Silent Night - Noche de Paz

 

Silent Night

(German: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011.^[1] The song has been recorded by a large number of singers from every music genre. The version sung by Bing Crosby is the third best-selling single of all-time. (Source: Wikipedia)

This song, unlike the majority of songs on this blog, is included in honor of the Christmas holidays and not for any especially important vocabulary or grammar.  However, there are a few interesting words and expressions that can be useful for students of English as a second language.   Of course there is a Spanish version of this song but the translation of the lyrics below is a literal translation of the English lyrics so that students see exactly what is being said in the English version of the song.  

Merry Christmas to all.

Silent Night
Noche silenciosa

Silent night, holy night!
Noche silenciosa Santa noche!
All is calm, all is bright.
¡Todo está en calma , todo es brillante .
Round yon* Virgin, Mother and Child.
Alrededor de la Virgen por allí, la Madre y el Niño.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Bebé Santo tan tierno y suave,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Duerme en paz celestial ,
Sleep in heavenly peace
Duerme en paz celestial ,

Silent night, holy night!
¡Noche silenciosa Santa noche!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Los pastores temblan al ver el panorama
Glories stream from heaven afar
Las glorias salen desde el cielo lejano
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Angeles celestiales cantan Aleluya,
Christ the Savior is born!
Cristo el Salvador ha nacido!
Christ the Savior is born
Cristo el Salvador ha nacido!

Silent night, holy night
Noche silenciosa Santa noche
Son of God, love's pure light
Hijo de Dios , la luz pura del amor
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
Rayos brillantes de Tu rostro santo
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Con el amanecer de la gracia redentora
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesús, Señor , en tu nacimiento
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "
Jesús, Señor , en tu nacimiento


*This means that everything around Mary (the virgin mother) and Jesus (the child) is calm and bright. 'Yon' is a form of 'yonder', which means 'over there'.
'Everything is calm and bright around that virgin mother over there and her child.' 

I Want You To Want Me...

"I want you to..."  NOT  "I want that you..."

One of the most difficult points of English grammar for Spanish speakers is trying to translate ideas that are formed with the subjunctive in Spanish. For example, "Quiero que vengas conmigo." is often translated as "I want that you come with me."    The correct translation is "I want you to come with me."    The structure is very simple and works with many verbs including tell, ask, need, force, order, beg (rogar), etc.   It even works in the past exactly the same as in the present.   You simply have to conjugate the first verb.  That means that "Él quiere que lo hagas." is "He wants  you to do it" and " Él querría que lo hicieras." is "He wanted you to do it."  Simple, right?    Yes, it is simple.   The problem is remembering to use this form and resisting the urge (resistir la tentación) to say "I want that..."   So what is the solution?   Practice, practice, practice.   You can also listen to this song and sing along (cantar junto) to practice.    One more important thing you should know about this form is the two common exceptions to the rule, "make" and "let".    When using these two words you DO NOT USE THE "TO".    For examples, "Mis padres me obligan a estudiar." in English would be "My parents make me study." and "Nuestra maestra no nos deja hablar en la clase." is "Our teacher does not let us talk in class."

Another thing to notice (fijarse) in the sentence "I want you to want me." is  the second "want".  "Te quiero." can be "I love you." or "I want you." in English, but there is an important difference. "I want you." has strong sexual connotations and is closer to "Te deseo." in Spanish.

Vocabulary: The word "brand" means "marca" in Spanish and the phrase  "brand new" means " nuevo, sin estrenar".  The name of the group who wrote and first made this song popular is "Cheap Trick" which means "una mala pasada" in Spanish.  




I Want You To Want Me  by Cheap Trick
 

I want you to want me

 Quiero que me desees

I want you to want me  
Quiero que me desees

I need you to need me 
Necesito que me necesites

I'd love you to love me 
Me encantaría que me amaras

I'm beggin' you to beg me

Te suplico  que me suplicaras

I want you to want me

 Quiero que me desees

I want you to want me 
Quiero que me desees

I need you to need me 
Necesito que me necesites

I'd love you to love me
 Me encantaría que me amaras

I'll shine up the old brown shoes,

Puliré los antiguos zapatos marrones
Put on a brand-new shirt

Ponerme una nueva camisa 
 I'll get home early from work
 Llegaré pronto del trabajo

If you say that you love me

Si me dices que me quieres

Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

No? No? No te he visto llorando?
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando? 

Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'

Sintiendome muy solo, sin amigos, sabes que sientes como si quisieras morir 
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando?

I want you to want me

 Quiero que me desees

I want you to want me 
Quiero que me desees

I need you to need me 
Necesito que me necesites

I'd love you to love me  
Me encantaría que me amaras

I'm beggin' you to beg me

Te suplico  que me suplicaras

I'll shine up the old brown shoes,

Puliré los antiguos zapatos antiguos
Put on a brand-new shirt

Ponerme una nueva camisa 
I'll get home early from work  
Llegaré pronto del trabajo

If you say that you love me

Si me dices que me quieres

Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

No? No? No te he visto llorando?
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando? 

Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'

Sintiendome muy solo, sin amigos, sabes que sientes como si quisieras morir 
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando?

Ohh
Ahh 

Feelin' all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin'

Sintiendome muy solo, sin amigos, sabes que sientes como si quisieras morir 
Ohh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin'?

Ahhh, no? No? No te he visto llorando?

Ohh

Ahh

I want you to want me

 Quiero que me desees

I want you to want me 
Quiero que me desees

I need you to need me 
Necesito que me necesites

I'd love you to love me  
Me encantaría que me amaras

I'm beggin' you to beg me

Te suplico  que me suplicaras

I want you to want me 
Quiero que me desees 
I want you to want me
Quiero que me desees
I want you to want me
Quiero que me desees  

Note:  Here  is a more recent version of the song by the band  Letters From Cleo from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You.    

It´s All Right = (Todo) Está Bien

It´s All Right by Marlango

This is one of my favorite songs by a Spanish group.   The lead singer of Marlango is Leanor Watling who you might know more as an actress from movies like Hable Con Ella, My Life Without Me and many, many more. 

The first thing that I would like to point out   (destacar) is that the term "all right" is commonly confused by natives and students with the word "already" (ya) when it comes to the spelling.   Because of this many people write "alright" which is NOT CORRECT ACCORDING TO THE GRAMMAR POLICE."  You will see "alright" in many places, especially dialogue, but if you are taking an official examination I recommend that you use "all right" which is still the "most correct" form.   All right" (todo bien) is a great way of saying "Todo está bien."  Or you might use the more colloquial "It´s/That´s cool." or "It´s/That´s OK." when saying "Está bien." as in "No problem." BTW (by the way/por cierto), Americans actually DO say "no problemo" and some might really think that they are speaking Spanish. ;)

Another interesting piece of vocabulary for English learners in this song is the term "weird" which is a more colloquial form of "strange" used a lot, especially by Americans.  There is also the term "weirdo" which is like a "friki".   For example, "He looks like a weirdo with those sunglasses and that crazy hair." 

Spanish speakers can also learn a fine point of English grammar from this song.   Notice (fíjate en) the words "Tigers know their stripes" which translates to Spanish as "Los tigres conocen sus rayas."   I have my theories about what they mean (ellos quieren decir) with this sentence (see my comments at the end) but the important thing for students is to realize (darse cuenta) that in English when we TALK ABOUT SOMETHING IN GENERAL we DON´T USE THE ARTICLE.  I would say, "I like pizza."  NOT "I like THE pizza."  This is not a big error, most people will understand you anyway (de todas formas), but for those of you who want to speak as correctly as possible, try to remember the rule.  

Finally, in the song you will find the term "to screw" which means "to have sex with" or the more vulgar "to fuck" (DANGER, OFFENSIVE TO MANY PEOPLE).   Nowadays saying "Screw you!" isn´t really too offensive.   A possible equivalent in Spanish would be: "Vete a la porra!" 

