JVG - Ikuinen vappu (A Never-Ending Labor Day)

Celebration of Vappu, the Finnish Labor Day, contains a lot of alcohol. This is a song about the celebration going on past the holiday, as the narrator loses himself in the party mindset and never returns home.

If you're interested in hearing more about our traditions regarding the holiday, check out Mandelin's video on YouTube, he's great.

Original Finnish lyrics

Ja matka jatkuu

Joensuusta länteen, Kuopiosta pohjoiseen

Ei enää duunii, painan puita uuniin

Syvemmälle skutsiin meen

Loputonta baanaa, loppua en tuu saamaan

Kaukana poika on himasta, ne sanoo et koita jo hidastaa

Saisko jo ekan tuopin alas, en saa kai näit vuosii takas

Suomi rakas saa kuosittaa, vielki ratis vaa suorittaa

Karkuun kaamoksesta, sakot ylinopeudesta

Samal vaihtuu mesta, kärsin vauhtisokeudesta

Reissutarinoita, tyhjii varikoita

Aamuvapinoita, eksyny on stadin poika

Ja matka jatkuu

Joensuusta länteen, Kuopiosta pohjoiseen

Ei enää duunii, painan puita uuniin

Syvemmälle skutsiin meen

Ikuinen vappu takapenkil jatkuu

Haluun tarunhohtoiseen

Ei enää duunii, painan puita uuniin

Syvemälle skutsiin meen

Junaa, laivaa, flygarii, ootan tääl pysäkil

Brunaa aina ysäril, suuntaa mä kysäsin

En nää eteen millää, tie muistuttaa pöllön silmää

Tääl on rämmittävää, onneks meil on flindassa lämmittävää

Paska haisee ja banjot soi, joku vessassa vaikeroi

Moottori rupee lämpee, täält tulee uus PMMP

Reissutarinoita, tyhjii varikoita

Aamuvapinoita, eksyny on stadin poika

Ja matka jatkuu

Joensuusta länteen, Kuopiosta pohjoiseen

Ei enää duunii, painan puita uuniin

Syvemmälle skutsiin meen

Ikuinen vappu takapenkil jatkuu

Haluun tarunhohtoiseen

Ei enää duunii, painan puita uuniin

Syvemälle skutsiin meen

Ja matka jatkuu

Joensuusta länteen, Kuopiosta pohjoiseen

Ei enää duunii, painan puita uuniin

Syvemmälle skutsiin meen

Ikuinen vappu takapenkil jatkuu

Haluun tarunhohtoiseen

Ei enää duunii, painan puita uuniin

Syvemälle skutsiin meen

English translation

And the journey continues

West from Joensuu, North from Kuopio

No more work, I push wood into the oven

I go deeper into the forest *1

Endless road, I won't get an ending

Boy is far from home, they say try to slow down already

Could I get the first pint down, I guess I won't get these years back

Dear Finland gets to get drugged up, still performing at the wheel

Escaping the polar night, fines for speeding

Place changing at the same time, I suffer from speed blindness *2

Travel stories, empty pitstops

Morning shudders, Helsinki boy is lost

And the journey continues

West from Joensuu, North from Kuopio

No more work, I push wood into the oven

I go deeper into the forest

A never-ending Labor Day goes on on the backseat

I want into the fabled

No more work, I push wood into the oven

I go deeper into the forest

Train, ship, plane, I'm waiting on this stop

Always tan in the 90s, I asked for directions *3

There's no way I'll see in front of me, the road resembles the eye of an owl

There's wading to do here, luckily we have something to warm us in a pocket flask

Shit stinks and banjos play, someone's wailing in the bathroom

Engine is getting warm, here comes the new PMMP *4

Travel stories, empty pitstops

Morning shudders, Helsinki boy is lost

And the journey continues

West from Joensuu, North from Kuopio

No more work, I push wood into the oven

I go deeper into the forest

A never-ending Labor Day goes on on the backseat

I want into the fabled

No more work, I push wood into the oven

I go deeper into the forest

And the journey continues

West from Joensuu, North from Kuopio

No more work, I push wood into the oven

I go deeper into the forest

A never-ending Labor Day goes on on the backseat

I want into the fabled

No more work, I push wood into the oven

I go deeper into the forest

_____

*1 "Pökköä pesään" = "puita uuniin" = "wood into the oven" means one is revving up.

"Mennä metsään" = lit. "To go into the forest" means something goes terribly wrong. He said "syvemmälle skutsiin meen". Skutsi is a slang word, means forest. The sentence translates to "I go deeper into the forest".

Also, if you know anything about rap, you know they love their word associations, like wood & forest on this song.

*2 I can't believe this ain't a word in English! "Speed blindness" is when you go so fast you lose sense of how fast you're actually going.

*3 Don't ask me what he means, I'm just the translator. You're getting the information I have, and I don't have all of it.

*4 PMMP was a highly successful Finnish pop rock duo in 2002-2013. They have a single called Matkalaulu, "Travel Song" (2005). Ikuinen vappu is a lot newer, 2019.