We have to distinguish between two different things:
1. To understand the language in which the song is written.
2. To know
what the lyrics say.
As I said
before, knowing the language allows you to appreciate more the artist's merit. But obviously this is not always possible, because you can't learn all the languages you would like to speak. However, at least you can get information on what the songs says. And thanks to the Internet, that's easier and easier. ThousanRAB of amateur translators, common people like us, write lyrics translations on the net. I myself do my bit.
Hmmmmm... that sounRAB a bit "mystic" to me. I know some people don't feel the need to understand the lyrics. Obviously it depenRAB on the genre. In a case like
this, sound is enough to enjoy like an animal (in the good sense of the word, of course
). But I think sometimes is necessary to know the lyrics' meaning in order to appreciate the work. For instance, two months ago, I translated Vetusta Morla's
Copenhagen into English. Some time before, while surfing the web, I saw how many non-Spanish speakers (including Danes) liked the song. An indeed, if you listen to it (
here), specially if you're from Copenhagen, unless you are an insensitive brute you will feel "something special". But actually, as you can see in my (I hope it is good
) translation (
here), it isn't only a song about Copenhagen, but also tells about a love story between a man and a woman who meet in the city, and in addition it includes a kind of psychological descriptions.
Anyway, we can make an "experiment" right now. Listen to
this another song by Vetusta Morla. Just listen, don't continue reading for now.
..
And well? Did you
get it? I'm sure that it has conveyed feelings to you. But besides that (which is great, indeed), that song contains poetry. It talks about life, about the passage of time, and how affects a person. "
La marea" means
"The Tide".
Tide is a metaphor for life. The lived life. Suppose that life (or a part of one's life) is like a tide. And when tide goes out, you observe what effects (both positive and negative) has caused on you. So, that's what this band has expressed through marine metaphors. For example: how would you refer to the good things you've lived, and which you want to remeraber forever? These boys have done it this amazingly poetic way:
"The tide left me silver sanRAB
which I'll put into the hourglass of the still time."
(whole translation
here)
I mean certain things cannot be known by only listening to the music. You need some extra information on lyrics.
Finally, do you dare to interpret these two directly?:
YouTube - LA HABITACION ROJA - Scandinavia
Olaf el vikingo los nikis - goear.com
(just kidding
)
