Season 266: Foreign Language
- Thread starter Srax
- Start date
greyghost
Well-known member
Here's a traditional Guatemalan song that's been a favorite since I was a little kid.
Tootler
Well-known member
No worries, Gina. It's always OK to post other versions. I'd also been working on it for a few days.
SOTU 266: Foreign Languages - Al Vent (The Wind) - in Catalan
Phewwww! This week's Season is a tuffy!
Found the song by Raimon entitled "Al Vent" which translates to "The Wind." Loved the emotional feel Raimon delivers with his powerful vocals and driving strum. I'm still trying to determine whether he's using 4/4 or 6/8, or mixing tempos, but I decided if I was going to get this one done, I best resort to using what feels right for me. It was tough enough trying to learn the lyrics well enough to try and put my feelings to them. The lyrics are a powerful poem, and the chord progression works well with a literal translation in English, so I hope to work up a song chart for this doing the first time through in Catalan, add a harmonica break, then go to an English translation the second time through.
The song is quite beautiful in Catalan, but I think it best to offer a sung translation to any audiences I will have the chance to perform it to.
Raimon sang this like a strong gale. I hope you enjoy my milder, less windy version:
The following lyric translation is also in my YouTube Description:
. . . . Al vent, 》《 To the wind
La cara al vent, 》《 Facing the wind
El cor al vent, 》《 Heart to the wind
Les mans al vent, 》《 Hands to the wind,
Els ulls al vent, 》《 Eyes to the wind,
al vent del mo'n. 》《 to the wind of the world.
. . . . I tots, 》 《 . . . . And all,
Tots plens de nit, 》 《 all full of night,
Buscant la llum, 》 《 searching for light,
Buscant la pau, 》 《 searching for peace,
Buscant a De'u, 》 《 looking to God,
al vent del mo'n. 》 《 the wind of the world.
La vida, ens do'na penes, 》《 Life, gives us sorrows
ja el na'ixer e's un gran plor: 》《 When born, is a great cry
la vida pot ser eixe plor; 》 《 Life, already has tears;
Pero' nosaltres, al vent, 》《 But we (and) the wind,
la cara al vent, 》《 facing the wind,
el cor al vent, 》《 heart to the wind,
les mans al vent, 》《 hands to the wind,
els ulls al vent, 》《 eyes to the wind,
al vent del mo'n. 》《 to the wind of the world.
. . . . I tots, 》《 . . . . And all,
tots plens de nit, 》《 all full of night,
buscant la llum, 》《 looking for light,
buscant la pau, 》《 looking for peace,
buscant a de'u, 》《 looking for the wind, ...
al vent del mo'n. 》《 the wind of the world.
buscant a De'u, 》《 looking for the wind...
al vent del mo'n. 》《 the wind of the world.
Phewwww! This week's Season is a tuffy!
Found the song by Raimon entitled "Al Vent" which translates to "The Wind." Loved the emotional feel Raimon delivers with his powerful vocals and driving strum. I'm still trying to determine whether he's using 4/4 or 6/8, or mixing tempos, but I decided if I was going to get this one done, I best resort to using what feels right for me. It was tough enough trying to learn the lyrics well enough to try and put my feelings to them. The lyrics are a powerful poem, and the chord progression works well with a literal translation in English, so I hope to work up a song chart for this doing the first time through in Catalan, add a harmonica break, then go to an English translation the second time through.
The song is quite beautiful in Catalan, but I think it best to offer a sung translation to any audiences I will have the chance to perform it to.
Raimon sang this like a strong gale. I hope you enjoy my milder, less windy version:
The following lyric translation is also in my YouTube Description:
. . . . Al vent, 》《 To the wind
La cara al vent, 》《 Facing the wind
El cor al vent, 》《 Heart to the wind
Les mans al vent, 》《 Hands to the wind,
Els ulls al vent, 》《 Eyes to the wind,
al vent del mo'n. 》《 to the wind of the world.
. . . . I tots, 》 《 . . . . And all,
Tots plens de nit, 》 《 all full of night,
Buscant la llum, 》 《 searching for light,
Buscant la pau, 》 《 searching for peace,
Buscant a De'u, 》 《 looking to God,
al vent del mo'n. 》 《 the wind of the world.
