Hapentuhlaaja by Maustetytöt - English lyrics translation
Oxygen Waster
Finnish lyricsOriginaly transcribed by AI (Transcribe.com) Thank you lilli m for subsequent corrections! |
English lyricsTranslated by AI (Transcribe.com, Google Translate). Insightful linguistic analysis and corrections by lilli m. Thank you! |
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Koulubussissa kotiin matkalla,
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On the school bus on the way home,
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Niin koitan esittää, etten huomaakaan,
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I try to act like I don't notice
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Mitä opin tänään koulussa?
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What did I learn in school today?
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Ja mietin, mitä opin koulussa.
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And I wonder what I learned in school.
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ja koitan vastustaa kiusausta. |
and trying to resist temptation. |
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Jos puhuu mulle, kai antaa vain menettää.
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If you talk to me, I guess you're just losing your voice
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Päättäreihin en kutsua saanutkaan,
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I didn't even get an invitation to the end-of-year party,
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Mitä opin tänään koulussa?
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What did I learn in school today?
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Ja mietin, mitä opin koulussa.
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And I wonder what I learned in school.
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ja koitan vastustaa kiusausta. |
and trying to resist temptation. |
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Mitä opin tänään koulussa?
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What did I learn in school today?
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Ja mietin, mitä opin koulussa.
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And I wonder, what did I learn in school?
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ja koitan vastustaa kiusausta. |
and trying to resist temptation. |
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Pelkkä hapentuhlaaja,
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Just a oxygen waster,
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Notes
"If you talk to me, I guess you're just losing your voice"
The original Finnish line has no subject - "if - talks - to me, probably - voice - to lose." It's unclear who is losing their voice or if the voice per se is being lost (the Finnish word for "voice," "ääni," has other meanings and, as in English, can be used abstractly). Thanks lilli m for explaining and pondering this.
"alone to the scene"
The actual Finnish word, "skenettää," for what the singer is left alone to do, does not have a direct English translation. Based on the English word "scene," skenettää, according to Google, "usually refers to networking, seeking a role, 'adjusting' or bolstering one's position in social circles, especially in a bar environment, among young people in Helsinki." Thanks lilli m for tracking this down and finding an elegant English translation!
Children's choir
Maustetyttö Kaisa Karjalainen wrote on the band's Instagram, February 18, 2026:
When I wrote the lyrics for the song, I immediately thought that it needed a children's choir like the one in Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, and of course our friends, music teachers Krista Salovaara and Moona Hollström, took care of that for us. These wonderful singers are students of the music class at Ahvenisjärvi School in Tampere, and the recording was done by our versatile lighting engineer Antti Välimäki. At the end of the recordings, I had to answer some tough questions. A thousand thanks to the students of Ahvenisjärvi School, as well as Krista, Moona and Antti!
(Translated. Tough questions from the students are here.)
Temptation/bullying shift
lilli m noticed the meaning of the word "kiusaus" in the song shifts from "temptation" to "bullying". The precise word for "bullying," lilli m points out, is "kiusaaminen," but it has the same base verb, "kiusata," as "temptation." "Kiusas" is also present in the name of the ham casserole included in the song, "kinkkukiusaus."
Maustetyttö Kaisa Karjalainen later spoke about something along these lines. In a March 19, 2026 appearance on the YLE TV1 program "Half Seven," after the band played "Hapentuhlaaja," the members were asked, "what made you take up this topic?" Kaisa replied:
Well, it was actually a coincidence, like often when I write those lyrics, that at some point I realized this was about school bullying and I came up with some funny play on words [hauskan sanaleikin] and was delighted about it. And so, no, no, no, it wasn’t anything planned.
(Translated, emphasis added.)
Corrections
Corrections or other notes welcomed at ryantate@ryantate.com.