This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Над вечерним Дунаем разносится
Белый цвет, белый цвет, белый цвет.
И на память мелодия просится,
Прошлых лет, Прошлых лет, Прошлых лет...
Но расстаяли птичьими стаями,
Нашей песни простые слова.
Ты уходишь в огонь Югославия!
Без меня! Без меня! Без меня!
За ночь под свинцовым градом,
За то что меня нет рядом,
Ты прости сестра моя - Югославия!
За смерть под дождем весенним,
За то что не стал спасением!
Ты прости сестра моя - Югославия!
Черноглазой девчонкой растерянной,
Ты стоишь на другом берегу.
Но добраться до этого берега
Не могу, не могу, не могу.
Над вечерним Дунаем разносится
Белый цвет, белый цвет, белый цвет.
И на память мелодия просится,
Прошлых лет, Прошлых лет, Прошлых лет...
За ночь под свинцовым градом,
За то что меня нет рядом,
Ты прости сестра моя - Югославия!
За смерть под дождем весенним,
За то что не стал спасением!
Ты прости сестра моя - Югославия!
Nad vechernim Dunaem raznositsya
Belyi tsvet, belyi tsvet, belyi tsvet
I na pamyat melodiya prositsya
Proshyh let, proshyh let, proshyh let...
No rasstayali ptichimi stayami
Nashei pesni prostyye slova
Ty uhodish v ogon Yugoslavia!
Bez menya! Bez menya! Bez menya!
Za noch pod svintsovym gradom,
Za to chto menya net ryadom,
Ty prosti sestra moya - Yugoslavia!
Za smert pod dojdem vesennim,
Za to chto ne stal spaseniyem!
Ty prosti sestra moya - Yugoslavia!
Chernoglazoi devchonkoi rasteryannoi,
Ty stoish na drugom beregu.
No dobratsya do etogo berega
Ne mogu, ne mogu, ne mogu.
Nad vechernim Dunaem raznositsya
Belyi tsvet, belyi tsvet, belyi tsvet
I na pamyat melodiya prositsya
Proshyh let, proshyh let, proshyh let...
Za noch pod svintsovym gradom,
Za to chto menya net ryadom,
Ty prosti sestra moya - Yugoslavia!
Za smert pod dojdem vesennim,
Za to chto ne stal spaseniyem!
Ty prosti sestra moya - Yugoslavia!
Белый цвет, белый цвет, белый цвет.
И на память мелодия просится,
Прошлых лет, Прошлых лет, Прошлых лет...
Но расстаяли птичьими стаями,
Нашей песни простые слова.
Ты уходишь в огонь Югославия!
Без меня! Без меня! Без меня!
За ночь под свинцовым градом,
За то что меня нет рядом,
Ты прости сестра моя - Югославия!
За смерть под дождем весенним,
За то что не стал спасением!
Ты прости сестра моя - Югославия!
Черноглазой девчонкой растерянной,
Ты стоишь на другом берегу.
Но добраться до этого берега
Не могу, не могу, не могу.
Над вечерним Дунаем разносится
Белый цвет, белый цвет, белый цвет.
И на память мелодия просится,
Прошлых лет, Прошлых лет, Прошлых лет...
За ночь под свинцовым градом,
За то что меня нет рядом,
Ты прости сестра моя - Югославия!
За смерть под дождем весенним,
За то что не стал спасением!
Ты прости сестра моя - Югославия!
Nad vechernim Dunaem raznositsya
Belyi tsvet, belyi tsvet, belyi tsvet
I na pamyat melodiya prositsya
Proshyh let, proshyh let, proshyh let...
No rasstayali ptichimi stayami
Nashei pesni prostyye slova
Ty uhodish v ogon Yugoslavia!
Bez menya! Bez menya! Bez menya!
Za noch pod svintsovym gradom,
Za to chto menya net ryadom,
Ty prosti sestra moya - Yugoslavia!
Za smert pod dojdem vesennim,
Za to chto ne stal spaseniyem!
Ty prosti sestra moya - Yugoslavia!
Chernoglazoi devchonkoi rasteryannoi,
Ty stoish na drugom beregu.
No dobratsya do etogo berega
Ne mogu, ne mogu, ne mogu.
Nad vechernim Dunaem raznositsya
Belyi tsvet, belyi tsvet, belyi tsvet
I na pamyat melodiya prositsya
Proshyh let, proshyh let, proshyh let...
Za noch pod svintsovym gradom,
Za to chto menya net ryadom,
Ty prosti sestra moya - Yugoslavia!
Za smert pod dojdem vesennim,
Za to chto ne stal spaseniyem!
Ty prosti sestra moya - Yugoslavia!
Lyrics submitted by Blackandwild1
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I think this version is the most accurate:
A white flower floats on the evening Danube And the melody of the passed years requires the memory But simple lyrics of our song faded away as flocks of birds You leave in the fire, Yugoslavia! Without me! Without me! Without me!
For the night in the rain of leads For that I'm not by you You, forgive me, my sister, Yugoslavia! For the death in the spring rain For that I wasn't helpful to you You, forgive me, my sister, Yugoslavia!
You stand on the other shore as an black-eyed girl at a loss But I never can get to that shore A white flower floats on the evening Danube And the melody of the passed years requires the memory
For the night in the rain of leads For that I'm not by you You, forgive me, my sister, Yugoslavia! For the death in the spring rain For that I wasn't helpful to you You, forgive me, my sister, Yugoslavia!