I was listening to this song this morning. It’s by the Malaysian icon P. Ramlee, an actor and singer who also directed films. His heyday was in the 50s and 60s. As a child it was always a treat when there was a P. Ramlee movie on tv. Even back then the movies were somewhat dated (sort of like Elvis movies are, I guess), but they were (are) always fun to watch.
I think it’s very catchy and silly and a fun song to listen to, but I can’t find a recording of the song online anywhere, so you’ll have to take my word for it. M rolls his eyes whenever I play it, but I’ve never given him a translation before, so here’s my (very) rough translation. Lyrics and poetry are very difficult to translate! Any suggestions for improvement are most welcome.
Bila Mama Pakai Celana Oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh hoola hoop Bila mama pakai celana Papa garuk kepala Bila mama menari caca Papa julingkan mata Bila mama hoola hoop Bisul papa meletup Bila mama pakai yengki Papa masam sakit gigi1 Hoola la la la la hoola hoop Hoola hoop hoola hoop Hool la la la hoola hoop hoo la la la la la Hoola hoop hoola hoop Bila papa sedang menyanyi Mama menari Rock ‘N Roll Papa pakai minyak wangi Mama mandi air sabun Papa pakai baju ketat Mama mulai pakai barut2 Papa potong celana singkat Mama potong rambut kontot3 |
When Mama Wears Pants Hoola la la la la hoola hoop When papa is singing |
Of course, now that I’ve translated it I don’t think M’s opinion of the song will improve any (am I right, M?), but in defense of the song, it’s from a movie, probably a romantic tragi-comedy (the genre P. Ramlee seems to have specialised in), which was made in a particular era.
I wanted to do the other song that was a particular favourite of ours – Bujang Lapuk – but a translation is already available.
Notes added on Friday 9 December:
1Papa masam sakit gigi. I translated this as “Papa’s teeth hurt”, but this morning I like the sound of “Papa’s teeth ache” better.
2This word was a bit hard to translate in a song. Barut refers to the binding a Malay woman might wear after giving birth to a child, to help her regain her figure. Not a ‘corset’ exactly, but that was the closest single word equivalent I could think of.
3Mama potong rambut kontot. I wanted to translate this to “Mama gets herself a bob” or Mama cuts her hair in a bob” but that wouldn’t necessarily be an exact translation… I don’t really like my “Mama cuts her hair short”, though…
Categories: culture, Malaysia, PRamlee, translation
10 Comments
haha! No, I can’t see how those lyrics would improve M’s impression of the song. Though it does seem to be very boppy, just by the lyrics.
Lovely translation, but i didn’t quite understand ‘boils’. is that something that’s boiling on the stove? I could check bisul in my dictionary, but it’s too far away from me right now…
Yes, boppy! That’s the word I wanted but couldn’t summon this morning!
I think it’s a good thing that you can’t immediately think what sort of ‘boil’ is being referred to here, Miss L, but I’m sure you know the sort. Not the boiling on the stove kind of boil, but the pus-filled, painful and generally gross sort. The Kamus Pelajar defines ‘bisul’ as ‘a boil, abcess’.
This song is crazy and stupid and gets stuck in my head for days after Con plays it.
Match the lyrics to a samba tune and a malaysian accent and you’ll get an idea of how it plays.
I’d be happy if I never heard it again 😛 I’m sure Con plays it just to get a reaction out of me 🙂
When mama does the hula hoop
Papa’s boils explode
That’s the strangest cause and effect I’ve ever seen.
M dear, I play it cos I like it. The fact that it gets such a reaction from you does add to the enjoyment, though, I have to admit 😉
Vampire: Adds to the charm!
Abcess… ok now that’s just gross!
“Match the lyrics to a samba tune and a malaysian accent”
M, you poor, poor thing. You have my greatest sympathies.
Miss L: Bah! It’s not that bad! 😛
hey, i was browsing for the lyrics of the song and i got to this page. I just wanted to point you to the Ruffedge and Azura version which i think does justice to the original. give it a try.
Thanks for that – I wonder if I can buy the Ruffedge and Azura version on iTunes? 🙂