OK, here are the lyrics:

It´s All Right by Marlango 

Tigers know their stripes
Los tigres conocen sus rayas
Tigers know their game
Los tigres conocen su juego
But we are all so busy
 Pero todos estamos tan ocupados
Thinking people look at us
 Pensando que la gente nos mira
We miss the miracle in their eyes
Perdemos el milagro en sus ojos

And tigers also do a little act
Y los tigres también montan su numerito
When they know they are being checked out
Cuando se dan cuenta de que los están mirando
But you are not being studied
 Pero no te están observando
No, you are not being judged
 No, no te están juzgando
There is no BBC crew waiting for you to screw*
No hay nadie de la BBC esperando (a que les jodas/ a que les impresiones/a que les seduzcas)
(*this is a very ambiguous expression that could have numerous interpretations)

So come on and do your little dance
Así que venga, haz tu numerito
Do your little dance for me
Baila un poquito para mi
There's everything you need to do
Hay todo lo que necesitas para hacer
A little, little, little dance for me
Un pequeño, pequeño baile para mí**
(**I know you would probably never say this in Spanish but I want to show the literal meaning in English)


There is choreography in traffic jams
Hay coreografía en los atascos
A weird poetry in people walking by
Una poesía rara en la gente que camina/pasa andando
There is music in the streets
Hay música en las calles
And harmony in machines
Y armonía en las máquinas
There's every thing I need to do
 Hay todo lo que necesitas para hacer
A little dance for me
Un pequeño, pequeño baile para mí


So come on and do your little dance
Así que venga, haz tu numerito
Do your little dance for me
Baila un poquito para mi
There's everything you need to do
Hay todo lo que necesitas para hacer
A little, little, little dance for me
Un pequeño, pequeño baile para mí

And tigers also stop at traffic lights
Los tigres también se paran en los semáforos
Tigers know their game
Los tigres conocen su juego
But we are all so busy
 Pero todos estamos tan ocupados
Thinking people look at us
 Pensando que la gente nos mira
We miss the miracle in their eyes
Perdemos el milagro en sus ojos

So come on and do your little dance
Así que venga, haz tu numerito
Do your little dance for me
Baila un poquito para mi
There's everything you need to do
Hay todo lo que necesitas para hacer
A little, little, little dance for me
Un pequeño, pequeño baile para mí

There is choreography in traffic jams
Hay coreografía en los atascos
A weird poetry in people walking by
Una poesía rara en la gente caminando (por la calle)
There is music in the streets
Hay música en las calles
And harmony in machines
Y armonía en las máquinas
There's every thing I need to do
Hay todo lo que necesitas para hacer
A little dance for me
Un pequeño, pequeño baile para mí

So come on and do your little dance
Así que venga, haz tu numerito
Do your little dance for me
Baila un poquito para mi
There's everything you need to do
Hay tienes todo lo que necesitas para hacer
A little, little, little dance for me
Un pequeño, pequeño baile para mí

There is choreography in traffic jams
Hay coreografía en los atascos
A weird poetry in people walking by
Una poesía rara en la gente que camina
There is music in the streets
Hay música en las calles
And harmony in machines
Y armonía en las máquinas
There's every thing I need to do
Hay todo lo que necesitas para hacer
A little dance for me
Un pequeño, pequeño baile para mí


Song notes:
The main idea in this song is much more interesting to me than a lot of your standard pop songs.   There are a lot of songs about being cool (ser guay) or being in love.  This one is a little different. 

Speaking in front of a group is one of the most common fears people have.   It is more difficult than many people think to act naturally in front of a group or even in front of another person.   In fact (de hecho), "acting" and "being natural" are really opposites if you think of acting as playing a role (interpretando un papel) so (así que)  this is one of those phrases that some might call an oxymoron (an expression that seems to contradict itself). Anyway, this song is a good reminder to everyone that the more we worry about how we look to others the harder it is for us to truly appreciate the present moment.   So if we really want to "seize the day" (carpe diem/aprovecha el día/aprovecha el momento) we have to try to concentrate on the present moment and quit thinking about (dejar de pensar en) what people are thinking of us.   I know, it´s  easier said than done (más facil decirlo que hacerlo).

Ya Gotta Have FAITH = You Have Got to Have FAITH

Ya Gotta Have FAITH = You Have Got To Have Faith = Tienes que tener fe.

 This song is another great example of connected speech, spoken English as it is pronounced naturally.   "Ya gotta" is a very common expression which is really "You have got to" which is equivalent to "You have to"  or  "Tienes que" in Spanish.   One important thing to remember if you use the expressions "gotta"(got to), "hafta"(have to), "wanna"(want to), "gonna"(going to), etc.  is that you should NOT say "I´m gonna to go." 

