Sunday, March 19, 2006

Hoy es Adios

I like listening to alot of modern foreign music. It doesn't matter to me if I don't understand Japanese or Spanish or Hindi because if the tone and voice of the artist does the song right, you don't need to understand the words. (I can't understand half the songs sung in English on the radio these days anyway.)

Lately I've been listening Carlos Santana / Alejandro Lerner's "Hoy Es Adios." Now I had no clue at all about what was actually being sung, but the sorrow in the singer's voice was just so amazing, that I kept listening to it over and over to help me write a really key scene in my novel. There was just something so sad in his voice that I had to keep coming back to.

Here are the lyrics in the original Spanish from Lyrics Depot

Él se fue con el invierno,
Él se ha ido a trabajar,
No me ha escrito en mucho tiempo,
Él dijo que volverá.

Pero el tiempo pasó
No preguntes porque,
Él ya no regresó a nuestro hogar
La frontera marcó
Su destino final.
Y a mis brazos jamás volvió

Hoy es adios,
Mañana quizás,
Sé que tu vas a volver
Hoy es adios
Mañana quizás
No hay fronteras en nuestro querer

Ya ha pasado un nuevo invierno,
Es de que te ví marchar,
No hay un mundo mejor que el nuestro,
Sé que undía volverás,

Pero el tiempo pasó
No preguntes porque,
Él ya no regresó a nuestro hogar
La frontera marcó
Su destino final,
Y a mis brazos jamás volvió

Hoy es adios,
Mañana quizás,
Sé que tu vas a volver
Hoy es adios
Mañana quizás
No hay fronteras en nuestro querer

Now I asked a couple friends who speak Spanish to translate it for me, and one of them told me that I could just use an onine translator like babelfish.com. I googled the song and something popped up on googled that said "Translate this page" and this is what I got:

It went with the winter,
He has been going away to work,
It has not written to me in long time,
He said that he will return.

But the time happened
You do not ask because,
It no longer returned to our home
The border marked
Its final destiny.
And to my arms never it returned

Today it is good bye,
Tomorrow perhaps,
I know that your you are going to return
Today it is good bye
Tomorrow perhaps
There are no borders in ours to want

It has already spent a new winter,
It is of which ví to march to you,
There is no a world better than ours,
I know that undía you will return,

But the time happened
You do not ask because,
It no longer returned to our home
The border marked
Its final destiny,
And to my arms never it returned

Today it is good bye,
Tomorrow perhaps,
I know that your you are going to return
Today it is good bye
Tomorrow perhaps
There are no borders in ours to want

So I guess this a song about migrants crossing the American border? A song about death? Spanish speakers, how reliable is the online translator from the original Spanish?

In any case, it's funny, because as I noted before, main character is essentially an undocumented immigrant in the United States. This song works in so many ways.

What songs have especially touched you and made you keep listening? What was it about those songs?

16 Comments:

At 3:53 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Alau,
This songs touches me deeply. I have some ideas on the meaning of this song based on my own experiences. Maybe you can use them for your novel.
This song is in my view about the love between two people. One of them has left (working, travelling, met someone else etc.) and the other feels deep sorrow for that. Their ways have split.
The singer knows the line has been drawn between the two (farewell for now), but still keeps wanting the other back in his arms.
He keeps his hart open and waiting for her indefinetely, but knows she might never return. He can never forget.
The lesson learned might be: never let someone go who you love, and if you do you have to go your own way.

 
At 11:01 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Adoro a Santana él es el mejor. Hoy E adiós es mi canción favorita. Significa tanto a mí.

 
At 3:11 PM, Blogger lg said...

Hola! im not from spain, I am just a high schooler learning about Spanish and this song is really influential. well this is my version of translation. i guess the online dictionary was pretty presice.

Hoy es Adios – today is goodbye

He went with the winter,
He has been going to work,
He has not written to me in a long time,
He said that he will return.

But the time passed,
No questions were asked because,
He no longer returns to our home,
The border is marked,
His final destination,
And to my embrace he never returned.

Today is good bye,
Perhaps tomorrow,
I know that you are going to return,
Today is goodbye,
Perhaps tomorrow,
There will not be borders in our hope.

Already a new winter has passed,
It is of which watch to march to you,
There is no world better than our world,
I know that one day you will return,

But the time passed,
No questions were asked because,
He no longer returns to our home,
The border is marked,
His final destination,
And to my embrace he never returned.

Today is good bye,
Perhaps tomorrow,
I know that you are going to return,
Today is goodbye,
Perhaps tomorrow,
There will not be borders in our hope.

