Joci Pápai won Hungary’s national final A Dal and will represent his country with the haunting song “Origo”. It’s a song with Hungarian lyrics and a Romani phrase that serves as the chorus, “jálomá lommá, jálomá lommá”.
While “Origo” tackles some tough subjects such as ethnic discrimination and prejudices, it’s ultimately a song of hope. Joci sings of how he finds strength in God, and how he uses his music to connect with people on an emotional level.
“Origo” – Joci Pápai
“Origo” lyrics – Joci Pápai (Hungary, Eurovision 2017)
Original lyrics
Be kell csuknod a szemed
Úgy láthatsz meg engemet
Hogy meghódítsd a szívem
Ismerned kell lelkemet
Ha nem kellek, hadd menjek
Én csavargónak születtem
Kínlódtam már eleget
De az Isten lát engem, lát engem
Jálomá lommá, jálomá lommá
Jálomá lommá lomalom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá nédinná
Jálomá lommá, lomálom
Mért hazudtad azt nekem
Hogy nem számít a színem
Tudtad barna a szemem
Sosem változik bennem
Nem kérek már belöled
Menj el innen hagyj engem
Ne is lássalak téged
Átkozott légy örökre
Jálomá lommá, jálomá lommá
Jálomá lommá lomalom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá nédinná
Jálomá lommá, lomálom
Engem négyévesen megszólított az Isten
Egy igazi fegyvert adott a kezembe
Tudtam, csak ö vigyázhat rám
Többet gyakoroltam vele mint egy szamuráj
Benne bízhatok, mindig az igazat mondja
Vele sírhatok, de az utat mutatja
Ez egy olyan szövetség, ami marad örökké
Fel nem áldozható, ö a legföbb kincsem
Sejtelmes erök laknak a gyerekben
Félnek töle, látszik a szemekben
A húrjaim támadnak, sírnak a testekbe
Hiába is véded ki, méreg a hangszerbe
Nagy tömegeket itattam át vele
Hallod a dallamom, már tudod a nevemet
Hosszú az út, sebek a hátamon
Ezrek könnyei folynak a gitáromon
Jálomá lommá, jálomá lommá
Jálomá lommá lomalom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá nédinná
Jálomá lommá, lomálom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá lommá
Jálomá lommá lomalom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá nédinná
Jálomá lommá, lomálom
English translation
You must close your eyes,
so you will see me.
To conquer my heart
You must know my soul
If you don’t need me, let me go
I was born a vagabond.
I have suffered enough,
but God sees me.
Jálomá lommá, jálomá lommá
Jálomá lommá lomalom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá nédinná
Jálomá lommá, lomálom
Why did you lie to me
That the color of skin doesn’t matter?
You know that I have brown eyes,
This never changes
I’m not asking you anymore
Get out of here, leave me!
I don’t to see you.
I curse you forever.
Jálomá lommá, jálomá lommá
Jálomá lommá lomalom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá nédinná
Jálomá lommá, lomálom
God spoke to me when I was 4 years old.
He put a real gun in my hand
I knew only He can take care of me
I practised more than a samurai
I can trust Him, He always tells the truth
I cry with Him but he shows me the way
This alliance will last forever
It’s not expendable, He is the most supreme treasure
Mysterious forces were in the child
They were afraid of him, it shows in their eyes
My strings are attached, the body cries
You defend yourself in vain – the instrument is poisoned
I soak the people with music
You hear my melody, you know my name
The road is long, I have sores on my back
Tears of a thousand people are played on my guitar
Jálomá lommá, jálomá lommá
Jálomá lommá lomalom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá nédinná
Jálomá lommá, lomálom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá lommá
Jálomá lommá lomalom
Jálomá lommá, jálomá nédinná
Jálomá lommá, lomálom
Who made the English translation? Google Translate? Set to some Amazon rainforest language by mistake?
Hi! I am from Belarus and this is the FIRST time I leave a comment in the Internet! Saying that I’d like to ephasize how amazed I am at ORIGO! The music is so mooving, and the language is so melodic – it’s like floating naked on a calm river at a warm night! Just perfect! Voted for the song with our whole family. God bless Yoci and his beloved.
Hi! I am from Belarus and this is the FIRST time I leave a comment in the Internet! Saying that I’d like to ephasize how amazed I am at ORIGO! The music is so mooving, and the language is so melodic – it’s like floating naked on a calm river at a warm night! Just perfect! Voted for the song with our whole family. God bless Joci and his beloved.
Actually, the translation is not precise. In the chorus part, he speaks about his weapon that God gave him, not about the God. (He). “God spoke to me when I was four years old He gave me a real weapon I knew it was the only thing that can protect me I practiced more than a Samurai. It is trustworthy, it always tells the truth I can cry with it but it shows me the way It’s an eternal alliance I cannot sacrifice it, it is my highest treasure. Mysterious forces lived within the child People were afraid of them,… Read more »
Wait! The English translation for the chorus of this song, according to google translate, in Hungarian, is:
‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry
I’m lousy
I’m gonna go to bed, give me a drink
I’m f*cked up, I’m fired.’
Just: ‘Jálomá lommá’ is: ‘I’m F*cking up’.
Supposedly Hungarian is difficult to translate, but one can get the gist here, it’s basically ‘sorry i f*cked up’ etc.
So what’s the English translation for the chorus of the song?
but what does the Jálomá lommá part mean? is it just like a hum
Alom, alom, alom, alom… 😉
I simply LOVE this song. Now I have to decide which one I like better between Hungary, Belarus, and Finland, and it’s a difficult choice.