artwork info | song info | legend
artwork info
single-edition digital image behind 1/4″ polished acrylic
12″H x 12″W x 0.5″D
2024
$340
song info
category ▸ Björk Retrospective
lyrics ▸ Charles Tobias (1946)
music ▸ Nat Simon (1946)
musical artist ▸ Björk and Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar (1990)
listen here 🔈 https://youtu.be/h2IqN1cXQbg
“Luktar-Gvendur” (“The [Old] Lamplighter”) was written by Nat Simon and Charles Tobias in 1946. The lyrics memorialize the profession of lamplighters, who walked city streets at dusk turning on the gas-powered streetlamps and turned them off again at dawn. Björk and Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar released this Icelandic version in 1990 on the album Gling-Gló.
Luktar-Gvendur
Hann veitti birtu á bádar hendur
um baeinn sérhvert kvöld
hann luktar Gvendur á liðinni öld
Á gráum hærum gloggt var kenndur
vid glampa á ljosafjöld
hann luktar Gvendur á liðinni öld
Hann heyrdist ganga hægt og hljótt
um hverja götu fram á nott
Hans hjartasá med bros á brá
Ef ungan sveinn og yngismey
hann adeins sá hann kveikti ei
en eftirlét theim rókkur skuggablá
Í endur minning æskutid
hann aftur leit, en ástmey blid
Hann örmum vafði fast svo ung og smá
Hann veitti birtu á bádar hendur
um bæinn sérhvert kvöld
hann luktar Gvendur á liðinni öld
Hann heyrdist ganga haegt og hljótt
um hverja götu fram á nott
Hans hjartasá med bros á brá
Ef ungan sveinn og yngismey
hann adeins sá hann kveikti ei
en eftirlét theim rókkur skuggablá
Í endur minning aeskutid
hann aftur leit, en ástmey blid
Hann örmum vafði fast svo ung og smá
Hann veitti birtu á bádar hendur
um baeinn sérhvert kvöld
hann luktar Gvendur á liðinni öl
hann luktar Gvendur á liðinni öl
English translation
The Lamplighter
He shed his light wherever he went,
around the town each night
Lamplighter-Gvendur of time long past
Known by his gray head
light shining off his hair
Lamplighter-Gvendur of time long past
He could be heard walking quietly
each street at night
His wounded heart would yet smile
If he spied a young couple
he would not light his lamp
leaving them in the shade of darkness
And he reminisced about his youth
looking back on his sweet love
Hugging tight his sweet young girl
He shed his light wherever he went
around the town each night
Lamplighter-Gvendur of time long past
He could be heard walking quietly
each street at night
His wounded heart would yet smile
If he spied a young couple
he would not light his lamp
leaving them in the shade of darkness
And he reminisced about his youth
looking back on his sweet love
Hugging tight his sweet young girl
He shed his light wherever he went
Around the town each night
Lamplighter-Gvendur of time long past
Lamplighter-Gvendur of time long past
Lyrics reproduced under fair use for artistic commentary.