I was born in the Customs House, When I fell out on the floor. My father was a trader, My other dad, Interpol; My third pop, Dzerzhinskiy, My fourth father, cocaine; From that time, mama, like those guys in the Mausoleum, I’ve been left quite alone. I’ve got two phases, Ma, I’m a mere drunken emir. When I’m sober, I’m Mumu & Gerasim, Mama, Otherwise I’m War & Peace. I’m high the day through, Already 12 years in a row. Don’t breathe when I come in: I’m narcotic poison. My heart is made out of dope, My blood is made out of smack; Don’t look at me You could drop dead at a glance— I’ve got two phases, Ma, I’m a mere drunken emir. When I’m sober, I’m Mumu & Gerasim, Mama, Otherwise I’m War & Peace. In the south there’s the prickly cactus, In the north the tundra and taiga; And everywhere you’ve got shamans, Mama, I’m a shaman too, but a different kind— I don’t come off the astral plane, But I’ll go out drinking wine; There are many important matters, Mama, But I reduce them to one. I’ve got two phases, Ma, I’m a mere drunken emir. When I’m sober, I’m Mumu & Gerasim, Mama, Otherwise I’m War & Peace.
grass passenenger writes: Sorry, it not a new version, but a couple of corrections to the one above. You should read "Bukhara emir" instead of "drunken emir" and "usually, I'm War & Peace" instead of otherwise..."
Dzhon responds: "Bukhara" (i.e. the ancient Silk Road city located in present-day Uzbekistan) = a good correction. I have a vague memory of not being able to figure out what áóõàðñêèé signified and simply inserting "drunken" as a modifier in keeping with the spirit of the song.
"usually, I'm War & Peace instead of otherwise..." = an entirely bogus correction. A distinction without a difference, even if it weren't muddled English syntax.