pan nanpa wan ("Pie in the Sky") - TOKI PONA SONG

You will eat, by and by; in that glorious land in the sky…
--
Salt Lake City, 1915. A late autumn chill has begun to spread over the valley, from the grand Wasatch mountains in the east to the Great Salt Lake in the west. In the southeastern corner of town, in a neighborhood called Sugar House - named for the old Mormon sugar mill which once stood there - a man sits alone in a prison cell, condemned to die by firing squad. Though he faces a grim fate, the man maintains a stern, resolute gaze as he puts these words to paper:
This is my last and final Will-
Good Luck to all of you.
Joe Hill
Though an innocent man, Swedish-American union organizer and songwriter Joe Hill was charged, tried, and convicted of the 1914 murder of a local grocer and his son, and was subsequently put to death on November 19, 1915 at the Sugar House Prison in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Visitors to today's Sugar House Park are astonished to learn that the rolling green hills before them once framed the austere walls of a prison complex. There, in 2015, I had the opportunity to attend a centennial celebration and folk music concert in honor of Joe Hill and his legacy. In addition to meeting Duncan Phillips, son of the late folk music legend Utah Phillips, it was at this performance where I first heard what is likely Hill's most famous song, "The Preacher and the Slave." The song is a scathing critique of the Salvation Army and other religious organizations which demand both reverence and financial contributions while offering to the poor and destitute only the empty assurance that a grand reward awaits in the afterlife: "You'll get pie in the sky when you die."
The following is my attempt at a Toki Pona rendition of Hill's immortal ballad. May we all beware the "long-haired preachers" of our modern age, religious or otherwise- who put wealth before welfare, piety before practice, convenience before compassion.
Special thanks to jan Masu for help and general advice on the translation!
--
Download link: noiseandbells....
-
VERSE A
jan lawa sewi li toki sike
toki ona la: "sina ike!"
sina wile e moku lili;
taso, ona li toki e ni:
CHORUS
moku la? sina nasa!
jan li jo anu jo ala la pona
pan suwi li lon ma sewi;
ona li pan nanpa wan tawa jan!
VERSE B
ona li jo e ilo kalama
li wile toki e jan lon lupa
ona li lanpan e pan, e mani
pini la, ona li toki e ni:
CHORUS
moku la? sina nasa!
jan li jo anu jo ala la pona (suwi a!)
pan suwi li lon ma sewi;
ona li pan nanpa wan tawa jan!
VERSE C
jan li pali tan ona olin
anu li wile pi pona lukin
… la, jan li ike, li kama jaki;
ona li seli lon tenpo moli
taso, kama la ante li ken
lon poka ante pi nena kiwen
sina ale o pana pali!
jan lanpan jo la, mi toki e ni:
CHORUS (END)
moku la? sina nasa!
jan li jo anu jo ala la pona (suwi a!)
pan suwi li lon ma sewi;
ona li pan nanpa wan tawa jan!
sike a!
moku la? sina nasa!
jan li jo anu jo ala la pona (suwi a!)
pan suwi li lon ma sewi;
ona li pan nanpa wan tawa jan!

[@givrally7634]

0:34 One thing I love about this line and the next is that "ma sewi" can be translated as heaven, but also as "sky". Therefore, the line can be used to mean both a promised but currently inaccessible relief ("Don't worry, when you die you'll go to heaven and get the best pie ever"), but also in a more malicious way that any kind of relief is impossible ("There's some pie up in the sky, if you can reach it it's gonna be the best pie ever"). This double meaning is only possible thanks to the unique way toki pona words are made.

[@HTask]

Ten things I love about this song: 1. The vocal phrasing 2. The chimes at 0:52 3. The cello and its melody at 1:20 and 2:32 4. A certain piano chord that appears throughout the verses 5. The arrangement, in general 6. The subject matter 7. The fact it's an IWW song ♥️ 8. The amazing piece of writing in the description 9. How it sounds at regular speed 10. How it sounds at 2x speed

[@furnaceheadgames9001]

I haven't tried it at different speeds

[@kklein]

this is actually an obscure reference to the third song on Madness's fifth album.

