Jozin z bazin
Jožin z bažin (originally 1978) is a song by Czech musician and comedian Ivan Mládek, and is one of his best known songs. He even called it the "National Anthem" of his Countryshows. In January 2008, the song became popular in Poland and Hungary, winning several radio hitlists. It is also popular in Austria and Russia, sporting a cult following in blogs and several versions of translations. The song is a surreal tale of a mysterious man-eating (especially those coming from Prague) monster (Jožin z bažin, Joe from the swamps) living in the swamps. He could be defeated only with the use of a cropduster. A Polish cabaret called Kabaret pod Wyrwigroszem ('Cabaret under a torn out grosz') created a parody of "Jožin z bažin," entitled "Donald marzy" ('Donald dreams'), about the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk. The Ivan Mládek Banjo Band has created Polish version of "Jožin z bažin.". The nearest equivalent musical style in English is that of the Wurzels.
The song follows a man driving through Moravia, and finding a village terrorized by a bog monster named Jozin which eats mainly tourists from Prague. The man asks the mayor of the village to give him a cropduster plane to defeat the monster, and the mayor agrees, promising half of the collective farm and the hand of his daughter in marriage if the man is successful. The man takes the cropduster into the air, and defeats Jozin, trapping him, and selling him to a zoo.
Overall, the song closely resembles the story of Grendel beaten by Beowulf, the legendary Norse hero.
Original text (Czech)
Jedu takhle tábořit škodou sto na Oravu.
Spěchám, proto riskuji, projíždím přes Moravu.
Řádí tam to strašidlo, vystupuje z bažin,
žere hlavně Pražáky, jmenuje se Jožin.
Jožin z bažin močálem se plíží,
Jožin z bažin k vesnici se blíží,
Jožin z bažin už si zuby brousí,
Jožin z bažin kouše, saje, rdousí.
Na Jožina z bažin, koho by to napadlo,
platí jen a pouze práškovací letadlo.
Projížděl jsem dědinou cestou na Vizovice.
Přivítal mě předseda, řek mi u slivovice:
«Živého či mrtvého Jožina kdo přivede,
tomu já dám za ženu dceru a půl JZD.»
Jožin z bažin… itd.
Říkám: «Dej mi předsedo letadlo a prášek,
Jožina ti přivedu, nevidím v tom háček.»
Předseda mi vyhověl, ráno jsem se vznesl,
na Jožina z letadla prášek pěkně klesl.
Jožin z bažin už je celý bílý,
Jožin z bažin z močálu ven pílí,
Jožin z bažin dostal se na kámen,
Jožin z bažin tady je s ním amen.
Jožina jsem dohnal, už ho držím, johohó,
dobré každé lóvé, prodám já ho do ZOO.
English translation
I'm driving Skoda 100 to camp here on Orawa.
That's why I'm hurrying, taking a risk - going through Morawa.
The monster lives there comes out of the bog.
Eats mostly Prague citizens, its name is Jozin.
Chorus:
Jozin from the bog creeps through swamp,
Jozin from the bog closes on the village.
Jozin from the bog edges it's teeth,
Jozin from the bog bites, strangles.
To defend against Jozin from the bog, who could imagine-
Only works an aircraft to crop-dusting.
I was driving through the village on road to Visowice
The village mayor greeted me, said to me during drinking slivovits
The one who will bring Jozin dead or alive
I'm giving him my daughter as a wife and a half of National Agrarian Farm
Chorus
I said: give me a aircraft and powder, mayor,
I'll bring you Jozin, I see no trouble about that
Mayor helped me, in the morning I went up in the sky
The powder from the aircraft prettily fell on Jozin.
Jozin from the bog is already on white powder
Jozin from the bog is escaping from swamp
Jozin from the bog hit the stone
Jozin from the bog it is the end of him
I caught him, I'm keeping him
Money is money, I'll sell him to Zoo
The song follows a man driving through Moravia, and finding a village terrorized by a bog monster named Jozin which eats mainly tourists from Prague. The man asks the mayor of the village to give him a cropduster plane to defeat the monster, and the mayor agrees, promising half of the collective farm and the hand of his daughter in marriage if the man is successful. The man takes the cropduster into the air, and defeats Jozin, trapping him, and selling him to a zoo.
Overall, the song closely resembles the story of Grendel beaten by Beowulf, the legendary Norse hero.
Original text (Czech)
Jedu takhle tábořit škodou sto na Oravu.
Spěchám, proto riskuji, projíždím přes Moravu.
Řádí tam to strašidlo, vystupuje z bažin,
žere hlavně Pražáky, jmenuje se Jožin.
Jožin z bažin močálem se plíží,
Jožin z bažin k vesnici se blíží,
Jožin z bažin už si zuby brousí,
Jožin z bažin kouše, saje, rdousí.
Na Jožina z bažin, koho by to napadlo,
platí jen a pouze práškovací letadlo.
Projížděl jsem dědinou cestou na Vizovice.
Přivítal mě předseda, řek mi u slivovice:
«Živého či mrtvého Jožina kdo přivede,
tomu já dám za ženu dceru a půl JZD.»
Jožin z bažin… itd.
Říkám: «Dej mi předsedo letadlo a prášek,
Jožina ti přivedu, nevidím v tom háček.»
Předseda mi vyhověl, ráno jsem se vznesl,
na Jožina z letadla prášek pěkně klesl.
Jožin z bažin už je celý bílý,
Jožin z bažin z močálu ven pílí,
Jožin z bažin dostal se na kámen,
Jožin z bažin tady je s ním amen.
Jožina jsem dohnal, už ho držím, johohó,
dobré každé lóvé, prodám já ho do ZOO.
English translation
I'm driving Skoda 100 to camp here on Orawa.
That's why I'm hurrying, taking a risk - going through Morawa.
The monster lives there comes out of the bog.
Eats mostly Prague citizens, its name is Jozin.
Chorus:
Jozin from the bog creeps through swamp,
Jozin from the bog closes on the village.
Jozin from the bog edges it's teeth,
Jozin from the bog bites, strangles.
To defend against Jozin from the bog, who could imagine-
Only works an aircraft to crop-dusting.
I was driving through the village on road to Visowice
The village mayor greeted me, said to me during drinking slivovits
The one who will bring Jozin dead or alive
I'm giving him my daughter as a wife and a half of National Agrarian Farm
Chorus
I said: give me a aircraft and powder, mayor,
I'll bring you Jozin, I see no trouble about that
Mayor helped me, in the morning I went up in the sky
The powder from the aircraft prettily fell on Jozin.
Jozin from the bog is already on white powder
Jozin from the bog is escaping from swamp
Jozin from the bog hit the stone
Jozin from the bog it is the end of him
I caught him, I'm keeping him
Money is money, I'll sell him to Zoo
