In tribute to Buffy Sainte-Marie on her birthday, Solomon Ratt has prepared a Cree interpretation of her “Universal Soldier” (1964). We’ve presented it below in Sol’s karaoke video, and in text (to encourage others to read along, and maybe even record it for themselves.) The photo to the right is Solomon himself in 1966: a cadet, already being groomed for warfare at the tender age of 14.
One constant challenge in translating songs from English into Cree is working with two very different language structures. English words tend to be short and free-standing. Cree words tend to be long and heavily inflected. In the case of this song, for example, the four-syllable phrase, “He’s five foot two”expands into 19 syllables when it’s fully translated into Cree: niyânan mistit mîna nîso micihcinis ispihcikâpawiw. Clearly, something’s got to give!
In the table that follows this video, you will find the original English, followed by Cree in standard spelling. A third column, labelled “back translation” helps to illustrate the choices and compromises Sol had to make as interpreter in order to produce singable lines.
| Universal Soldier | misiwê simâkanis | |
| by Buffy Sainte-Marie | Buffy Sainte-Marie omasinahikêw | |
| Translated by Solomon Ratt | Solomon Ratt nêhiyaw-masinaham | "Back translation" (Solomon Ratt) |
| He’s 5’2”, he’s 6’4.” | cimisisiw, kinwâskosiw | He is tall, he is short |
| He fights with missiles and with spears. | nanâtohk (i)si-nôtinikêw. | He fights all sorts of ways |
| He’s all of 31 and he’s only 17. | kî-kîsohpikiw mîna kêkâc kîsohpikiw | He’s grown up and almost grown up |
| He’s been a soldier for a thousand years. | kayâs ohci simâkanisîwiw. | He’s been a soldier for a long time. |
| He’s a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a jain; | pahkw-âyamihâw, âkayâsîwi-ayamihâw; | He’s a Catholic, he’s an Anglican; |
| A Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew. | nanâtohk ê-isi-ayamihât. | He prays in all sorts of ways. |
| And he knows he shouldn’t kill | namôya ta-kî-nipahtâkêt | He shouldn’t kill |
| And he knows he always will kill | kâkikê ka-nipahik | He will forever kill you… |
| You for me my friend and me for you. | niy-ôhci (ê)kwa niya kiy-ôhci. | For me, and me for you |
| And he’s fighting for Canada; | nôtinikêstamawêw Canada | He’s fighting for Canada |
| He’s fighting for France; | nôtinikêstamawêw France | He’s fighting for France |
| He’s fighting for the USA; | nôtinikêstamawêw USA | He’s fighting for the USA |
| And he’s fighting for the Russians; | nôtinikêstamawêw Russians | He’s fighting for the Russians |
| And he’s fighting for Japan; | nôtinikêstamawêw Japan. | He’s fighting for Japan |
| And he thinks we’ll put an end to war this way. | itêyihtam ta-pôni-nôtinitohk. | He thinks war will stop. |
| And he’s fighting for Democracy; | nôtinikêstam Democracy; | He fights for Democracy |
| He’s fighting for the Reds; | nôtinikêstam Reds; | He fights for the Reds. |
| He says it’s for the peace of all. | itwêw ka-wîtaskît ôma | He says its for peace. |
| He’s the one who must decide | wiya kâ-wiyasiwêt | He decides |
| Who’s to live and who’s to die; | ana ta-nakataskêt. | the one to die. |
| And he never sees the writing on the wall. | môya wâpahtam kâ-pê-mâyipayik. | He doesn’t see the bad coming. |
| But without him how would Hitler | piko wiya tânisi Hitler | Without him how would Hitler |
| Have condemned him at Dachau. | ta-itisahokot Dachau; | Have sent him to Dachau |
| Without him Caesar would have stood alone. | piko wiya Caesar ka-pêyakohtay. | Without him Caesar would have stood alone. |
| He’s the one who gives his body | mêkiw miyaw t-âpacihtâhk | He gives body for use |
| As a weapon for the war; | nâh-nôtinitowinihk | in the war. |
| And without him all this killing can’t go on. | piko wiya ma-kway nipahitowin; | Without him there would be no killing |
| He’s the universal soldier | misiwê simâkanis | He’s a universal solder |
| And he really is to blame | wiy-âwa kâ-itôtahk. | He is the one who does all this. |
| But his orders come from far away no more | itasiwêwina môy-ohci wahyaw | Orders do not come from afar |
| They come from him and you and me | kiyânaw kê-tisahamahk. | We send the orders. |
| And brothers can’t you see | nîtisânak, wâpik! | Sibling, see! |
| This is not the way to put an end to war. | môy-ômisi ka-pôni-nôtinitohk. | This is not the way to end war. |
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