Hey, listen to me! Tally ho, tally hee! The parrot, the pirate of the high seas! I was born in the year 1512 In a jungle, rotting and reeking. My papa was a pa-pa-parrot as well, Who at that time wasn’t speaking. But soon I departed the woods of the West Captured by Captain Ernie Cortez. He screamed at papa and made him cry, But papa to Ernie just could not reply! He simply could not reply! And so I studied, sunset to sunrise, But three words only I memorized. Day in, day out, I doggedly hummed: "Caramba!" "Burrito!" and "Barrel of rum!" Hey, listen to me! Tally ho, tally hee! The parrot, the pirate of the high seas! Caught by the storm on the way back With seasickness I wrestled. An Englishman under the Irish flag Attacked and boarded our vessel! Two days and three nights the battle raged. I ended up in an English cage. That’s how I started my numerous trips, Around the equator and iceberg tips, On various pirate ships! They served me coffee and cocoa too. They said: "Speak English, damn Cockatoo!" But to their demands I would not succumb: "Caramba!" "Burrito!", and "Barrel of rum!" Hey, listen to me! Tally ho, tally hee! The parrot, the pirate of the high seas! For many years with pirates I sailed. Then some fool, walking unsteady, For merely a penny sold me away, But I was speaking already! The Sultan of Turkey did a somersault, When I said "Sultan, pass me the salt!" And then he was positively stupefied, When he realized that I could also write, Could count, and dance, and fight! I’ve been to St. Petersburg and Iraq, So you better give this bird some respect! And if you don’t: oh, well, you’re dumb! "Caramba!", "Burrito!" and "Barrel of rum!"
© Vadim Astrakhan. Translation, ?
© Vadim Astrakhan. Performance, 2014