Translation of the song 19 Dias Y 500 Noches artist Joaquin Sabina
19 Dias Y 500 Noches
19 days and 500 nights
Lo nuestro duró
Our thing lasted
lo que duran dos peces de hielo
about as much as two ice fish
en un güisqui on the rocks,
on a whiskey on the rocks.
en vez de fingir,
Instead of faking
o, estrellarme una copa de celos,
or crashing a cup of jealousy on my face
le dio por reír.
she felt like laughing.
De pronto me vi,
Suddenly I saw myself
como un perro de nadie,
like a dog with no owner
ladrando, a las puertas del cielo.
barking at heaven's door.
Me dejó un neceser con agravios,
She left me a vanity case full of slights
la miel en los labios
the honey on my lips
y escarcha en el pelo.
and frost on my hair.
Tenían razón
They were right
mis amantes
my lovers, they were
en eso de que, antes,
when they said that, before,
el malo era yo,
the bad guy was me.
con una excepción:
With one exception:
esta vez,
this time
yo quería quererla querer
I wanted to want her wanted self
y ella no.
and she didn´t.
Así que se fue,
So she left,
me dejó el corazón
she left my heart
en los huesos
stripped bare of flesh
y yo de rodillas.
and me on my knees.
Desde el taxi,
From the taxi
y, haciendo un exceso,
and, indulging on an excess
me tiró dos besos...
she blew two kisses at me...
uno por mejilla.
One for each cheek.
Y regresé
And I came back
a la maldición
to the curse
del cajón sin su ropa,
of the drawer without her clothes
a la perdición
to the doom
de los bares de copas,
of cocktail bars
a las cenicientas
to all those
de saldo y esquina,
sixpenny Cinderellas
y, por esas ventas
and, around those bottles
del fino Laina,
of Fino Laina *
pagando las cuentas
paying the tabs
de gente sin alma
of soulless people
que pierde la calma
that loses their temper
con la cocaína,
with cocaine.
volviéndome loco,
Going mad,
derrochando
wasting
la bolsa y la vida
life and coin
la fuí, poco a poco,
little by little
dando por perdida.
I gave her up.
Y eso que yo,
Despite the fact that I
paro no agobiar con
so as not to smother
flores a María,
Maria with flowers,
para no asediarla
so as not to bore her
con mi antología
with my anthology
de sábanas frías
of cold sheets
y alcobas vacías,
and empty bedrooms,
para no comprarla
so as not to buy her
con bisutería,
with cheap jewelry
ni ser el fantoche
or be the dofus
que va, en romería,
that goes on the parades
con la cofradía
with the Brotherhood
del Santo Reproche,
of Holy Reproach,
tanto la quería,
so much I loved her
que, tardé, en aprender
that it took, to learn
a olvidarla, diecinueve días
to forget her, nineteen days
y quinientas noches.
and five hundred nights.
Dijo hola y adiós,
She said Hi and goodbye
y, el portazo, sonó
and the door slamming sounded
como un signo de interrogación,
like a question mark.
sospecho que, así,
It was thus, I suspect
se vengaba, a través del olvido,
how, through oblivion, Cupid
Cupido de mi.
had revenge on me.
No pido perdón,
I don´t ask for frogiveness
¿para qué? si me va a perdonar
¿What for? if she would forgive me
porque ya no le importa...
because she no longer cares...
siempre tuvo la frente muy alta,
she always had a proud forehead,
la lengua muy larga
a very long tongue
y la falda muy corta.
and a very short skirt.
Me abandonó,
She abandoned me,
como se abandonan
like one abandoned
los zapatos viejos,
those old shoes.
destrozó el cristal
She broke the glass
de mis gafas de lejos,
of my near-sighted glasses
sacó del espejo
pulled from the mirror
su vivo retrato,
her spitting image
y, fui, tan torero,
and I went, pretty as a pie,
por los callejones
through the alleys
del juego y el vino,
of gambling and wine
que, ayer, el portero,
so much that yesterday, the bouncer
me echó del casino
kicked me out from the Casino
de Torrelodones.
at Torrelodones.
Qué pena tan grande,
What an abysmal grief,
negaría el Santo Sacramento,
I´d reject the Holy Sacrament
en el mismo momento
the very instant
que ella me lo mande.
it'd be her administering it.
Y eso que yo,
Despite the fact that I
paro no agobiar con
so as not to smother
flores a María,
Maria with flowers,
para no asediarla
so as not to bore her
con mi antología
with my anthology
de sábanas frías
of cold sheets
y alcobas vacías,
and empty bedrooms,
para no comprarla
so as not to buy her
con bisutería,
with cheap jewelry
ni ser el fantoche
or be the dofus
que va, en romería,
that goes on the parades
con la cofradía
with the Brotherhood
del Santo Reproche,
of Holy Reproach,
tanto la quería,
so much I loved her
que, tardé, en aprender
that it took, to learn
a olvidarla, diecinueve días
to forget her, nineteen days
y quinientas noches.
and five hundred nights.
Y regresé...etc.
And I came back, etc...