Translation of the song El rocanrol de los idiotas artist Joaquin Sabina
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools
Yo no tenía ganas de reír,
I wasn't feeling like laughing,
Tú reías para no llorar;
You were laughing to not cry;
Yo le guiñaba un ojo a mi nariz,
I was winking at my nose,
Tú consolabas a tu soledad
You were consoling your solitude.
Yo sin ninguna escoba que vender,
I wasn't having a broom for sale1,
Tú con mil y una noches que olvidar;
You were having one thousand and one nights to forget;
A mí no me quería una mujer,
There wasn't even a woman loving me,
A ti se te moría una ciudad
Your city was dying out.
Tú habías perdido el último autobús,
You had missed the last bus,
A mí me habían echado de otro bar;
They had thrown me out of another bar;
Los mismos alfileres de vudú,
The same voodoo pins,
El mismo cuento que termina mal
The same story which ends up badly.
Pero quiso el cielo
But Heaven would
Bautizar el suelo
Baptize the ground
Con su gota a gota
With its drop by drop
Y con champú de arena
And with sand shampoo
Para tu melena
For your broken-doll
De muñeca rota
Mane.
Y tu mirada azul
And your blue glance
Me dijo a cara o cruz
Told me: let's toss for it,
Y mi alma de tahur
And my gambler soul
Lo puso a doble o nada
doubled it down.
Y los peces de colores de mis botas
And my boots like coloured fish
Y tus marchitos zapatitos de tacón
And your faded, heeled little shoes,
Locos por naufragar
mad about to be wrecked,
Salieron a bailar
They went out to dance,
Al ritmo de la lluvia sobre las capotas
In time to the rain over the hoods,
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools.
Yo no venía de ningún país,
I wasn't coming from any country,
Tú ibas camino de cualquier lugar;
You were on your way to everywhere;
Conmigo no contaba el porvenir,
The future wasn't counting on me,
De ti no se acordaba el verbo amar
The verb love wasn't remembering you.
Yo no jugaba para no perder,
I wasn't playing so as not to lose,
Tú hacias trampas para no ganar;
You were cheating so as not to win;
Yo no rezaba para no creer,
I wasn't praying so as not to believe,
Tú no besabas para no soñar
You weren't kissing so as not to dream.
Y sin equívocos de vodevil
And, without vaudeville misunderstandings
Ni alertas rojas en el corazón
Or red alerts in heart,
El dios de la tormenta quiso abrir
The storm god would open
La caja de los truenos y tronó,
Pandora's box so there were thunder,
Porque quiso el cielo
Because Heaven would
Acariciar el suelo
Caress the ground
Con su gota a gota
With its drop by drop
Y con champú de arena
And with sand shampoo
Para tu melena
For your broken-doll
De muñeca rota
Mane.
Qué disparate de
How absurd that
Partida de ajedrez
Chess game
Con un partenaire
With a partner
Adicta al jaque mate
Who was addict to checkmate!
Y tu bolso como un nido de gaviotas
And your handbag like a seagull nest
Y mi futuro con pan duro en el cajón
And my future with stale bread in chest.
Locos por naufragar
Being mad about to be wrecked,
Salieron a bailar
They went out to dance,
Al ritmo de la lluvia sobre las capotas
In time to the rain over the hoods,
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools.
Capeando el temporal
Riding out the storm,
Salieron a bailar
They went out to dance
Como dos locos bajo el chaparrón de notas
Like two madmen under the shower of notes
Del rocanrol de los idiotas
Of the Rock and Roll of Fools.
El rocanrol,
The Rock and Roll,
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools
Como tu y como yo
Like me and you,
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools.
Se marcó la calle
The street had
Con aquel detalle
A nice touch with us
De dejarnos solos
Leaving us alone.
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools.
Y por casualidad
And by chance
Comenzó a tocar
it started to play
La flauta de Bartolo
The Bartolo's flute2.
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools.
Go Johnny go, go, go
Go Johnny go, go, go.
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools.
All you need is love
All you need is love.
Y bailar
And dancing
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools.
A vam ba baluba balam bam bu
A wamba buluba balam bambu.
Tutti frutti
Tutti frutti.
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools.
Don't worry
Don't worry.
El rocanrol de los idiotas
The Rock and Roll of Fools.