[@NoiseAndBells]

mfw people find out my entire youtube channel is actually an elaborate setup for an arbitrary code execution payload to warp me to the final room of existence so I can fight God himself Love your videos, by the way- wonderful to see you here

[@kklein]

@@NoiseAndBells damn well share the code with the rest of us when you find out how to SRM your way to God

[@leckerp]

hi g groß

[@thecoolkittensarecool]

this thread is the most hyper-neiche thing ever and I love it

[@Theuncletoeticklingtoddler]

the fact that I have only learned toki pona like 2 hours ago and i can understand a good chunk of this-😭

[@Travis-pf1sj]

wow~ that's amazing

[@KarenSDR]

This is a fabulous translation of the old song "The Preacher and the Slave" aka ""Pie in the Sky When You Die", from 1911, which was a parody of "In the Sweet Bye and Bye." Great job!

[@RedShadow3333]

Aha! I guessed the tune right! And now I know why it sounds like how I feel at church. 😅

[@alison_withonel]

toki ni en kalama ni li pona a! ni li awen lon lawa mi 🎶

[@helenaren]

YES! I didn’t know you’d learned Toki pona

[@HTask]

She knows 'em all

[@CraftBlade240]

probably because "first bread" means pie in the sky now

[@givrally7634]

​​@@CraftBlade240The two titles aren't necessarily equivalent with each other. "Pie in the Sky" sounds a lot better in english than "Bread #1", and "pan suwi lon ma sewi" is a bit long for a song title. It's kind of like the movie "Jaws" being shown in to french audiences as "The Teeth of the Sea". Not necessarily the same title, but one that is arguably more suited for that language. (Trust me on this, you don't want to fall into the rabbit hole of french movie titles)

[@felixroux]

This song played in the suno pi toki pona livestream

[@pablomorralla3256]

absolutely love it

[@kalapona]

oh my god this song is so brilliant and adorable. ona li SUWI mute mute aaa... sina pali pi pona mute

[@ultlang]

toki pona la, *ante toki* la, ken sina pi kalama pini nimi sama li suli mute a! o sona e ni: kalama musi sina li awen suwi mute mute a c:

[@NoiseAndBells]

pona tawa sina

[@RichConnerGMN]

sitelen sina li pona

[@fizzlepoplemonlime5600]

Why hello there ~Wayward Tides

[@-.DenmarkReaction.-]

​@@RichConnerGMNthe li isn't supposed to be after mi or sina it's only after things that aren't mi or sina like for example mi olin mi mama. mi mama li olin mi (I love my mom. My mom mom loves me)

[@cm222]

@@-.DenmarkReaction.- In this case, the word "sina" is modifying another word, so you still you "li". The only time you don't use "li" is when it's just "mi" or "sina" on their own. You also have the word order wrong in your example, it should be "mi olin e mama mi. mama mi li olin e mi"

[@savaeyet]

1:54 It sounds so much fun, but in fact something terrible is being sung there.

[@RikimiKalyAkemiMiki]

.

[@jumpingalex2798]

"Burn in hell"

[@MJRuda]

This is probably why my request for this song to be played at the end of year party got denied 😅

[@little1133]

I just found this channel and thought it was just lojban and I was like, oh cool. Then I saw toki pona

[@KvisTwig]

was not expecting this song but i love it!!

[@najunix]

jan ale li ken kama sona e nasin pi pali pan la jan ale li ken moku e pan suwi! jan pali ale o, o kama wan o utala e nasin mani e nasin jan lawa e nasin jan sewi ni! kalama musi sina li pana e pona mute tawa mi.

[@janMiko240]

mi wile ala toki ike, taso mi la nasin pi jan pali li ike tawa jan ale

[@juggypockets]

this has got to be one of my favorite toki pona songs!

[@ByrdieFae]

An irreligious song in toki pona?? NICE 👍

[@HTask]

More than irreligious, this is a revolutionary socialist anthem from back when the Left was cool

[@user-lz2ee4ch2n]

@@HTask that makes sense, I listened to this and immediately got anti-capitalist revolutionary vibes (especially with the “beyond the mountain” and the “pie in the sky” parts)

[@felsenaxt6237]

a! pona suli! kalama musi li pona tawa mi!

[@tomsilver]

kalama musi ni li suwi sama pan!