 
At 11:38 PM, Anonymous Shawn said...

Have that album, "Shaman". the whole album is great. one of the other songs that stands out to me is "Sideways". heard it yet? amazing.

 
At 3:19 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Like you, the sorrow in this singer's voice touched me. I wasn't sure if it was the music or the lyrics, but as you said, it doesn't matter that I couldn't understand the words. This was one of those songs that I listened to multiple times. I'm still not tired of it. Thank you for posting the lyrics and the translation. It just adds to my enjoyment of the song.

 
At 5:07 PM, Anonymous alsolikesthissong said...

What little Spanish I remembered helped get across that feeling of separation and loss that comes through in this song. I wonder why your friends didn't want to translate it for you? Maybe it has very deep meaning? Or painful?

 
At 9:43 AM, Blogger rasabaik said...

beautiful song

 
At 12:11 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

sideways is the best song on the album shaman although this one was always one of my favorites. i am a huge carlos santa fan!!

 
At 8:02 AM, Anonymous danielle said...

At the end you can hear him say "Vuelve hijo mio. Aqui te espero." (Come back, my son. I am (will be) waiting for you here.). So it's basically about a father awaiting his long-gone son. Maybe to another city, maybe abroad... Such a touching piece of music!

 
At 8:52 PM, Anonymous coco said...

Wow, like most of you LOVE..HOY ES ADIOS!! first heard it 9yrs ago , and it remains my soul song .. and then I checked the translation only 1wk ago and I love the story in the words.. missed out when I went to see Carlos.. he didn't do hoy es adios.. maybe next time love to all Carlos Fans xx

 
At 7:56 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I grew up speaking Spanish, but its a little rusty.
This is my translation of the lyrics to the song.
"hoy es Adios"
"today is Goodbye"

el se fue con el invierno
he left with the winter

el se ha ido a trabajar
he has gone to work

no me as escrito en much tiempo
he has not written in a while

el dijo que volvera
he said he would return

pero el tiempo paso
but time passed

no preguntes porque
dont ask why

el ya no regreso a nuestro hogar
he has yet to come home

la frontera marco
the border marked

su destino final
his final destination

y a mis brazos jamas volvio
and never did he return to my embrace

hoy es adios
today is goodbye

manana quizas
maybe tommorrow

se que tu vas a volver
i know that you will return

hoy es adios
today is goodbye

manana quizas
maybe tommorrow

no hay fronteras en nuestro querer
there are no borders to our love?/hope?

ya ha pasado un nuevo invierno
no a new winter has past

es de que le vi marchar
since i saw you walk away

no hay un mundo mejor que el nuestro
there is no better world than ours

se que un dia volveras
i know one day you will return

repeat chorus

hoy es adios
today is goodbye

manana quizas
maybe tommorrow

se que tu vas a volver
i know that you will return

hoy es adios
today is goodbye

manana quizas
maybe tommorrow

no hay fronteras en nuestro querer
there are no borders to our love?/hope?

hoy es adios
today is goodbye

manana quizas
maybe tommorrow

se que tu vas a volver
i know that you will return

hoy es adios
today is goodbye

manana quizas
maybe tommorrow

no hay fronteras en nuestro querer
there are no borders to our love?/hope?
the problem i had was with the word "querer" which depending on its use, has no accurate english translation, love, hope and esteem are the best i can come up with.
it is a very good song and one of my favorite santana songs.

 
At 8:52 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mate thankyou this has been one of those things Ive been listining to for so long with no idea what it was about and saying 'ill look it up one day' but never did well I finally did today and this page appeared so cheers for the effort youve gone to settn it up and good to see others out there have also been drawn to this masterpiece of music thanks

 
At 11:28 PM, Blogger Summer Wine said...

I know this song from a Rumba dancing class. When it was played for the first time, something from deep inside me was strongly vibrated... I just can remember that I totally forgot the present with all the dancing mates around, just me with my soul feeling of a painful & passionate love... And like many of you here, I even don't understand a word of this song... Sometimes, when I don't understand the lyric, so all I can do is wholly falling into the rhythm & the singer's voice... It's a nice feeling I have with lots of good songs... And still, Hoy es Adios is my favorite song for ever and ever...

 
At 11:00 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Very well said for someone so young. You're spot on.

 
At 11:09 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Li,
Your translation is 95% correct but you have to remember that not everything translates exactly from Spanish to English. The sentiment is spot on though.
Cheers

 
At 11:17 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks for the translation. I have always loved this song and felt that it was about a terrible loss. I guess as you say, the singer and the lyrics become united to convey the message.

 

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