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.
Try listening to the song below while looking at this girl dancing. ROFL.
Of all the soundtracks on all languages, I believe that French version of Romeo & Juliet musical is the best, or, at least, the better sounding one. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the whole musical in French, but only the parts with the singing in them, but they still definitely are worth watching.
This is a one great moment from Ocean's Twelve.
Anybody knows the music's name or its composer? Kinda sounds like Alech Taadi by Cheb Khaled. I swear, it's very 5th Element.
Suits my mood, so I'm posting it.
"The sunbeams, lost for half a year,
Slant through my pane their morning rays;
For dry Northwesters cold and clear,
The East blows in its thin blue haze.
And first the snowdrop's bells are seen,
Then close against the sheltering wall
The tulip's horn of dusky green,
The peony's dark unfolding hall."
Spring Has Come
By Oliver Wendell Holmes
The Spring has come and fully seized us by the loins. Whoppie-doo!
What is it about this time of the year that makes everyone so horny, me included? Like this song, for example. I don't know what's so special about it, but I just can't rest well whenever I play it loud, or even simply in my head.
Must be something Freudian...
Aw… Just dug up this video I made in my social reject (sorta) days. I either sound “deep” or just sad there, but that’s up to you to decide, eh?
Just (please) ignore the links at the end of the video.