Swimming in Kimchi ([info]sameasiteverwas) wrote in [info]quotes,
@ 2002-08-06 11:04:00
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in English: cat, hat; in French, chat, chapeau
it really is quite obvious, don't you know?

in English: cat, hat; in French, chat, chapeau
un deux trois quatre cinq, here we go!

I repeat: cat, hat; in French, chat, chapeau
in Spanish, el gato in a sombrero

Kids
He's a cat, in a hat, he's a chat in a chapeau
he also is a gato in a sombrero
Ole! Ole! Ole Ole O!

Cat
Where were we? Oh, yes:
cat, hat; in French, chat, chapeau
in Spanish, el gato in a sombrero
and I'll tell you something more
now you listen to me good:
in German I'm a Katze und dieses ist meine Hut!
Ist das nicht eine Katze Hut?
Kids
Ja, das ist eine Katze Hut
Katze Hut, Katze Hut
Ja, das ist eine Katze Hut

Cat
Now, if you're in a receptive state -- of mind -- I'll recapitulate:
cat, hat; in French, chat, chapeau
in Spanish, el gato in a sombrero
in German I'm a Katze in a Hut, and don't you know,
I'm a guanka in a bunkaquank in Eskimo

Fish
You're a guanka in a bunkaquank in Eskimo?!?
Cat Right!
Kids
He's a guanka in a bunkaquank in Eskimo
Ist das nicht eine bunkaquank?
Ja, das ist eine bunkaquank.
Bunka Bunka Guanka Bunka
Yes indeedy that is sooooo
He's a guanka in a bunkaquank in Eskimo

Fish
Now to be certain that I have this straight,
I'll re-re-capitulate:
Cat, hat; in French, chat, chapeau
Cat Good!
Fish In Spanish you're a gato in a sombrero
Cat Ooh!
Fish
In German you're a Katze in a Hut, I also know:
You're a guanka in a bunkaquank in Eskimo.
Cat
By George, I think he's got it!
Fish
Now if you will allow me sir
but please don't think I'm pushin'
I think that I can tell you what you are
in -- in -- in Russian!
Cat What ?
Fish Shapka! Shlapa!
Cat HA!
Fish You're a shapka! In a shlapa!
Cat & Kids HEY!

Cat
I am?

Why that's splendid!

I'm………a………shapka,………in………a………shlapa,
I'm………a………shapka,………in………a………shlapa,
I'm……a……shapka………in……a……shlapa,
I'm……a……shapka………in……a……shlapa,
I'm…a…shapka……in…a…shlapa,
I'm…a…shapka……in…a…shlapa,
I'm a shapka…in a shlapa,
I'm a shapka in a shlapa,
I'mashapkainashlapa,
I'mashapkainashlapaI'mashapkainashlapa, aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

That's enough of that...

I'm a cat in a hat.

-- Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)

update: 5 years late the Web is now complete, as semi-official lyrics are here: http://www.captionedmedia.org/guides/11423.pdf

(I was a bit off on the German and Russian but pretty close overall)

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[info]all_mighty_me
2002-08-06 09:45 am UTC (link)
Oh my sweet jesus.

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[info]sickandtwisted
2002-08-06 12:51 pm UTC (link)
you took the words right out of my mouth

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[info]sabrina_il
2002-08-07 02:52 am UTC (link)
this is totally weird and all, but to be exact:
Shapka and Shlapa (in Russian) is like saying Hat and Head Ornament. it's the same thing. Cat = Kot.

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controversy!
[info]sameasiteverwas
2002-08-07 08:54 am UTC (link)
hey i found an expert, good!

I wrote this from listening to a tape, so my uh spelling is not going to really match anything..

is there any word in Russian that is similar to shapka, or chopka, or anything close at all that would mean cat?

I'd be disappointed if Dr. Seuss did a bad translation job for his song. Maybe he screwed up, found 2 words for hat and accidentally used them both.

Or maybe the fish just didn't know his Russian very well. :)

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Re: controversy!
[info]sabrina_il
2002-08-07 12:20 pm UTC (link)
hehe, i guess they had crappy dictionaries in the Aquerium(sp) :)

female cat = Koshka
kitten = kotenok
kitty = kiska/kisa
slang for a cat = Koshak

those are all the Cat words i know in Russian (needless to say i'm Russian myself). maybe he refused Koshka with Shlapa...

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Re: controversy!
[info]sabrina_il
2002-08-07 01:49 pm UTC (link)
wow, mad props for Dr. Seuss! never thought of it that way...

