How we Swedes got the way we are...

[michiexile]

With inspiration from my beloved amerikabrev, here's the lyrics, and a rough translation (by me) thereof, of one of the ABSOLUTELY biggest summer hits of all time. This is our Under the boardwalk, our Seasons in the sun, the one evergreen everybody always sings along with, and that on a fundamental level represents SUMMER to the Swedes.

Sommaren är kort
Inte ett moln så långt ögat kan nå, inte en droppe regn på flera dar. Med en glass i min mun och i sandaler av plast går jag i solen och tänker på dig. Ljusblåa dagar seglar förbi.	Nary a cloud as far as the eye can spy, not a drop of rain for the last several days. With an icecream in my mouth and in plastic flipflops, I walk in the sun and think about you. Light blue days sail by.
Chorus: Sommaren är kort. Det mesta regnar bort. Men nu är den här, så ta för dig, solen skiner i dag.	Chorus: The summer is short. Most of it rains away. But it's here now - so grab all you can: the sun shines today.
Hösten kommer snart, det går med vindens fart, så lyssna på mej: Solen skiner kanske bara i dag.	Fall comes soon, it approaches like the wind, so listen to me: the sun may shine perchance only today.
Vattnet är varm och luften står still, jag sitter i skuggan läser gårdagens blad. Snart är det dags för ett dopp i det blå, få bort sanden mellan tårna och svalka min kropp.	The water is warm and the air stands still, I'm sitting in the shadow, reading yesterday's news. Soon it'll be time for a swim in the blue, clear out the sand between my toes and cool down my body.
Chorus: Sommaren är kort. Det mesta regnar bort. Men nu är den här, så ta för dig, solen skiner i dag.	Chorus: The summer is short. Most of it rains away. But it's here now - so grab all you can: the sun shines today.
Hösten kommer snart, det går med vindens fart, så lyssna på mej: Solen skiner kanske bara i dag.	Fall comes soon, it approaches like the wind, so listen to me: the sun may shine perchance only today.

Comments

[kjn]

You can at least add three more songs to that list (Den blomstertid nu kommer, Sommartider hej hej and Calle Schewens vals).

[michiexile]

Certainly - however, the core point of the original observation was of the sheer Swedish depressedness of this particular song: Carpe diem, this might be the only bearable day this entire year...