"Evo zore, evo dana" (English translation: Here comes the dawn, here comes the day) is a Croatian fascist (Ustaše) marching song It was written after the Black Legion's battle for Kupres in the summer of 1942.
The Black Legion fought off the attack by the Montenegrin Chetniks of Pavle Đurišić and Tito's Partisans. The name refers to the time between the dawn and full daylight when the Crna Legija (Black Legion) surprised both forces with a counterattack that drove them out of Kupres and its surrounding area. Its lyrical origins are unclear, but some unsourced claims state that it was written by an anonymous poet from Herzegovina. The lyrics, translated to English, are as follows:
Oj Kupreško ravno poljce, Što pozoba crnogorce, Od tisuću i pedeset, Vratilo se samo deset, Od tih deset kraj Prisoja, Dočekala crna bojna, A tih deset muku muče, I po njima šarac tuče. | O Kupresian flat field That consumed the Montenegrins! From one thousand and fifty men Only ten have returned. And those ten? At Prisoje They were awaited by the black battalions. And those ten are racked with pain, A machine gun still shooting them down |
There are more than 40 verses in the original song, but only seven or eight are usually sung.
The seven or eight commonly known verses are these:
Evo zore, evo dana, Evo Jure i Bobana. Evo zore, evo tića, Evo Jure Francetića. Na vrh gore Romanije, Ustaški se barjak vije. Na barjaku sitno piše, Odmetnika nema više. Jure gazi Drinu vodu, I bori se za slobodu. On se bori za slobodu, Hrvatskome našem rodu. Evo zore, evo dana, Nema više partizana. Evo zore, evo tića, Evo Jure i Vokića. Evo zore, evo dana, Evo Jure i Bobana. Oni vode svoju bojnu, Njome biju tešku vojnu. Tvoja bojna brani Liku, Biser zemlje, našu diku. | Here comes the dawn, here comes the day, Here comes the dawn, here comes the little bird! Here comes Jure Francetić | At the top of the Romanija mountain, The Ustaša flag is flying! On the flag it is written (without the benefit of capitol letters) That there are no more outlaws/partisans. Jure steps into the waters of the Drina, And he is fighting for freedom | He is fighting for the freedom Of our Croatian people! Here comes the dawn, here comes the day, There are no more partisans. Here comes the dawn, here comes the little bird, Here come Jure and Vokić | Here comes the dawn, here comes the day, Here come Jure and Boban! They are leading their battalions, With them they are fighting a difficult battle. This battalion is guarding Lika, The pearl of the nation, our pride. |
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Other verses include these:
Na vrh gore Romanije Ustaški se barjak vije, Razvili ga hrabri momci, Sve Ustaše dobrovoljci Na vrh gore Romanije Puna bačva od rakije I nju piju hrabri momci Pavelića dobrovoljci! Jure zove, Boban viče, Hej viteže Francetiću. Evo zore, Boban viče, Evo mene Poglavniče. | At the top of the mountain Romanija, An Ustaša flag is flying Courageous men have unfurled it, All Ustaše volunteers! At the top of our Romanija mountain, There is a barrel full of rakija It is consumed by courageous men, The volunteers of Ante Pavelić. Jure calls and Boban cries Awake | Knight Francetić! "Here comes the dawn | " Boban cries, Here I come, Poglavnik! |
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In 1992, the new version of this song was performed by Dražen Zečić from the album Evo zore, evo dana during the Croatian War of Independence.
Evo zore, evo dana, Evo Jure i Bobana. Na vrh gore Trebevića, U logoru Francetića. U logoru Jure sjedi, Svojoj vojsci on besjedi. Oj Hrvati, braćo mila, Duboka je voda Drina. Drinu treba pregaziti A Srbiju zapaliti. Kad je Drinu pregazio, U nogu je ranjen bio, On ne viče ajme meni, Već on kliče za dom spremni! | Here comes the dawn, here comes the day, At the top of the Trebević mountain, In the camp of Francetić. In the camp of Jure, he sits down and speaks to his army. O Croat, my brothers, Deep is water of Drina. Drina, we will stomp over,, And Serbia we will burn down . When he was crossing Drina, He was wounded down in the leg, He does not cry out Instead he yells out: For the homeland - ready! |