Tata

"Тата"
Song by Баја–Мали Книнџа
from the album Рат и мир
English title	Father
Released	1993 (1993)
Genre	Novokompovana
Length	2:30
Label	SuperTon
Producer(s)	Цветин Тодоровић

"Tata" (Serbian Cyrillic: "Тата", lit. "Father") is a song written and performed by prominent Serb war singer Baja Mali Knindža. Following its exposure from YouTube channels such as Kocayine and National Radio, the song has gained a cult following in the West due to its controversial lyrics.

Music and lyrics

"Tata" satirizes the negative perception of Serbs, exaggerating and playing off said perceptions in an ironic manner. The song's melody is simple with verses consisting of just one unique stanza. The verse, bridge and chorus are recited twice. The song uses three variants of "father": "tata", the informal variant "tajo", and "stari" (which literally translates to "old" but is used in the same way as the English idiom, "my old man").

In a 2021 interview, Baja revealed that his father fought in the war, though it is unknown if this was a contributing factor towards the song's creation.

In the West, the song would gain infamy due to the translation of its first stanza, "My dad is a war criminal". This line, translated and untranslated, would become the name Westerners are the most familiar with. Most uploads featuring the song state that the song was made to "make fun of anti-Serb propaganda" in the description, though do not elaborate further. Despite the ironic theme of "Tata", international viewers interpret the song as condoning the act of war crimes.

Lyrics

Lyrics: Moj je tata zločinac iz rata Moj je tata zločinac iz rata Vi se potrudite pa ga osudite, Vi se potrudite pa ga osudite Nema niko muda da vodi ga do suda nema niko muda da vodi ga do suda Moj je tajo pol' Bosni osvaj'o Moj je tajo pol' Bosni osvaj'o Vi se potrudite pa ga osudite, Vi se potrudite pa ga osudite Nema niko muda da vodi ga do suda nema niko muda da vodi ga do suda Moj je stari opasan ustvari Moj je stari opasan ustvari Vi se potrudite pa ga osudite, Vi se potrudite pa ga osudite Nema niko muda da vodi ga do suda nema niko muda da vodi ga do suda

Lyrics (translated to English): My father is a war criminal My father is a war criminal You try your best to convict him You try your best to convict him Nobody has the balls to take him to court Nobody has the balls to take him to court My father conquered half of Bosnia My father conquered half of Bosnia You try your best to convict him You try your best to convict him Nobody has the balls to take him to court Nobody has the balls to take him to court My old man is actually dangerous My old man is actually dangerous You try your best to convict him You try your best to convict him Nobody has the balls to take him to court Nobody has the balls to take him to court