La vida, ens do'na penes, 》《 Life, gives us sorrows
ja el na'ixer e's un gran plor: 》《 When born, is a great cry
la vida pot ser eixe plor; 》 《 Life, already has tears;
Pero' nosaltres, al vent, 》《 But we (and) the wind,
la cara al vent, 》《 facing the wind,
el cor al vent, 》《 heart to the wind,
les mans al vent, 》《 hands to the wind,
els ulls al vent, 》《 eyes to the wind,
al vent del mo'n. 》《 to the wind of the world.
. . . . I tots, 》《 . . . . And all,
tots plens de nit, 》《 all full of night,
buscant la llum, 》《 looking for light,
buscant la pau, 》《 looking for peace,
buscant a de'u, 》《 looking for the wind, ...
al vent del mo'n. 》《 the wind of the world.
buscant a De'u, 》《 looking for the wind...
al vent del mo'n. 》《 the wind of the world.
lelouden
Well-known member
I thought I would share this on a slow day. I found this earlier in the week and got a big kick out of it.
pabrizzer
Well-known member
and of course there are some French words that we all know ....
Yes he is taking the oui .....
Yes he is taking the oui .....
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29moons
Well-known member
This is a wonderful song that I first heard during the SOTU's first foreign language week which was french. It was hosted by PeeWee and this song was entered by the amazing Professor Glukoz. It's a song about his love for a motorized bicycle called a Velo Solex. I apologize personally to Professor Glykoz for my hack saw french but bow to his wonderful song. The original can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJscAEdTPPc
I would also like to thank Brian Volex for the footage.
I would also like to thank Brian Volex for the footage.
weerpool
Well-known member
hi, my name is johnny and here's my sub-par uke performance of a spanish melancholy song by the legendary mexican band Mana.
translation:
On the Wharf of San Blas
Versions: #1#2
She said farewell to her love
He left on a ship from the wharf of San Blas
He swore to her that he would return,
And, soaked in tears, she swore that she would wait
Thousands of moons passed
And she was always on the dock, waiting
Many afternoons nested themselves,
They nested themselves in her hair and on her lips
She always wore the same dress
So when he returned, he would not mistake it was her
The crabs bit at her clothing, her sadness, and her illusions
Time then drained away
And her eyes filled with sunrises.
She fell in love with the sea
And then her body took root on the wharf
Alone, alone in oblivion
Alone, alone with her spirit
Alone, alone with her love, the sea
Alone on the wharf of San Blas
Her hair became bleached white,
But no ship came that returned her love
And in the village, they called her,
They called her the Crazy Lady of the Wharf of San Blas
And one afternoon in April
They attempted to take her to the insane asylum
But no one could tear her away
And no one was ever able to separate her from the sea
Alone, alone in oblivion
Alone, alone with her spirit
Alone, alone with her love, the sea
Alone on the wharf of San Blas
She stayed, she stayed, alone, alone
She stayed, she stayed with the sea and the sun
She stayed, she stayed until the end
She stayed there, she stayed on the wharf of San Blas
Alone, alone, alone...
translation:
On the Wharf of San Blas
Versions: #1#2
She said farewell to her love
He left on a ship from the wharf of San Blas
He swore to her that he would return,
And, soaked in tears, she swore that she would wait
Thousands of moons passed
And she was always on the dock, waiting
Many afternoons nested themselves,
They nested themselves in her hair and on her lips
She always wore the same dress
So when he returned, he would not mistake it was her
The crabs bit at her clothing, her sadness, and her illusions
Time then drained away
And her eyes filled with sunrises.
She fell in love with the sea
And then her body took root on the wharf
Alone, alone in oblivion
Alone, alone with her spirit
Alone, alone with her love, the sea
Alone on the wharf of San Blas
Her hair became bleached white,
But no ship came that returned her love
And in the village, they called her,
They called her the Crazy Lady of the Wharf of San Blas
And one afternoon in April
They attempted to take her to the insane asylum
But no one could tear her away
And no one was ever able to separate her from the sea
Alone, alone in oblivion
Alone, alone with her spirit
Alone, alone with her love, the sea
Alone on the wharf of San Blas
She stayed, she stayed, alone, alone
She stayed, she stayed with the sea and the sun
She stayed, she stayed until the end
She stayed there, she stayed on the wharf of San Blas
Alone, alone, alone...
pabrizzer
Well-known member
You must not know what "sub-par" means ....
