* warning, the below is very stream of consciousness, just roll with it and we'll all be fine. A small peek into my current frame of mind. Be not afraid
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This quotation might amuse you, dingbatted maledicta being what it is. I'd sent it to a native Russian speaker for verification -but if it's not true, it should be! === Is this so? One doesn't expect this sort of tidbit from a biography of Joseph Stalin!
Quote: When they sang "the Fascist hordes were beaten, are beaten and will be beaten," they started to laugh because the words "are beaten" in Russian sound like "are fuc&ing us" when sung. Laughing, they quickly changed the words to "We'll beat them to death and we'll beat them." Marshall Voroshilov returned from his meetings and "liked it very much" so they told him about the problem with the "fuc&ing" and the "defeating." This of course greatly appealed to Voroshilov's earthy cavalryman's humour: "Wonderful for a village song but not so good for a national anthem!" he laughed, and then they started remembering all the hilarities of the song contest. Unquote! P. 460; chapter "Stalin's Song Contest," _Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar_ by Simon Sebag Montefiore.
I've told one of my colleagues, who knows a Russian speaker in his church choir, "Never ask a Russian why they don't sing 'are beaten' in Russian." I haven't explained why. :>
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Is this so? One doesn't expect this sort of tidbit from a biography of Joseph Stalin!
Quote:
When they sang "the Fascist hordes were beaten, are beaten and will be beaten," they started to laugh because the words "are beaten" in Russian sound like "are fuc&ing us" when sung. Laughing, they quickly changed the words to "We'll beat them to death and we'll beat them." Marshall Voroshilov returned from his meetings and "liked it very much" so they told him about the problem with the "fuc&ing" and the "defeating." This of course greatly appealed to Voroshilov's earthy cavalryman's humour: "Wonderful for a
village song but not so good for a national anthem!" he laughed, and then they started remembering all the hilarities of the song contest. Unquote! P. 460; chapter "Stalin's Song Contest," _Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar_ by Simon Sebag Montefiore.
I've told one of my colleagues, who knows a Russian speaker in his church choir, "Never ask a Russian why they don't sing 'are beaten' in Russian." I haven't explained why. :>
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