trip.
I sent him in the last quarter of a chance, I think.
I think it will be my best, in our opinion, I believe.
Finally, in recent years the best times

2 comments:

Carrie M said...

Huh. Bored much?

Matt said...

A little, but aren't they both wonderfully grim? Both are sad, obtuse love songs, but if you run them through the translator, they become weirdly apocalyptic.