Soterudsvarten Lyrics

For lenge sea, i gammal tid
bodde Baulekara på Bauletangen
Døm ga følk skyss hit og dit
Døm gjekk tidligslått på sommern

Havfruebaulen het far i hus
Der gjekk det i bannskap og skrål
To sønner han hadde, Nils og Per
Som far, så sønn; like grove i mål

Gammal og grå fortelte’n Nils
om en efta han låg og søv
I kveldens skumring
det banka på dør

En fremmenkar stod i eininga
han skulle over tel Elstangen
“Det koster en tolvskjelling”
sa’n Nils fra Bauletangen

“Legg tolvskjellingen på stolen”
ba’n Nils tel fremmenkar’n
Da døm steig i båten knaka det
så jævlig at’n skulja tru’n skulja gå ifra hinaen

“Ei gammal kjerring har hengt opp seg
je må fram før natta blir grå
Je ska i flere presetegjeld”
fortelte karen, så brå

Han Nils, han slo seg vrang
Han vart reint ut arg
“Reis du tel hælvete
og høll itte en gammal mann for narr!”

En blest slog ut bak båten
Han var borte, faen var vekk
Ute ta syne og ute ta sinn
Det hadde vøri Faen sjøl

Da’n Nils kom hem
tel Bauletangen
hadde skjellingen
Brønne seg djupt ned i stolen

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

A long ago, in olden times
The Yeller guys lived at the Yeller cape
They gave people rides to and fro
They worked the fields during summer

Their old man was called the Mermaid Yeller
He swore like an old sailor
He had two sons, Nils and Per
Like father; like son, just as foul-mouthed

When he was old, Nils told a tale
of an afternoon he was sound asleep
In the evening twilight
someone knocked on his door

A stranger stood at his doorstep
He wanted a ride to Elstangen
”It costs twelve coins”
Nils from the Yeller cape told him

“Leave the coins on the chair”
Nils told the stranger
When they entered the boat it creaked so loud
Nils thought it would break in half

”An old woman has hanged herself
I have to be there before the night turns gray
Other parishes I must reach this night, as well”
the stranger abruptly said

Nils quickly filled with doubt
In fact, his blood began to boil
”Go to hell, damn stranger
don’t take this old man for a fool!”

Suddenly, a loud blast behind the boat
He was gone, the stranger had left
Out of sight, out of mind
It had been the Devil himself

When Nils returned
to the Yeller cape
the coins had burned their way
deep down into the seat of the chair