Check out Israel’s entry to this year’s Eurovision, Push the Button. It’s disturbingly catchy. Lyrics (in a combination of English, French and Hebrew) are here. The runner-up, Salaam Salami, is also pretty… um… extraordinary.
(For those of you who have never seen the Eurovision song contest before, yes, pretty much all of the music is that bad. But of course, there’s controversy — the contest organizers want to ban Israel’s entry because of “inappropriate political content.” This link also has translated lyrics)
Since nobody seems to have translated Salaam Salami, here’s a go at it:
I’m eating a sandwich
With humus and sausage
A guy walks up to me
And says “gimme a bite.”
“I don’t know you,” I said, “Buzz off,”
“I’m the son of the grocer,” he said,
“Who sold you the said sandwich.”
I gave him a bite,
He ran off with the slice of meat,
And chewed the bread as well!
Salaam Salami,
It isn’t funny!
One wants peace, the other wants sausage.
Salaam Salami,
It’s pretty funny,
One wants peace…
The next day I came back
With a new sandwich
He said “gimme a bite,”
I answered “Not a chance,”
“If your father’s a grocer,
my father’s a butcher,
who slaughtered the cow, so buzz off,
which is now between the bread as the sausage.”
[Couldn’t make out lyrics]
I let him take a bite,
Again he grabbed the sandwich and flew off like an airplane.
[Chorus]
I’m preparing a sandwich
At home in my kitchen
The door is locked
And in the yard a cannon
From over the fence,
He yells “gimme a bite,”
“My mom baked the bread!” he said,
“That’s surrounding the damned salami!”
I let him in,
I let him have a taste,
He took the slice [Couldn’t make out]
Salaam Salami,
It isn’t funny!
One wants peace, the other wants sausage.
Salaam Salami,
It’s pretty funny,
Not everyone wants peace,
So maybe enough!
Yes, it’s political. And yes, it’s about sausage. We live in a strange world.
Yonatan Zunger’s Blog 
It is surprisingly catchy!
It is surprisingly catchy!
Incredibly catchy. I’m going to have to listen to Dragostea Din Tei just to flush it out of my brain. 🙂
Incredibly catchy. I’m going to have to listen to Dragostea Din Tei just to flush it out of my brain. 🙂
The real question is: would you rather hear how the sausage is made, or the peace?
The real question is: would you rather hear how the sausage is made, or the peace?
the missing lyrics
ובמבט של בוס
נתתי לו לנגוס,
חטף לי שוב ת’סנדוויץ כמו מטוס
…
נתתי לו לטעום
הוא את הפרוסה לקח,
ואני עם החלום
the missing lyrics
ובמבט של בוס
נתתי לו לנגוס,
חטף לי שוב ת’סנדוויץ כמו מטוס
…
נתתי לו לטעום
הוא את הפרוסה לקח,
ואני עם החלום