Big Girl Panties

Lately I've been trying to learn Spanish by memorizing translations of songs from Spanish to English. It sort of works, but now whenever I want to express myself in Spanish, everything I come up with goes along the lines of "Give me your heart", "Oh, my love, it hurts so much", and "I pluck daisy petals".

How handy that would be when it comes to paying bills...

Anyhoo.... My favorite song I've translated so far is La Camisa Negra by Juanes, for it has a very strong contrast between the music and the lyrics. I never would have thought that with its cheery, dancy music, it is actually a sad song.

La Camisa Negra

Tengo la camisa negra (I have a black shirt)
hoy mi amor esta de luto (Today my love is in mourning)

Hoy tengo en el alma una pena (Today I have a pain in my soul)
y es por culpa de tu embrujo (And it is because of your spell/witchcraft)

Hoy se que tu ya no me quieres (Today I know that you don’t love me)
y eso es lo que mas me hiere (And that’s what hurts me most)
que tengo la camisa negra (That’s why I have the black shirt)
y una pena que me duele (And a pain that hurts me)

mal parece que solo me quede (And even worse, it seems that I am left alone)
y fue pura todita tu mentira (And your lie was so pure)
que maldita mala suerte la mia (Damn luck for me)
que aquel dia te encontre (That day that you found me)

por beber del veneno malevo de tu amor (I drank from the malevolent poison that was your love)
yo quede moribundo y lleno de dolor (I remain a dying man and full of pain)
respire de ese humo amargo de tu adios (I breathe in that bitter smoke of your goodbye)
y desde que tu te fuiste yo solo, tengo… (And since you left me alone, I have)

tengo la camisa negra (I have the black shirt)
porque negra tengo el alma (Because my soul is just as black)
yo por ti perdi la calma (Today because of you I am restless)
y casi pierdo hasta mi cama (And I almost lost my bed) (meaning, home, shelter - everything)

cama cama come on baby
te digo con disimulo (I say to you with dissimulation)
que tengo la camisa negra (That I have the black shirt)
y debajo tengo el difunto (And underneath I have the deadman)

tengo la camisa negra (I have the black shirt)
ya tu amor no me interesa (Your love already does not interest me)
lo que ayer me supo a gloria (What was yesterday was glory)
hoy me sabe a pura (Today it knows pure…)

mier...coles por la tarde y tu que no llegas (Shit for in the evening you do not arrive)
ni siquiera muestras seсas (Not even small signs)
Y yo con la camisa negra (And I’m with the black shirt)
y tus maletas en la puerta (And your suitcases in the door)

Mal parece que solo me quede (And even worse, it seems that I am left alone)
y fue pura todita tu mentira (And your lie was so pure)
que maldita mala suerte la mia (Damn luck for me)
que aquel dia te encontre (That day that you found me)

Tengo, tengo la camisa negra (I have the black shirt)
porque negra tengo el alma (Because my soul is just as black)
yo por ti perdi la calma (Today because of you I am restless)
y casi pierdo hasta mi cama (And I almost lost my bed)

cama cama come on baby
te digo con disimulo (I say to you with dissimulation)
que tengo la camisa negra (That I have the black shirt)
y debajo tengo el difunto (And underneath I have the deadman)



*Note: The lines: "lo que ayer me supo a gloria (What was yesterday was glory)
hoy me sabe a pura (Today it knows pure…)
miйrcoles por la tarde y tъ que no llegas (Shit for in the evening you do not arrive)" are a play on words. Miercoles means Wednesday but the way Juanes sings it, he pauses after "mier-" for the listener to think that he’s going to say mierda (shit). He’s trying to convey the message that yesterday was glory and today is shit. It’s a play on words as is seen in English music.