Lyrics to Ironic in Gungan
Even though the next International Talk Like Jar Jar Binks Day is over 11 months away, I’ve occasionally been updating the database of words for the Gungan Translator on this site. A great source for Gungan words that I didn’t previously have in the translator is a series called “Episode I Adventures” written by prolific Star Wars author and editor, Ryder Windham, and released after The Phantom Menace came out in theaters.
Several of these books, including “Pirates from Beyond the Sea” and “Festival of Warriors” take place on Naboo and focus exclusively on the Gungans, which means there are pages and pages of dialogue written in Gunganese. If you are able to obtain a copy of any of these books, I highly recommend it, because they are delightful!
In “Festival of Warriors” there are some scenes where Jar Jar is working in a kitchen. We discover the words for spoon (food-scooper) and fork (sticker), but not for knife. Wondering what the word would be, I decided to reach out to Ryder Windham to ask him if he had any thoughts on what the translation might be, and he graciously wrote back with the suggestion of “dagger” for knife and “foosadagger” for table knife, which is awesome!
With Gungan words for spoon and knife, I’m now able to more accurately translate “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette into Gunganese. Wondering what that looks like? Here are the lyrics:
Ironic
An old man turned nineety-ate-a
Hesa won da lottery un died da next day
It’sa a black fly in yousa Chardonnay
It’sa a death row pardon duey minutes too late
Isn’t it ironic, do nosa yousa tink?
It’sa liken sheesh on yousa weddin’ day
It’sa a free ride when yousa’ve already paid
It’sa da hot advice dat yousa just nosa’d take
Whosa would’ve head thought, it figures?
Mr. Play It Safe was ‘fraid ta fly
Hesa packed hisen suitcase un kissed hisen toboo nukis good-bye
Hesa waited hisen whole damn life ta take dat flight
Un as da plane crash-ud down hesa head thought
“Well, isn’t dis nice?”
Un isn’t it ironic, do nosa yousa tink?
It’sa liken sheesh on yousa weddin’ day
It’sa a free ride when yousa’ve already paid
It’sa da hot advice dat yousa just nosa did take
Whosa would’ve head thought, it figures?
Well, life has a funny way of sneakin’ up on yousa
When yousa tink everythin’s okeyday un everythin’s goen right
Un life has a funny way of heping yousa oot when
Yousa tink everythin’s gone wrongo un everythin’ blows up
In yousa face
A traffic jam when yousa already late
A no-smokin’ sign on yousa death stick break
It’sa liken tenska tousand food-scoopers when all yousa besa needin bein’ a foosadagger
It’sa meetin’ da man of mesa dreams
Un den meetin’ hisen beautiful toboo nuki
Un isn’t it ironic, do nosa yousa tink
A lettle too ironic, un yeah Mesa rilly do tink
It’sa liken sheesh on yousa weddin’ day
It’sa a free ride when yousa’ve already paid
It’sa da hot advice dat yousa just nosa’d take
Whosa would’ve head thought, it figures?
Well, life has a funny way of sneakin’ up on yousa
Un life has a funny way of heping yousa oot
Heping yousa oot.
Tags: gungan song, gunganified, jar jar, jar jar binks, song, star wars, starwars