Joko
Well-known member
The year was 1990 and Indonesia was under the rule of the quasi-military “New Order” regime, which it had been since 1965. Suharto ruled the country as an autocrat. There was no freedom of expression nor an independent press. Elections were held, but they were a farce. It was also the year that Iwan Fals and his band Swami released a remarkable collection of songs.
The most noteworthy of these songs was “Bongkar”. Here’s my translation of the lyrics into English:
If love has been thrown away… Do not hope justice will come…
Sadness is only spectacle…. For those in bondage
O , o , ya o, ya o.. ya unload …. O , o , ya o, ya o.. ya unload…
Be patient, be patient, be patient and wait… That's the answer we have to accept…
So we have to go to the streets…. Tear down the demons that stand in the way
Oppression and arbitrariness… Much too much to mention…
Hey stop. Don’t go forward…. We are fed up with the uncertainty and greed.
On the streets we learn ideals…. Because at home, nothing more can be trusted .
Parents please look on us as humanity… We ask you to please answer with love
You can’t read these lyrics and not view this as a protest song. Calling for people to go to the streets. Directly criticizing the corruption and greed of the gov’t. These were brave lyrics, and the song was a huge hit amongst the people, as was the entire album. Alas, Iwan Fals did have to serve a short prison sentence, not directly for this song, but others that he performed live what had been banned by the Ministry of Censorship.
It took a while, but I think after the seed that this song, and the sentiment it represented had been planted in the minds of the Indonesian people, the next time Suharto stole an election, they wouldn’t stand for it. In 1998, they said no more. They said “Bongkar”.. Unload. They unloaded the old regime and brought true democracy to the country.
Indonesia is now one of the most vibrant and open democracies in the region, and I think it had something to do with this song. I hope I’ve done it the justice it deserves.
The most noteworthy of these songs was “Bongkar”. Here’s my translation of the lyrics into English:
If love has been thrown away… Do not hope justice will come…
Sadness is only spectacle…. For those in bondage
O , o , ya o, ya o.. ya unload …. O , o , ya o, ya o.. ya unload…
Be patient, be patient, be patient and wait… That's the answer we have to accept…
So we have to go to the streets…. Tear down the demons that stand in the way
Oppression and arbitrariness… Much too much to mention…
Hey stop. Don’t go forward…. We are fed up with the uncertainty and greed.
On the streets we learn ideals…. Because at home, nothing more can be trusted .
Parents please look on us as humanity… We ask you to please answer with love
You can’t read these lyrics and not view this as a protest song. Calling for people to go to the streets. Directly criticizing the corruption and greed of the gov’t. These were brave lyrics, and the song was a huge hit amongst the people, as was the entire album. Alas, Iwan Fals did have to serve a short prison sentence, not directly for this song, but others that he performed live what had been banned by the Ministry of Censorship.
It took a while, but I think after the seed that this song, and the sentiment it represented had been planted in the minds of the Indonesian people, the next time Suharto stole an election, they wouldn’t stand for it. In 1998, they said no more. They said “Bongkar”.. Unload. They unloaded the old regime and brought true democracy to the country.
Indonesia is now one of the most vibrant and open democracies in the region, and I think it had something to do with this song. I hope I’ve done it the justice it deserves.
redpaul1
Well-known member
Wow! Feel the power! Standing O here Mr McK!!
Sadly all is not roses in the Indonesian garden however. Indonesia has one of the most thriving punk scenes in the world (along with Burma!), a scene that grew directly out of the repression Joko describes...
.... and while democracy and diversity may presently be flourishing in Java and Bali, in Sumatra - in Aceh province in N. Sumatra in particular - it's a different story, as this presentation and these pictures illustrate:
And the Indonesian/Burmese punk instrument of choice? The ukulele, of course!
For an introduction to Indonesian ukulele punk, check out Marjinal
For Burmese ukulele punk, punk check out Rebel Riot, or Kultureshock - and should you ever find yourself at a loose end in Yangon while visiting Joko's new acoustical apartment, apparently the Hledan flyover is the place to go!
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mikef
Well-known member
Big King Velour came to North Wales, we bonded over our love of Miri & Steffan... and this happened...
