Getting that Big Fish

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Wednesday was a very eventful day. Johan decided to join me for ice fishing. And either he is a closet expert ice fisher, or had extreme beginners luck. Whatever the case was, Johan enjoyed ice fishing!

Johan and his big fish

Walle Mellquist, the journalist from Norran who did the fantastic article about ice fishing, sent me this Swedish fishing song by Thore Skogman. It is about getting that bigger and bigger fish. Below are the lyrics in Swedish, translated into English.

Maybe this is what Johan was singing in his head. I need to memorize this song!

 

Lyric:

att fiskarn är stor i orden – that the fishman is big in talk
det vet vi ju var och en – that each one of us knows
han skrävlar så in i vassen – he boasts in the reeds
och skryter som bara den – and brags as much as he can

han talar om sina fiskar – he speaks of his fish
han glömmer så lätt de små – he forgets so easily the small ones
berättar blott om de stora – he tells merely about the big ones
som han aldrig har lyckats få – that he has never had luck catch

för när storfiskarn talar om – for when the big fisherman speaks of
hur stora fiskar han får – how big the fish he’s caught
ja då så skarvar han som han vill – yeah he twists the tale to what he wants
då räcker armarna inte till – that his arms aren’t big enough

och när storfiskarn talar om – and when the big fisherman speaks of
hur stora fiskar han ser – how big the fish he has seen
då vet man säkert att han tar till – Then one knows certainly that he has added
mycket mycket mer – much much more

när fiskaren ska berätta – when the fisher will tell
blir mörtpinnen lätt en brax – a roach becomes a bream
en abborre blir en gädda – a perch becomes a pike
en gös får han till en lax – a zander he makes into a salmon

en tvåkilos väger fyra – a two kilo fish weighs four
en halvkilos väger tre – a half kilo fish weighs three
sin tunga kan fiskarn styra – his tongue the fisherman can guide
och fisken blir stor av det – and the fish become bigger by that

för när storfiskarn talar om – for when the big fisherman speaks of
hur stora fiskar han får – how big the fish he has caught
ja då så skarvar han som han vill – yeah he twists the tale to what he wants
då räcker armarna inte till – that his arms aren’t big enough

och när storfiskarn talar om – and when the big fisherman speaks of
hur stora fiskar han ser – how big the fish he has seen
då vet man säkert att han tar till – Then one knows certainly that he has added
mycket mycket mer – much much more

rätt ofta så kan det hända – quite often it can happen
att fiskarn blir utan fisk – that a fisherman goes without fish
då går han till fiskaffären – Then he goes to the fish shop
och köper den över disk – and buys one over the counter

men sen när han börjar skryta – but later when he begins to brag
då låter det ju som så – it sounds just like this
ni skulle varit med – you should been with me
när jag fick en på fem och två – when I caught one at five point two kilos

för när storfiskarn talar om – for when the big fisherman speaks of
hur stora fiskar han får – how big the fish he has caught
ja då så skarvar han som han vill – yeah he twists the tale to what he wants
då räcker armarna inte till – that his arms aren’t big enough

och när storfiskarn talar om – and when the big fisherman speaks of
hur stora fiskar han ser – how big the fish he has seen
då vet man säkert att han tar till – Then one knows certainly that he has added
mycket mycket mer – much much more

för när storfiskarn talar om – for when the big fisherman speaks of
hur stora fiskar han får – how big the fish he has caught
ja då så skarvar han som han vill – yeah he twists the tale to what he wants
då räcker armarna inte till – that his arms aren’t big enough

och när storfiskarn talar om – and when the big fisherman speaks of
hur stora fiskar han ser – how big the fish he has seen
då vet man säkert att han tar till – Then one knows certainly that he has added
mycket mycket mer – much much more

Hilary in the paper

8 thoughts on “Getting that Big Fish”

    • Hej! I do! Wish I knew a tad more people, but seem to come across more and more as time goes by.. Your little one is so cute!

      Reply
  1. Hello!
    I found you through Linneaiusa.se and I truly like your blog. I moved from Södertälje, it lays sout of Stockholm to Umeå about 8 years ago. 3 years ago I moved to Vindeln. Even though it is in the same country it is a big cultural change from what I am used too.
    How come you ended up in chez republik and then later on in Sweden?

    Reply
    • I bet! I’m going to southern Sweden this year to couch surf with a family one night, I can’t wait to see the difference 🙂 I will know in the way they speak too I think 🙂

      My dad moved to Czech when I was 16 for a job, so I started visiting and just loved it. Stayed there 7 years, then I met my Swede who convinced me to move to Sweden (it didn’t take much convincing, I was ready to leave Czech at that point, hard to find a good man there). Yeah, that is my story in 2 sentences 😀 Love Europe’s history and languages, so don’t think I will ever leave 🙂

      Reply
  2. Oh I forgot, you have forgotten easter and 1st of May. Valborgsmässoafton with all the fires. When you burn away the “whiches and bad spirits to have a good growing season” On the holliday site or are you updating it as you encounter them?

    Reply
    • I need to put them in my “Holiday” section but waiting for them to come! Easter should be fun, I guess those eggs one can get at ICA are very Swedish – I do hope I get some children coming to the door! And yes, I LOVE May 1st! We do that in the Czech Republic too, the best holiday ever, except here it can be quite cold. Here is hoping for good weather!

      Reply

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