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Mitt var starfið - My work

from FUNI by FUNI

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Featuring 18 tracks of Icelandic traditional songs and hymns. It comes in a beautifully designed 3 fold digipak with a 36 page illustrated booklet containing notes about the songs and full lyrics in both Icelandic and English.

    Includes unlimited streaming of FUNI via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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about

This poem is by Theodóra Thoroddsen, 1863-1954, a poetess best known for her rhyming verses. She had 13 children with her husband, Skúli Thoroddson, and no doubt had many socks to darn in her day! The unusual tune is from Svarfaðardalur and was collected by Hallgrímur Helgason.

lyrics

English lyrics follow the Icelandic ones.

Mitt var starfið hér í heim
heita og kalda daga
að skeina krakka og kemba þeim
og keppast við að staga.

Ég þráði að leika lausu við
sem lamb um grænan haga,
en þeim eru ekki gefin grið
sem götin eiga að staga.

Langaði mig að lesa blóm
um langa og bjarta daga,
en þörfin kvað með þrumuróm:
“Þér er nær að staga.”

Heimurinn átti harðan dóm
að hengja á mína snaga,
hvað ég væri kostatóm
og kjörin til að staga.

Komi hel með kutann sinn
og korti mína daga,
ég held það verði hlutur minn
í helvíti að staga.

English

My work, in a world of
hot and cold days,
was to clean and comb kids
and to toil away darning.

I longed to play freely
like a lamb in a green meadow,
but those who have holes to darn
are not shown any mercy.

I longed to read the flowers
on long, bright sunny days,
but necessity ordered in a thunderous voice:
"You should be darning."

The world had a heavy doom
to hang upon my hook.
Of qualities I was void
and for darning I was born.

Should death come with his knife
and shorten my days.
I think it will be my fate
to darn away in hell.

credits

from FUNI, released June 1, 2004
Bára Grímsdóttir - vocal

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FUNI Reykjavik, Iceland

FUNI, an old Icelandic word meaning flame or fire, are Bára Grímsdóttir & Chris Foster. Since 2001, they have been breathing new life into great songs that have been hidden away in old recordings, old books and manuscripts for too long. They also add new songs to the tradition. Bára and Chris tour widely in Europe, as well as Iceland and Britain. They have also played in China and the USA. ... more

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