Eighth-Grade Girl
Today's song is yet another extremely well-known song by Viktor Tsoi — a rather humorous depiction of adolescent love between an "eighth-grade girl" and a boy who is, ahem, a bit older! I’ll leave it for readers to speculate as to the dynamics of this relationship. But in case you’re wondering the “m-m-m-m” refrain, while it may express a kind of mute amazement at the girl’s beauty, charm, etc., does not suggest the English “yum-yum,” as in “mm-mm that’s tasty!” The Russian equivalent of that is “Ням ням!”
Perhaps this song will help you remember that the Russian “класс” never means “class” in the sense of “I’m going to class,” “I hate my Russian class,” etc. For that, use урок or занятие. Meanwhile, the word курс can refer to 1) a (college) course; 2) a year in college, as in “Я на первом курсе” (I’m a freshman). A “classmate” in this sense would be your однокурсник or однокурсница. This brings us to the word класс, which in an academic context only refers to one’s grade in school. So, a classmate in school would be an одноклассник or одноклассница. Otherwise you may hear the word as a kind of slang expression: “Класс!” — as in, “Wow, that’s classy, that’s cool, that’s great!”
Just for the hell of it, let’s highlight the conjugated verb forms in the song, along with their translations.
The song opens with an instrumental of path — пустынной улицей (that is, along a пустынная улица).
Eighth-Grade Girl
Along an empty street, just the two of us,
We walk somewhere together;
And I'm smoking, while you're eating candy.
And the streetlamps are long since shining.
You say, "Let's go to the movies,"
While I invite you to a seedy pub, of course.
M-m-m-m, eighth-grade girl
You say that you got
a C (a "three") in geography,
but I don't give a damn about (“I could spit on”) that.
You say that because of you
someone there got a black eye.
I remain suggestively silent,
and we keep on strolling together.
M-m-m-m, eighth-grade girl
Your mom's makeup
and your big sister's boots.
I feel comfortable (“light, easy”) with you,
and you're proud of me.
You love your dolls
and balloons.
But at ten o'clock sharp
mom expects you to be home.
M-m-m-m, eighth-grade girl
Восьмиклассница
Пустынной улицей вдвоём
С тобой куда-то мы идём,
И я курю, а ты конфеты ешь.
И светят фонари давно,
Ты говоришь: "Пойдём в кино",
А я тебя зову в кабак, конечно.
М-м, восьмиклассница
Ты говоришь, что у тебя
по географии трояк,
А мне на это просто наплевать.
Ты говоришь, из-за тебя
там кто-то получил синяк,
Многозначительно молчу,
и дальше мы идём гулять.
М-м, восьмиклассница
Мамина помада,
сапоги старшей сестры.
Мне легко с тобой,
а ты гордишься мной,
Ты любишь своих кукол
и воздушные шары.
Но в десять ровно
мама ждёт тебя домой.
М-м, восьмиклассница.
Vocab notes:
пустынный: adj. from пустыня: wilderness, desert, empty place (from пустой: empty) • вдвоём: (just) the two of us, together • ходить Иshift - идти / пойти: to go by foot • курить Иshift: to smoke • конфета: a piece of candy • есть (irregular: ем, ешь, ест, едим, едите, едят) / съесть: to eat • светить Иshift: to shine • фонарь, я: streetlamp • давно: for a long time now; long ago • звать n/sA: to call, invite • кабак, а: tavern, a seedy bar • восьмиклассница: a girl in the восьмой класс: eighth grade • география: geography • трояк = тройка: a “3” in school (like a “C” in the US) • наплевать ОВА (наплюю, наплюёшь) на что: to spit on something (as a sign of not giving a damn) • из-за чего: due to, because of (in some negative sense) • получать АЙ / получить Иshift: to receive, get • синяк: a bruise • многозначительный: significantly, “with multiple meanings • молчать ЖАend: to be silent • дальше: further • гулять АЙ: to stroll • мамин: possessive adjective from мама • помада: makeup • сапог, pl. сапоги: boot • лёгкий: light, easy • гордиться Иend чем: to be proud of • кукла: doll • воздушный: adj. from воздух: air • шар: sphere • воздушный шар: balloon • ровно: here: “sharp,” precisely at a given time • ждать n/sA: to wait, expect
