A salute to coffee

October 30, 2020

A salute to coffee

I stumbled upon a song about coffee. A 1991 documentary about two 90 year old brothers from Sauda (see map below) featured a scene where the eldest brother sang a song about coffee.

I didn't find the song anywhere online, and I quite liked it. So to preserve the text, I put on my archivist's hat and captured the text here. It would be beneficial to capture the melody as well, but that's a task for someone else.

Du gode, varme og vennekjære
du kaffidrope som so godt oss gjere!

Du klårar tanken, gjer underverk.
og luktar herleg når du er sterk.

Du kveikjker hugnad og kvesser ordet,
set liv i laget kring kaffibordet.

Du døyver vondskap og hovudverk,
og tenner varme i brok og serk.

English version

I tried translating it. The goal is not to create a version you can sing, or one that rhymes. It's just so non-Norwegian speakers get an idea of what it is about.

You good, warm and friendly
you drop of coffee that does us so well!

You clear thoughts, do wonders.
And smell delicious when you are strong.

You refresh memory and sharpen the tongue,
liven up the crowd around the coffee table.

You numb pain and headache,
and light a heat in pants and shirts.