[@theplanetmercury7487]

pona, pona, pona a! mi pilin e ni: tenpo pini la, jan sewi li toki e ni tawa sina. ni li ike a. taso kalama li pona. pona mute tawa sina

[@yam3946]

mi pilin ni kin a! musi ni li pona- taso mi wile pan suwi tawa jan ale lon ona :)

[@The_TinesJathian]

so fun to see this on suno pi toki pona!

[@aaroncushman512]

mi kama e sona pi toki pona. kalama musi ni li pana sona pi kute lon toki pona tawa mi. (Sorry for my terrible toki pona I am still very much learning) ( I think this translates to: I have been learning toki pona. this helped me to listen in toki pona.)

[@wynnexed]

wow this is absolutely brilliant, i will learn to sing to this. pona a, jan ilo kalama mute!

[@HTask]

Great cover of a great IWW song

[@The_TinesJathian]

that moment when you learn about the original song *after* you find the toki pona cover

[@janmusi]

@@The_TinesJathian bro same

[@mapleMouse17]

Workers of the world unite!

[@user-ji8uo2wm3d]

So beautiful and so cute

[@shizuyuuki7883]

love this sm

[@anapaulamendozadiaz8890]

This such a nice song :3

[@PhilipLaSnail]

This song represents our community pretty well ngl

[@carsonpiano1]

Kia bonega kanto!

[@rae6390]

mi li kute e kalama musi mute pi toki pona. taso, kalama musi ni li kalama nanpa wan tawa mi! tenpo mute la mi kama kute e ni, li kalama uta e ni. kalama ni li pona tawa mi. kon toki pi kalama musi ni li pona tawa mi kin. sina pali e kalama musi ni la, sina pana e pona mute tawa mi. tenpo kama mute la mi kalama uta e ni. pona tawa sina!

[@NoiseAndBells]

sina pona mute! mi wile pali e kalama musi sin pi toki pona lon tenpo kama :)

[@jannesapa8360]

kalama sina li pona tawa mi a :)

[@water594]

ni li musi nanpa wan tawa mi :)

[@garycampbell5856]

Love it. Just LOVE it.!!!!!!

[@mrSeagull120]

kalami ni musi a. mi nasa. mi toki ni: kalama ni musi a.

[@janLilin]

kalama ni li pona mute tawa mi a kipisi suli li pona suli kin. ale la ona li lon lawa mi a a

[@NoiseAndBells]

pona a! tenpo ale la kalama musi mi la mi wile e ni: kipisi li awen lon lawa ona >:)

[@mathisselten2849]

I LOVE IT!!!

[@octavylon9008]

.i .ui ti melbi mi lo ka sance ku to'emu'inai lo za'i mi nelci lo jbobau nesemau lo bangrtokipona

[@NoiseAndBells]

.ui zabna ki'e .i mi zo'u zabna fa lonu lo tinzga cu se pluka lemi zgike .u le jai bau sanga

[@Garfield_Minecraft]

Pls translate for me! I can speak only English and toki pona

[@NoiseAndBells]

@@Garfield_Minecraft Here you go. It's Lojban, if you're curious. OP: "This sounds beautiful to me despite the fact that I like Lojban more than Toki Pona." Me: "yay, that's awesome, thanks! I think it's great if listeners can enjoy my music regardless of the language it's sung in."

[@mujihartiatmodjo5951]

is this lojban?

[@garciamendozaangelemmanuel613]

a! kalama ni li suwi mute, li epiku mute a. ona li pona mute tawa mi.

[@ookap-orsc]

Great

[@mamusipipalisajelo5419]

pan a! suwi :>

[@bundleaxe1922]

JAN PETE SEEGER LI LON E KALAMA MUSI NI!! TENPO PINI LA MI KUTE E KALAMA MUSI PI JAN PETE SEEGER. SINA LON E KALAMA MUSI ONA KEPEKEN TOKI PONA LA SINA PONA MUTE TAWA MI!!

[@NoiseAndBells]

ni li pona tawa sina la mi pilin pona :) lon la, jan Joe Hill li jan pi kalama musi pi jan pali, li pali e kalama musi ni lon tenpo pini. taso, kin la jan ante mute li pali e wan sin pi kalama musi ni. jan Pete Seeger li wan, jan Utah Phillips li wan kin.

