A couple of months ago, the Czech singer-and-songwriter legend JaromÃr Nohavica, who is from Ostrava, wrote a song (his first-ever in Slovak) dedicated to the Slovak national ice-hockey team, titled "The Sad Hockey Player Song", sarcastic but well-meant, that turned out to be prophetic in an almost frightening way. Nohavica gave a free-of-charge private concert to the Slovak team in Ostrava following their loss to Norway, of all games (the concert had been prearranged weeks earlier), in which Slovakia team captain Kopecký was dropped from the first line and was announced to be a healthy scratch for the following game. It made me almost physically ill to think that Kopecký had to sit there in the audience and listen to that song. 
Well, no harm done, I hope. I love the song – it captures the Slovak fans' mentality very well, their willingness to crucify players who underperform on the national team. Reportedly, Nohavica consulted the lyrics with Slovakia's team coach Vůjtek, who is also from the Ostrava neighbourhood. Nohavica's Slovak lyrics and delivery are flawless, apart from a single Czech word that he inserted to get the rhyme he needed.
I have now translated Nohavica's lyrics into English. Criticism/suggestions for improving the translation are welcome. The original Slovak lyrics can be found here. Below the translation, there's the studio version of the song from YouTube, and at the bottom of the post, a live version of the song performed by Nohavica in Bratislava back in March, with audience reactions to the lyrics.
The Sad Hockey Player Song
by JaromÃr Nohavica
I used to shine, now I'm just glittering
Second match, and the puck won't go in
Second match, my ammunition has been blank
Against Russia, and against Finland
I'm losing all battles, one on one
My coach's been asking, "What's it all about?"
I'm shaking my head like a camel
Must be that damn Ostrava
I'm useless here
A disgrace for my land
Just kill me!
Let the Danube flush my skates away
I'm useless here
Why did they even nominate me?
I'm the one to blame
Without me, they would've played so great
I used to shine, now I'm just glittering
Third match, and the puck won't go in
I used to play on the top line
Now I'm no more than a healthy scratch
The helmet's falling down my brow
This isn't going to please my Mom
That's not how she imagined it would end
When she taught the five-year-old how to skate
I'm useless here
A disgrace for my land
Just kill me!
Let the Danube flush my skates away
I'm useless here
Why did they even nominate me?
I'm the one to blame
Without me, they would've played so great
I used to shine, now I'm just glittering
Fourth match, and the puck won't go in
No longer defending the neutral zone
I betrayed my country and my home
I'm doing my best, but it's not easy
Can't wait until the summer is here
When all the ice-rinks melt away
And this song plays on the TV set
He was useless here
He caused nothing but disgrace
Now they killed him!
And the Danube flushed his skates away
He was useless here
Why did they even nominate him?
He was the one to blame
Without him, they would've played so great
Without him, they would've played so great
Without him, they would've gone all the way
Without him, the Cup would be theirs
It's good for him to be buried and dead!
Well, no harm done, I hope. I love the song – it captures the Slovak fans' mentality very well, their willingness to crucify players who underperform on the national team. Reportedly, Nohavica consulted the lyrics with Slovakia's team coach Vůjtek, who is also from the Ostrava neighbourhood. Nohavica's Slovak lyrics and delivery are flawless, apart from a single Czech word that he inserted to get the rhyme he needed.I have now translated Nohavica's lyrics into English. Criticism/suggestions for improving the translation are welcome. The original Slovak lyrics can be found here. Below the translation, there's the studio version of the song from YouTube, and at the bottom of the post, a live version of the song performed by Nohavica in Bratislava back in March, with audience reactions to the lyrics.
The Sad Hockey Player Song
by JaromÃr Nohavica
I used to shine, now I'm just glittering
Second match, and the puck won't go in
Second match, my ammunition has been blank
Against Russia, and against Finland
I'm losing all battles, one on one
My coach's been asking, "What's it all about?"
I'm shaking my head like a camel
Must be that damn Ostrava
I'm useless here
A disgrace for my land
Just kill me!
Let the Danube flush my skates away
I'm useless here
Why did they even nominate me?
I'm the one to blame
Without me, they would've played so great
I used to shine, now I'm just glittering
Third match, and the puck won't go in
I used to play on the top line
Now I'm no more than a healthy scratch
The helmet's falling down my brow
This isn't going to please my Mom
That's not how she imagined it would end
When she taught the five-year-old how to skate
I'm useless here
A disgrace for my land
Just kill me!
Let the Danube flush my skates away
I'm useless here
Why did they even nominate me?
I'm the one to blame
Without me, they would've played so great
I used to shine, now I'm just glittering
Fourth match, and the puck won't go in
No longer defending the neutral zone
I betrayed my country and my home
I'm doing my best, but it's not easy
Can't wait until the summer is here
When all the ice-rinks melt away
And this song plays on the TV set
He was useless here
He caused nothing but disgrace
Now they killed him!
And the Danube flushed his skates away
He was useless here
Why did they even nominate him?
He was the one to blame
Without him, they would've played so great
Without him, they would've played so great
Without him, they would've gone all the way
Without him, the Cup would be theirs
It's good for him to be buried and dead!
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Please feel free to say specifically which lines seem particularly wrong. If all of them sound wrong... well, nothing can be done about it, then, I guess. 
