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Original text - English - What time is it? Four thirty It's not...

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Category Song - Business / Jobs

Title
What time is it? Four thirty It's not...
Text to be translated
Submitted by madziulka-zabulka
Source language: English

What time is it?
Four thirty
It's not late, naw, naw,
Just early, early, early

President, he sweat through his talcum
News paper man, he watch like a falcon
"Ah, look...daddy-o...sorry, Mr. President...where ya been?"
Use a little english to doctor the spin

What time is it?
Four thirty
It's not late, naw, naw,
just early, early, early

It's my bread and butter
Ain't got no other
It's on the TV
The spin's on me...
Edited by cucumis - 17 August 2007 06:59





Last messages

Author
Message

21 August 2007 18:30

kafetzou
Number of messages: 7963
I think this needs some explanation from an English native speaker. The whole thing is in 1950s beat slang, so there are some things that are a little different from mainstream English. For example:

naw = no
he sweat = he's sweating
talcum = powder used as makeup so his face doesn't look shiny on TV
he watch = he's watching
daddy-o = man/sir
where ya been = where have you been?
english = a type of spin put on a billiard ball to make it come back to you - it's a play on words; it also means the language, of course
to doctor = to change (in a favorable direction)
It's my bread and butter = I earn my living from it
Ain't got no other = I have no other (source of income)
The spin's on me = I got tricked by the trick I tried to use

CC: bonta serba

21 August 2007 18:32

kafetzou
Number of messages: 7963
I forgot: "spin" is also a slang word for how a political "handler" prepares a political candidate to be liked by the public.

21 August 2007 19:20

Francky5591
Number of messages: 12396
oh? I'll have learnt an expression in English today : "english"! In France we call this spin a "retro" (about the billiard only)

21 August 2007 19:32

kafetzou
Number of messages: 7963
Wow - it's been a while since I played billiards. Actually, I think "high english" is the one that makes the ball keep going after it hits an obstacle, and "low english" is the one that makes it come back to you after it hits the object.

Here's a wiktionary page about the word "english".

21 August 2007 20:15

Francky5591
Number of messages: 12396
So "high english" is "coulé" in french; you use these spins very often when playing "Eight-pool"game,(and other biliards as well anyway) as position of the white after hitting other balls is very important. Those who master currently "rétro", "coulé", but also "massé*" are good level players yet!
* "massé" is when you're snooked by one of the other player's ball to reach the one of yours you want to hit. So you hold your queue nearly at the vertical to do this spin, and rub it aside the white for it to move around the other player's ball and hit yours...