One Man And His Uke
Well-known member
Hello everyone. This my first SOTU video. mikef, Das Model was on me list of possibilities , as was another tune called "Grün Grün Grün Sind alle meine kleider" a great childrens' song and a proper earworm if you ask my. As you might have guessed I have chosen to sing in German. I did German in school but I was better at French, and also considered doing a French tune, George Brassens or Charles Trenet. In the end, I picked this. I first came across it in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a perennial favourite of mine; it's from the bit where Ferris lip syncs to Wayne Newton. Classic tune . I thought, there must be a German version of this, and I found one, sung beautifully by Anita Lindblom. The chord sequence is a bit tricky as it the whole song goes up by a semitone with each verse, you need your wits about you. Anyway, here it is...
, as was another tune called "Grün Grün Grün Sind alle meine kleider" a great childrens' song and a proper earworm if you ask my. As you might have guessed I have chosen to sing in German. I did German in school but I was better at French, and also considered doing a French tune, George Brassens or Charles Trenet. In the end, I picked this. I first came across it in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a perennial favourite of mine; it's from the bit where Ferris lip syncs to Wayne Newton. Classic tune . I thought, there must be a German version of this, and I found one, sung beautifully by Anita Lindblom. The chord sequence is a bit tricky as it the whole song goes up by a semitone with each verse, you need your wits about you. Anyway, here it is...
I have had hardly any time this week, for playing or for listening, but this pretty well sums up my own attempts -
Roughly translated - "This week I tried to sing in French, This week I tried to sing in German, This week I tried to sing in Russian, In the end I tried in Catalan."
Roughly translated - "This week I tried to sing in French, This week I tried to sing in German, This week I tried to sing in Russian, In the end I tried in Catalan."
Dougf
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"Nuages" is often considered Django Reinhardt's signature composition.
Here's a link to the French words:
http://users.telenet.be/boompje/songlyrics.htm#nuages
Here's google translate:
Slowly in the evening
The train leaves
On the quay, her handkerchief
Already fled
In the ice like a dream
The gray wall of his house
In the light of day
Falls on the horizon
A cloud stretches
On its blue roof
In passing it seems to say
A sad farewell;
And all I loved
When the train turns
In a stream of smoke
Disappears forever ...
Here's a link to the French words:
http://users.telenet.be/boompje/songlyrics.htm#nuages
Here's google translate:
Slowly in the evening
The train leaves
On the quay, her handkerchief
Already fled
In the ice like a dream
The gray wall of his house
In the light of day
Falls on the horizon
A cloud stretches
On its blue roof
In passing it seems to say
A sad farewell;
And all I loved
When the train turns
In a stream of smoke
Disappears forever ...
LimousinLil
Well-known member
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- Oct 2, 2012
- Messages
- 3,627
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- 2,395
Hi Sara! This is what happens when you are unable to play the ukulele for three days because you have visitors. I spent my "downtime" investigating the possibilities of my video editing programme ... I might just have played the ukulele in there somewhere. (I am a big fan of Georges Brassens!)
La Marseillaise
This is one I was hoping to play along with Melksham Ukuleles at a twinning association event, but we bottled out so I'm glad of this opportunity to perform it at last.
This is one I was hoping to play along with Melksham Ukuleles at a twinning association event, but we bottled out so I'm glad of this opportunity to perform it at last.
xommen
Well-known member
Sara wanted me to do a Catalan Song so here it is . This is my attempt at Elena - Auguris.
Now definitely take a look at the original song which is great, and can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkrrLD7uzlc
. This is my attempt at Elena - Auguris. Now definitely take a look at the original song which is great, and can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkrrLD7uzlc
elmann
Well-known member
Just did a try on Katalan. I still struggle with my editing possibilies, so some sync-offsets.
Avis per navegants from Manel (advice to sailors):
Avis per navegants from Manel (advice to sailors):
elmann
Well-known member
A foreign language song in English (for me ). Same as my next post in French: In the 80s (enthusiasticly learning guitar, and no idea of ukes) I translated a song from Reinhard Mey into English (here famous, educated on a french high school in after-war Berlin), who did this songs in French and German.
Good Night Old Friends, see vid description
). Same as my next post in French: In the 80s (enthusiasticly learning guitar, and no idea of ukes) I translated a song from Reinhard Mey into English (here famous, educated on a french high school in after-war Berlin), who did this songs in French and German.Good Night Old Friends, see vid description
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