Little Black Paws

(this is a translation of a funny song by a russian band called NOM which was written way back in the 90's)



From over hills, and past the swamps
Past river’s stream, that slowly rolls
In the dim dusk with goals unknown
A youngish man was walking alone

He trod his way, direction was east
And leather sack he was carrying with
He was so tall and bald was his bean
Fussily gnawing on sunflower seeds

It seems last year in local woods
All evil spirits, they did beshrew
Old forester went for pine cones
Nobody saw him and neither his bones

Once upon winter in the same thick
Dersu the hunter fell into a pit
His body was found in seventy days
Lying on skulls disfigured and maimed!

The moon climbed up. The guy with the sack
Would have stalked on down the same track
Had he not met in the moonlight
A little girl not older than five

Stupidly sitting in the green moss
It was so clear, that lost she was
To keep the infant from getting dead
The man set his mind on helping instead

Right to her savior the little lass clings
Squishes with her nose and gobbles on seeds
Soon through the dark there shimmered some light
It meant they reached a settlement’s side

Together with granny the little girl dwells
They also have there a goat and hens
The man just got sleepy in tobacco smoke
The warmth of the house lulled the poor bloke

The night is so dark and it hardly moves
Way too much late now to rescue the dude
Rags starting to stir in the grim cellar
Little black paws have woken down there

Frightful and scary and gooey is dark!
Death himself coming for his big hunt
In knitted hat and old coat he goes
Little black paws! Ah little black paws!

New forester in the midst of a day
Afterwards saw the remains of that place
Girl and her granny, no sign of them both
Only the footprints! Little black paws…