[@bundleaxe1922]

@@NoiseAndBells lon. tan ni la ona ali en sina li pona mute tawa mi. (tenpo pini la mi kute e kalama musi sina ali. kalama musi dansu co toldi en kalama musi Charma Anomali' li pona mute mute tawa mi. mi wile e ni: tenpo kama la mi kute e kalama musi sin tan sina. jan Noise and Bells o, thank you).

[@KittenPinkamations]

pona!

[@ITKCSFXDATVEM2012]

ni li pona a! (I like it)

[@justinbastelli3692]

i dont care that toki pona kinda sounds funny, this goes hard

[@cinthiarosasromero5239]

Sina Musi musi!

[@michaelshort2388]

I want this as my ringtone! lol

[@JohnSmith-qb3pt]

nasin seme kalama musi li jo tutu ale e sama nanpa ala mute a?

[@iseeyouu5597]

mi sona ala

[@chesspiece4257]

ni li pona! tenpo kalama li pona a! ona li awen lon lawa mi XD

[@kekevids134]

what a laptop

[@CouldBeMathijs]

@@kekevids134 seme?

[@friesgaming487]

@@CouldBeMathijsthe auto translation says “what a laptop”

[@ethanstine426]

Musi pi suli❤

[@janisen07]

WHEN IS THIS GOING ON SPOTIFY

[@Elena-hu4wf]

Mi li olin e ni kalama pona mute

[@NoiseAndBells]

sina pona :)

[@CouldBeMathijs]

epiku!

[@Ksavero777.]

Sounds very nice but I'm not understanding the meaning of the lyrics 😅

[@NoiseAndBells]

It's based on a song by Joe Hill, and has a similar message. Besides the obvious anticapitalist themes, my version is specifically a critique of certain strains of Christianity which teach that because we are saved "by faith alone," one can live a virtuous life by merely professing faith in Christ, while turning a blind eye to the immense suffering of the world -- or even actively contributing to it.

[@The_TinesJathian]

do u mean what the song is about or the fact thats in a different language

[@Garfield_Minecraft]

kalama sina li suwi a But your grammar weird a little bit for me

[@HTask]

.i ko na xekce ry

[@junebugrobotics]

​@@HTasklojban lol

[@jumpingalex2798]

Pies for life

[@DSMusicParodies]

Pona!

[@azamatn.8499]

👍👍👍

[@ytuberonyt]

kijete kijete kijetesantakalu

[@noahyii1719]

pona mute a! mi olin e ni

[@teesteak]

"You monster"????

[@Fishiest]

mi sona mute e pilin ni,,,

[@newdmitrij201]

why does pie looks like it's in hey two style?

[@plutothetutor1660]

pan lon kon

[@kirby_tardigrade]

pona a!

[@trentthen642]

Kinda sounds like the beginning of the Doki Doki literature club theme

[@MJRuda]

toki toki literature club

[@janSimiman]

musi a

[@janmusi]

100th

[@JohnSmith-qb3pt]

love the song but, wouldn't 'pie in the sky' be pan li lon ma waso.

[@amberwingthefairycat]

I believe that that’s intentional.

[@cheshire183]

"sky" usually translates to "sewi", so it'd be more like "pan suwi li lon sewi" - but regardless, the reason that "pan nanpa wan" is analogous to "pie in the sky" is because it has the same rhyme scheme.

[@amberwingthefairycat]

@@cheshire183 A lot of Tokiponians try to avoid just using the same set phrase for a thing. e.g., many dislike “jan pona” being taught to people as “friend” because a “jan pona” can still just be a “good person”.

[@JohnSmith-qb3pt]

ok

[@furnaceheadgames9001]

I feel like this song is a criticism of capitalism. Edit: thinking of it again, it's a criticism of feudalism

[@The_TinesJathian]

yeah its a IWW song i think

[@janmusi]

ok, I'm only commenting b/c there's 68 and it needs to be 69 so there

[@peopleskingdomofwolcottia]

Communist song in Toki Pona? Sounds about right.

[@NetarAlt]

It sounds fishy, The Mamluks 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝓁𝒾𝓀𝓮𝒹 the video

[@tancredi7106]

lon 🗿