Ostani

"Остани"
Song by Баја Мали Книнџа
from the album Играју се делије
English title	Stay
Released	1995 (1995)
Genre	Novokompovana
Length	3:45
Label	SuperTon
Producer(s)	Новак Пајчин

"Ne idi kad mi je najteže"
Song by Baja Mali Knindža
from the album Lesi se vraća kući
English title	Don't Go When it's Most Difficult for Me
Released	2012 (2012)
Genre	Novokompovana
Length	3:41
Label	BN Music

"Ostani" (Serbian Cyrillic: "Остани", lit. "Stay") is a song performed by prominent war singer Baja Mali Knindža. Initially appearing on the 1995 album, Igraju se delije, an updated version of the song titled "Ne idi kad mi je najteže" (the first line in the chorus) would appear on the 2012 album Lesi se vraća kući. While the song isn't performed as often as other songs in Igraju se delije, it still makes an occasional appearance in setlists with the most recent recorded appearance being as recent as 2017. Despite the live versions being most similar to the 1995 version, its name given in the 2012 version is what it is commonly referred to.

Music and lyrics

"Ostani" is one of the more sentimental songs in Baja's discography. The song is about a man who begs his lover to stay. The the style of the song is similar to a ballad and the lyric, "ostani do kraja balade" implies it is intentional. Despite Baja being credited as the sole performer, a female singer is heard as the backing vocals. Currently, no official credit has been provided.

Differences between 1995 and 2012 versions

While both versions share the same lyrics, the 2012 version rearranges the third and second verses. The music in this version is composed by Boco Tomašević and as a result is more upbeat. Baja's vocals are deeper and heavily autotuned, likely due to industry standards and aging. Unlike its 1995 counterpart, the backing vocalists are credited with Boco, Nataša Tomić, and Baja himself providing them.

Lyrics

Lyrics: Ostani, ljubim ti oko Ugrej mi obraze hladne Onaj ko leti visoko Na kraju nisko padne Ne idi kad mi je najteže Ne daj da tuga me sruši Samo sam tebi rekao Sve što sam krio u duši Ostani, vreme će reći Ko je bio u pravu Pođi sa mnom ka sreći Ne plači, digni glavu Ne idi kad mi je najteže Ne daj da tuga me sruši Samo sam tebi rekao Sve što sam krio u duši Ostani, ima još nade Veruj mi, nije sve propalo Ostani do kraja balade Ostani, ljubim ti stopalo Ne idi kad mi je najteže Ne daj da tuga me sruši Samo sam tebi rekao Sve što sam krio u duši

Lyrics (English): Stay, I kiss your eye Warm my cold cheeks The one who flies high Falls low in the end Don't leave when it's the hardest for me Don't allow sadness to destroy me I just told you Everything I hid in my soul Stay, time will tell Who was in the right Come to me with happiness Don't cry, raise your head Don't leave when it's the hardest for me Don't allow sadness to destroy me I just told you Everything I hid in my soul Stay, there's still hope Believe me, not all fell through Stay until the end of the ballad Stay, I kiss your feet Don't leave when it's the hardest for me Don't allow sadness to destroy me I just told you Everything I hid in my soul