Arguably the best contemporary female singer/songwriter, Regina Spektor performs this piece in English, French, and Russian (her native tongue).
The Russian portion is a poem by Boris Pasternak, who turned down the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958. The minor planet 3508 Pasternak was given his surname, which actually translates to “parsnip”.
The French, “Apres moi, le deluge” (After me, the flood), is a well-known historical quote. It is said to have been “a premonition of impending political and social collapse attributed to Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV.” – Le Mot Juste, edited by John Buchanon-Brown et. al
I must go on standing
You can’t break that which isn’t yours
I must go on standing
I’m not my own, it’s not my choiceBe afraid of the lame, they’ll inherit your legs
Be afraid of the old, they’ll inherit your souls
Be afraid of the cold, they’ll inherit your blood
Après moi, le deluge, after me comes the floodI must go on standing
You can’t break that which isn’t isn’t yours yours
I must go on standing
I’m not my own, it’s not my choiceBe afraid of the lame, they’ll inherit your legs
Be afraid of the old, they’ll inherit your souls
Be afraid of the cold, they’ll inherit your blood
Après moi, le deluge, after me comes the floodBe afraid of the lame, they’ll inherit your legs
Be afraid of the old, they’ll inherit your souls
Be afraid of the cold, they’ll inherit your blood
Après moi, le deluge, after me comes the flood
февраль достать чернил и плакать
February. Get ink, shed tears.
писать о феврале навзрыд
Write of it, sob your heart out, sing.
пока грохочущая слякоть
While torrential slush that roars
весною чёрною горит
Burns in the blackness of the spring.
Be afraid of the lame, they’ll inherit your legs
Be afraid of the old, they’ll inherit your souls
Be afraid of the cold, they’ll inherit your blood
Après moi, le deluge, after me comes the floodI must go on standing
You can’t break that which isn’t yours
I must go on standing
I’m not my own, It’s not my choiceI must go on stan-stan-ding-ding
You can’t can’t break that that which isn’t isn’t yours yours
I must go on stan-stan-ding-ding
I’m not my own, It’s not my choice
