This is a repost of a song I recorded in 2014, my English adaptation of a song by León Gieco.
Bombs are bombs, war is war, and people in Ukraine are innocent people like you and me…
I’ve even had a go at singing it in English (with different lyrics from the translation) – see below!
KATINKA HAT EIN HÖSCHEN AN Nanu, Nanu, Katinka hat ein Höschen an Nanu, Nanu mit lauter Bommeln dran. Sie läuft herum als Hosenmatz und sagt, das sei ein Kleidersatz. Es pfeifen schon die Spatzen: Wenn die nur nicht platzen. Katinka hat ein Höschen an mit lauter Bommeln dran. |
KATINKA'S GOT HER KNICKERS ON Surprise, surprise! (1) Katinka’s got her knickers on Surprise, surprise! With lots of pom-poms on She runs around like a toddler And says she’s wearing them instead of a dress People are already gossiping (2) I just hope they don't split! Katinka’s got her knickers on With lots of pom-poms on |
1) I think “Nanu” is rather old fashioned, and I found it quite hard to translate. In context it is expressing surprise. I also considered “Gosh, fancy that!” as a translation.
2) Literally “The sparrows are already chirping” but I think this is an expression that means something like: everyone knows/the secret is out.
You could argue that popular music as we know it started exactly 100 years ago with the release of this record. It is generally considered to be the first blues record ever released (or at least the first blues recording by a black artist). It was a success, thus establishing that there was a market for “race records” i.e. 78 recordings aimed at African Americans. Interestingly, if you search for the lyrics on Google you get a censored version, but I have uncovered the full text! The song is also interesting musically, with a more irregular structure than modern listeners might anticipate.
The Spanish translation of the lyrics comes from this site: http://cancioneshistoria.blogspot.com/2013/12/crazy-blues-mamie-smith.html. However, a few lyrics were missing so I have restored them and added my own Spanish translation for those lines. Moreover, here is an interesting discussion about this song, including suggested guitar chords: https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=2048.15
CRAZY BLUES I can't sleep at night I can't eat a bite 'Cause the man I love He don't treat me right He makes me feel so blue I don't know what to do Sometime I sit and sigh And then begin to cry 'Cause my best friend Said his last goodbye There's a change in the ocean Change in the deep blue sea, my baby I'll tell you folks, there ain't no change in me My love for that man will always be Now I got the crazy blues Since my baby went away I ain't got no time to lose I must find him today Now the doctor's gonna do all that he can But what you're gonna need is an undertaker man I ain't had nothin' but bad news Now I got the crazy blues Now I can read his letters I sure can't read his mind I thought he's lovin' me He's leavin' all the time Now I see my poor love was blind I went to the railroad Hang my head on the track Thought about my daddy I gladly snatched it back Now my baby's gone And gave me the sack Now I got the crazy blues Since my baby went away I ain't got no time to lose I must find him today I'm gonna do like a Chinaman, go and get some hop Get myself a gun, and shoot myself a cop I ain't had nothin' but bad news Now I've got the crazy blues |
EL LOCO BLUES Por la noche dormir no puedo, Ni un bocado puedo probar Porque el hombre que amo No me trata nada bien. Él me hace sentir tan miserable No sé qué hacer, A veces me siento y suspiro, Y empiezo a llorar Porque mi mejor amigo Dijo su último adiós. Hay un cambio en el océano Un cambio en el profundo mar azul, mi amor, Os digo gente, no hay ningún cambio en mí Mi amor por ese hombre nunca cambiará. Ahora tengo el Loco Blues Desde que mi amor se fue No tengo tiempo para perder Le tengo que encontrar hoy mismo. Ahora el médico hará todo lo posible Pero lo que necesitarás será una funeraria No he tenido nada más que malas noticias Ahora lo que consigo es el Loco Blues. Ahora puedo leer sus cartas Pero su mente no Pensé que me amaba Pero el siempre se va Ahora veo lo ciego que era mi amor Fui al ferrocarril Cuelgue mi cabeza en la vía del tren Pensé en mi papi Con mucho gusto lo quité Ahora mi bebé se fue Y me despidió Ahora tengo el Loco Blues Desde que mi amor se fue No tengo tiempo para perder Le tengo que encontrar hoy mismo. Voy a hacer como un chino, ir a comprar drogas Conseguirme un arma y dispararme un policía No he tenido nada más que malas noticias Ahora lo que consigo es el Loco Blues. |
Ich + Ich have been inactive since 2010 and Adel Tawil has started a solo career. Meanwhile Annette Humpe has returned to writing and production for other artists. Perhaps her most notable recent project has been writing two albums for Max Raabe.
Raabe is an eccentric character and his style is something of a throwback to the German popular music of the 1920s and 1930s, not least that of the Comedian Harmonists. He has been a beloved character in Germany for many years, but the two albums with Humpe are by far his most successful to date, both reaching the top 3 of the national charts. “Langsam” is from “Für Frauen ist das kein Problem” (2013). I think Humpe does a great job of writing in a different style, though sometimes the Palast Orchester (Palace Orchestra) who usually accompany Raabe are missed. I recommend this album to German learners as the lyrics are relatively easy to understand and they are clearly sung by Raabe.
NB This song is not available on YouTube, so I have had a go at singing it myself. This is my first attempt at singing in German.
