Tuzna Izabela (Sad Isabella) - a song

Ko je ta stara, tuzna zena?
(Who is that old, sad woman?)
Koga ceka pored reke?
(For whom does she wait by the river?)
Ceka momka da dodje po nju
(She waits for her lover to come for her)
Ona je tuzna, tuzna Izabela
(She is sad, sad Isabella)

Bijo je letnji dan kada su se upoznali
(It was a summer's day when they first met)
Izabela mlada dama, a Marko roda ciganskog
(Isabella a young lady, and Marko from a gypsy family)
Kaze: "Marko ti si mi mnogo zgodan"
(She says: "Marko I find you very handsome")
Kaze: "Bela moja ti si san"
(He says: "Bella my love, you're like a dream")
"Ajde da se sad vencamo"
("Come let us get married")
"Moram ocu reci plan"
("I must tell Father of our plan")

Kada otac sazna, on kaze: "Bre!"
(When father finds out he says: "Hey!")
"Bas takvu uniju pristacu ne!"
("This kind of union I will never allow!")
"Molim te oce, daj mi blagoslov"
("I beg you Father, give me your blessing")
"Nemogu bez Marka, bolje je grob!"
("I can't go on without Marko, a grave would be better!")

Tako pise Izabela: "Otac nece, sta ce mo sada?"
(And so writes Isabella: "Father will not allow it, what will we do now?")
"Draga moja Izabela, nemoj da se brines ti"
("My dear Isabella, don't you worry yourself")
"Budi sutra pored reke, tamo cu te cekati"
("Be at the river tomorrow, there I will wait for you")
"Ocekuj moj beli camac, nacicemo drugi grad"
("Expect my white rowboat, we'll find another town")
"Tamo ce mo biti zajedno, to ti obecavam sad"
("There we will be together, this I promise you")

Kada otac procita, on kaze: "Bre!"
(When father reads this he says: "Hey!")
"Bas takav sastanak dozvoli cu ne!"
("This kind of meeting I will never permit!")
On plati nekoga da prati Marka
(He pays someone to follow Marko)
i bas pored reke njega ubije
(and right by the river, kills him)

Ko je ta stara, tuzna zena?
(Who is that old, sad woman?)
Koga ceka svakog dana?
(For whom does she wait every day?)
Ceka momka da dodje po nju
(She waits for her lover to come for her)
Ona je tuzna, tuzna Izabela
(She is sad, sad Isabella)
Ona ceka
(She waits)
Ona ceka
(She waits)
Ona ceka
(She waits)...

"Sad Isabella" is a reworking of my instrumental of the same name in 2000. I wrote the lyrics in around 2005 and Jed and I played it live a couple of times that year with full flamenco flair (and with Alison accompanying on her fiddle). I was sorry to have never recorded it at around that time. In between takes on "How does it feel?" (my latest song) I started playing the slow version of "Sad Isabella" (I hadn't played the song for almost 2 years) and Jed turned the mic on.

You can download the song here:

http://www.fen.com.au/music/16_sadisabella.mp3

Copyright © 2009 Dejan Djurdjevic