Tosha...hmm...it's prolly just a short for Anton. ever since Chekov...;)

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Re: controversy!
[info]sameasiteverwas
2002-08-08 09:08 pm UTC (link)
weellll, maybe I'm giving him too much credit...who knows what "Gwunka in a bunkaquank" really means in Eskimo...

thanks for your insights. hope things are cool in your part of the world :)

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Re: controversy!
[info]sabrina_il
2002-08-09 03:20 am UTC (link)
around here things are only cool if you aircondition them, lol.

thanks though. :)

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Re: controversy!
[info]sameasiteverwas
2007-01-24 04:01 am UTC (link)
you're welcome.

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Re: controversy!
[info]stbear
2007-05-19 04:33 am UTC (link)
Hi,

I, too, was looking for the lyrics to this song. I found them here: -

http://www.captionedmedia.org/guides/11423.pdf (go to page 22)

and the words are apparently

"I'm a shavkah in a shlyapah", as this is taken from the captions of the DVD.

Does that help/make more sense?

Also, it's apparently "He's a gwunka in a bunka-kwunk in Eskimo" ! (but, again, who knows if he really *is that :)

stb

(Reply to this) (Parent)
hello again
[info]sameasiteverwas
2008-04-23 03:20 pm UTC (link)
what about 'shavkah'? That's what's in the official lyrics

you're a shavkah in a shlyapah

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Chat Chapeau
[info]bimster
2004-12-10 06:53 am UTC (link)
I've been search for these lyrics everywhere. You rock.

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[info]gl1tt3r
2007-01-23 11:52 pm UTC (link)
<3 Thanks for posting the lyrics to that song up! I was googling for it, and even IF I can't find the actual song anywhere, I'm glad to find the lyrics!

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[info]sameasiteverwas
2007-01-24 04:02 am UTC (link)
haha, it's cool that every couple of years someone comments in this thread.

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Mistake in the lyrics?
[info]o_chrissy_o
2008-04-23 01:04 pm UTC (link)
Hello everyone, I've got a question: Are you sure, that the kids sing "Yes indeedy that is sooo" ? I'm german and I always understand "Yes indeed, die Welt ist schön" which would mean something like "Yes, indeed, the wold is beautiful/nice..."? What do you think, is it really english?

Nevertheless it's a great song - and a great story: Thank you, Dr. Suess :)

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Re: Mistake in the lyrics?
[info]sameasiteverwas
2008-04-23 03:16 pm UTC (link)
yes. I listened to it 100 times before I got that part. Also I don't think there's any reason for the kids to slip into German for that line, and say the world is beautiful ;)

http://www.captionedmedia.org/guides/11423.pdf

it's also in the official lyrics, which are now available online. I got a few things wrong in the German part and the Russian as well, but I was pretty close overall.

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Re: Mistake in the lyrics?
[info]o_chrissy_o
2008-04-24 01:21 pm UTC (link)
Hm, indeed! I'm sorry, it seems to be correct. :)

Well, I'm not quite sure about two other phrases ... concerning german grammar: I'm not sure weather there are mistakes in the lyrics on captionmedia or mistakes in the film itself. However, they're harmless and not important. Let's just enjoy this great song ;)

Oh, and thank you for posting the lyrics!

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Re: Mistake in the lyrics?
[info]sameasiteverwas
2008-04-24 04:04 pm UTC (link)
you're welcome!

And I'm sure the people who did the characters' voices probably didn't say the German right, and the CaptionMedia transcription is probably from listening to the voices, so they ended up slightly incorrect grammatically. See above, the Russian evidently has some problems too :)

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Re: Mistake in the lyrics?
[info]o_chrissy_o
2008-04-28 05:01 pm UTC (link)
Yep, that's another reason you're right. But as long as we can understand everything they sing.. it's perfect ;)

Oh, and about this special phrase (I'm sorry that I mention this again): I let some freinds listen to the song and we noticed that they sing and "n" and the end of "yes indeedy, that is sooo(n)". And because of the fact that the kids are singing german in the sentences before...well, we really think it's german. You as a native speaker: Do you hear the "n" as well?

Chrissy

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Re: Mistake in the lyrics?
[info]sameasiteverwas
2008-04-28 05:20 pm UTC (link)
I really think you're reading German into that line. "Yes, indeedy that is so" works great in that spot, and "the world is wonderful" doesn't make sense at all. I don't hear an "n" sound there either. One kid ends before the other, maybe that creates the impression.



Considering that I came up with "yes indeedy that is so" (which is an awkward phrase to generate if it's not really there) independently of the "official" lyrics, I'd say it's pretty well certain.

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Re: Mistake in the lyrics?
[info]o_chrissy_o
2008-04-29 02:54 pm UTC (link)
Ok, well, you have convinced me ;) I think it was a background voice I've heart - at the moment I can't hear an "n" anymore. Not at all!

Nice idea to put the video here, I will watch it again and again, now!


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