So there you have it, four songs from four different decades. And here the story ends, at least for now…
LANGSAM Der Mond geht auf, mhhh, mhhh, Ganz langsam. Er nimmt seinen Lauf, mhhh, mhhh, Ganz langsam. Es weht ein warmer Sommerwind, Die Wolken ziehen, Wir beide sind… allein. Du bist bei mir, Es ist ganz still, Ich weiß genau, Was ich jetzt will… mhhh Ich komm auf dich zu, mhhh, mhhh, Ganz langsam. Ich weiß, was ich tu, mhhh, mhhh, Ganz langsam. Manchmal geht's am Tage, Manchmal in der Nacht, mhhh, Manchmal kann es schnell gehen, Bei mir geht es ganz sacht, mhhh, Nimm Dich in Acht |
SLOWLY The moon rises, mhhh, mhhh, So slowly. He takes his course, mhhh, mhhh, So slowly. A warmer summer breeze blows, The clouds drift by, We are… alone. You’re with me, It's so quiet, I know exactly, What I want now… mhhh I go up to you, mhhh, mhhh, So slowly. I know what I'm doing, mhhh, mhhh, So slowly. Sometimes it happens by day, Sometimes at night, mhhh, Sometimes it can go fast, With me it happens so gently, mhhh, Take care of yourself |
CHORDS:
C – Ab – G – C
C – Ab – G – C
F – Fm – C – C7
F – Fm – C/G – G
Following on from the previous post, here is my singable English version of Le Fossoyeur by Georges Brassens. Of course I have taken some liberties with the lyrics, but I think the spirit of the song is still there. However, my French is still pretty low level so I might be wrong! Translation copyright M. Sullivan, 2015.
THE GRAVEDIGGER
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God knows I’m a nice guy
I would never hurt a fly
And I’d never ever wish a person dead
but if people never died
Then I just couldn’t survive
I’m a humble gravedigger
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People say I’m funny
peculiar making money
from the dead I eat my packed lunch on the grave
But my job it isn’t easy
and Some days I feel quite queasy
I’m a humble gravedigger
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Well I shouldn’t tell you this
But my friends they take the piss
When we’re talking after work back down the pub,
they say: ‘Cheer up, sometimes we wonder
If you’re the one six foot under’
I’m a humble gravedigger
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Well, you dont have to be clever
To know nothing lasts forever
And I think about these things here while I dig
Try to take death as it comes
It’s easier said than done
I’m a humble gravedigger
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As for The forgotten dead
Are they sleeping like in bed?
At the bottom of the earth do you find God?
If so tell him about the trouble
I’ve been having with this shovel
I’m a humble gravedigger
Here is my singable English version of Los Pastores by Ariel Ramírez and Félix Luna. Look back a few posts for my literal translation. I’ve tried to be faithful to the spirit of the original but obviously I’ve had to take a few liberties to make it work. Since it’s a choir piece this solo version is a bit strange, but I think it’s enough to give you an idea of how it would work.
THE SHEPHERDS
Come all ye shepherds, come quickly come
See that the king of the kings has been born
Come from the fields and come swiftly and
Try if you can to get here before dawn
CHORUS:
Rosemary and thyme
And parsley and sage
The baby is sleeping
At the break of day
To La Rioja in north Argentina
Come from every field, every town
You could be first to bring flowers and pudding
Come from every field, every town
CHORUS
Ask on the way for Ramírez
He’ll lend you some horses that come from Peru
Playing guitars we’ll be singing
Some riding, some walking as we travel through
CHORUS
It’s Christmas in Argentina, a party with
Plenty of pudding and wine
The moon looks down and she’s dying
To join in as we’re having such a good time
CHORUS
We take a bit of a detour this week – into Portuguese! The Brazilian Tom Jobim was probably the greatest writer of the Bossa Nova. This song has music by Jobim and lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes.
Jobim was something of a reluctant vocalist, but he did sing his own excellent version on his mid-sixties album ‘The Wonderful World Of’.
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The original is in Portuguese, and I’ve translated it into Spanish – a version for singing rather than a literal translation. However, the languages are fairly close – you can see below how similar the written Spanish and Portuguese words look. However, the pronunciation differences between the two languages are much greater than this suggests. I’ve tried to maintain the sound as well as the meaning of the lyrics.
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I’ve also done a singable English version. It doesn’t follow the original quite so closely, but I do think it’s much more faithful than the official English version (by Norman Gimbel).
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ÁGUA DE BEBER (Portuguese) Eu quis amar mais tive medo E quis salvar meu coração Mas o amor sabe um segredo O medo pode matar o seu coração Água de beber Água de beber camará Água de beber Água de beber camará Eu nunca fiz coisa tão certa Entrei pra escola do perdão A minha casa vive aberta Abri todas as portas do coração Eu sempre tive uma certeza Que só me deu desilusão É que o amor é uma tristeza Muita mágoa demais para um coração |
AGUA DE BEBER (Spanish) Quise amar mas tuve miedo Quise salvar mi corazón Mas el amor sabe un secreto El miedo puede matar a tu corazón Agua de beber Agua de beber camarada Agua de beber Agua de beber camarada Yo nunca ví cosa tan cierta Entré la escuela del perdón Aquí la casa vive abierta Abrí todas las puertas del corazón Yo siempre tuve la certeza Que me dio desilusión El amor es una tristeza Mucha pena de más para un corazón |
WATER TO DRINK (English) I wanted love but I was nervous wanted to hide away my heart but if you hide away on purpose that kind of fear it can kill the love in your heart. Agua de beber Water to drink up, my friend. Agua de beber Water to drink up, my friend. I never felt a change so certain I started learning to forgive And then I opened every curtain and let the sun come on in I’m ready to live You know I always felt so certain The well of love would leave me dry And so this sadness is my burden It's just too much for one heart to carry inside |
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Here is my singable version of the song in the previous post, a protest anthem written by the Argentine León Gieco. See the previous post for my literal translation. Anyway, I hope you like this version…
Update: I have recorded a better version (above) with a video of footage of the Dresden bombings of 70 years ago.
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Spanish Pop Lyrics 