Submitted post: Den tappre kosmonauten Nikolajevs kvalfulla rymdfärd

Swedish nerdy parody songs are not limited to filk or fandom. The most important venue is arguably the Swedish student song tradition, of which this is a fine example. The song exists in several variants, often shorter than this. I usually only sing a single verse and the chorus, myself. For those unfamiliar with the tune, it’s to the tune of the Russian national anthem, previously the Soviet national anthem. And it’s a song which fits squarely into any filk circle.

Rough translation of the song opening (not necessarily fitting with the version sung above):

My name is Nikolayev, a Soviet cosmonaut
I’m flying round the earth in my space rocket
but I’ve suffered a misfortune grave
I forgot to go to the loo before I left

I long for home, home to my planet
to wife and child back home in Soviet
but most of all to a small house with a heart on the door
Home, home to my planet
I don’t want to be stuck in the rocket
where there isn’t a house with a heart on the door

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