Some other interesting vocabulary words and expressions you can learn from this song include:

I guess = creo que/supongo que.  "Guess"  is literally translated as "adivinar" or "acertar" but it is also used a lot as an introductory phrase when you are not 100% sure of something or are giving your opinion like in the example:  

"I guess you´re tired after such a hard day." 

Supongo que estás / creo que estás / estarás cansado después de un día tan duro. 

nice = agradable, bueno, atractivo, and many, many more.  It works describing people, objects, situations, etc., a nice car, a nice house, a nice song, a nice dress.

give away = regalar.   This does NOT mean to give someone a gift/present in the normal sense of a birthday, Christmas, etc.   It is used, for example, when you have something that you don´t want or need, like some old books, that you give away to friends or to a charity organization.   Another way "give away" is used is when businesses give away free gifts as a promotion.   These are two of the most common uses of "give away" but check your dictionary and you´ll find even more different meanings. 

can´t help + gerund = can´t stop myself from + gerund = no puedo evitar.  For example,  I can´t help feeling nervous before taking an exam. Here is one of the most famous songs that uses this expression.

 

Faith by George Michael

Well I guess it would be nice

Bueno, creo que sería un placer
If I could touch your body

Si yo pudiera tocar tu cuerpo,
I know not everybody

Yo sé que no todo el mundo
Has got a body like you, uhh

Tiene un cuerpo como el tuyo.  

 

But I've gotta think twice

Pero tengo que pensarlo muy bien
Before I give my heart away

Antes de darte mi corazón.
And I know all the games you play

Y conozco todos los juegos a los que juegas
Because I play them too

Porque los juego también. 

Oh but I

Ah pero yo
Need some time off from that emotion

Necesito un descanso de esa emoción
Time to pick my heart up off the floor

Tiempo para recoger mi corazón del suelo
Oh when that love comes down

Y cuando ese amor se viene abajo
Without devotion

Sin devoción.
Well it takes a strong man, baby

Bueno, esto requiere un hombre fuerte
But I'm showing you the door

Así que ahí tienes la puerta.  

 

'Cause I gotta have faith

Porque tengo que tener fe.
I gotta have faith

Tengo que tener fe.
Because I gotta have faith faith

Porque tengo que tener fe, fe, fe.
I gotta have faith, faith, faith

Tengo que tener fe, fe, fe.

 

Baby

Cariño
I know you're asking me to stay

Sé que me estás pidiendo que me quede.
Say please, please, please, don't go away

Dices, por favor, por favor, por favor, no te marches.
You say I'm giving you the blues

Tú dices que te pongo triste

 
Maybe

Quizás
You mean every word you say

Tú eres sincero con cada palabra que dices
Can't help but think of yesterday

No puedo evitar pensar en el ayer
And another who tied me down to the lover boy rules

Y otra que me ató a las reglas del chico enamorado

 

Before this river

Antes de que este río
Becomes an ocean

Se convierta en océano.
Before you throw my heart back on the floor

Antes de que tu vuelvas a tirar mi corazón al suelo
Oh baby I´d reconsider

Ah cariño yo reconsidería
My foolish notion

Mi idea absurda
Well I need someone to hold me

Bueno, necesito alguien que me abrace
But I´ll wait for something more

Pero esperaré hasta que encuentre algo mejor

Yes I´ve gotta have faith

Sí  tengo que tener fe.
Uhh, I gotta have faith

Uhh,  tengo que tener fe.
Because I gotta have faith faith, faith

Porque tengo que tener fe, fe, fe.
I gotta have faith, faith, faith

Tengo que tener fe, fe, fe.

Notes on this song:
The video starts with the church music because "faith" is usually a word that is closely associated with the church and religion.   Here, however, it is the idea of having faith that the future will be OK and that the person in the song shouldn´t just go with the first person they meet but instead (sino) wait and have faith that they will find a better partner (pareja)  in the future.    I think that a lot of people are in bad relationships because they decide to stay with someone not because that person is their soulmate (media naranja) but instead (sino) because they are afraid of being alone and not finding someone else.    Here is a good example of a pop song that actually has thoughtful lyrics if you take the time to listen and understand them.   Personally I like the fact that this song reminds me not to worry too much about the future.   I just need to think about the here and now and trust that the future will be OK.