I had never heard of Saara Suvanto before yesterday. That is a pity, because she had one of those voices which is an instrument (think of Billie Holiday whose centenary is today or of Odetta or of Janis Joplin). She died at the age of forty from Type One diabetes and she was blind from her early twenties onwards.
What a voice! This is an early 1980s song she created and performed. It's called Kissat ja Koirat ja Linnutkin which means The Cats and the Dogs And Even the Birds. I have given a rough translation of the words at the end of this post.
The topic of the song was the fear of a nuclear war. But it applies equally well to global climate change, today's fear.
My translation of the lyrics:
Hey, dad, even the children
they want to blow up in air
All the cats and the dogs and even the birds
none of them will be left in peace.
Hey mom, they slaughter the children, too
nothing will be left of them
all the cats and the dogs and even the birds
everything they destroy.
Listen to the voice of the child
when you still have time
stop being so very busy
you restless nomad.
In the noise the voice
of the innocent child drowns
At night when she/he sleeps
you can hear it clearly
Hey, dad, even the children
they want to blow up in air
All the cats and the dogs and even the birds
none of them will be left in peace.
Hey mom, they slaughter the children, too
nothing will be left of them
all the cats and the dogs and even the birds
everything they destroy.
Listen to the voice of the child
when you can still hear it
when the city quiets down
the frailest of voices sing
it is then the turn of the big ones
to join the song
and ? children’s choir
rings over all land
Hey, dad, even the children
they want to blow up in air
All the cats and the dogs and even the birds
none of them will be left in peace.
Hey mom, they slaughter the children, too
nothing will be left of them
all the cats and the dogs and even the birds
everything they destroy.