Thanks to Anthony and Casper for translating the background info!
Background information about the song:
When we were making "the difficult second album", we had only 12 songs with us in the studio - the 12 that in turn became Evig Pint. The reason was that there weren't more to choose from, we said then. We simply had not made more.
But after going through the demos from this period, we found out that was not fully correct. We have never been occupied with looking backwards, so we were a bit surprised by these songs we had left orphaned without any remorse in 2003, because there were some curious notes here. Señor Torpedo is an example, a bit like "Veterans klage" from Evig Pint perhaps, a very strange song that isn't like much else out there.
The lyrics ask the question of who can take over the mafia throne after Sonny, who was exposed in a plot in the song "Hevnervals", ended up with life in prison and a death sentence in the song "Drøm hardt". The family business is bleeding and shouting for someone who can take over for Sonny. Sonny has a "right hand", a man on the outside. It is he who is the narrator and runs the show all throughout Evig Pint. In this song, he presents a merciless replacement by the name Señor Torpedo who gives you everything you ask for. But in practice, it is he himself who rules the mafia, up until he quietly passes away as a blind old man in the song "Sonny".
Sometimes as a songwriter, one has one theme or another, a stanza or a melody line that rides one like a mare for a long time. The potential is there, but it never materializes. The organ riff of Señor Torpedo was one for Janove, in the end it ended up in "Knekker deg til sist" from the Maestro album, but before that it was part of "Señor Torpedo". It is, after all, legal to steal from oneself.
Señor Torpedo | Señor Torpedo |
| Eg kan sei det igjen men eg har sagt det før | I can say it again, but I've said it before |
| Familiebedriften dør | The family business is dying |
| Sjå på meg den som tør | Look at me who dares |
| å sette seg i stolen | to sit in the chair |
| Og alle kjenner Sonny sitt navn | And everyone knows Sonny's name |
| Og alle sammen føler hans savn | And everyone feels his loss |
| Han er så Helgen som en Helgen kan bli | He's as Hallow as a Hallow can be |
| Det fins ingen ny Sonny | There's no new Sonny |
| Og rekk opp hånda hvis du kjenner nogen | And raise your hand if you know somebody |
| En som eg kan ha inni armkroken | Someone I can link arms with |
| En som er komfortabel i sjefsstolen | Someone who's comfortable in the boss' chair |
| En som alltid har ei hånd på pistolen | Someone who always has a hand on the gun |
| Det var for han eg måtte sy sju sting | For him I had to sew seven stitches |
| Det var for han eg måtte bli halvt blind | For him I had to turn half blind |
| Og du var alltid velkommen inn | And you were always welcome |
| Måtte eg gått i døden for han, ville eg gått rett inn | If I had to die for him, I would have done so right away |
| For han er min far | Because he is my father |
| Herren gir og Herren tar | The Lord gives and the Lord takes |
| Så lenge du er lojal | As long as you're loyal |
| er du velkommen i vår hage | you are welcome in our gardens |
| Det fins ingen vei tilbake | There's no way back |
| Ett feil ord, ett skeivt skritt så er dine dager talte | One wrong word, one skewed step and your days are numbered |
| 123456789 10 | 123456789 10 |
| La meg presentere Señor Torpedo | Let me introduce Señor Torpedo |
| Av han får du meir enn du ber om | You get more from him than you ask for |
| Han legger ingenting i mellom | He doesn't mince matters |
| Guds gave til oss er Señor Torpedo | God's gift to us is Señor Torpedo |
| Og snart kjenner alle hans navn | And soon everybody will know his name |
| Når han forsvinner kjenner alle hans savn | When he disappears, everyone will feel his loss |
| Han blir så Helgen som en Helgen kan bli | He'll be as Hallow as a Hallow can be |
| Men han blir ingen ny Sonny | But he won't be a new Sonny |