"Corre Lola Corre" by Ojos de Brujo, English translation of lyrics
"Run, Lola, Run"
Album: Techari, 2007
Style: Reggae and flamenco fusion, storytelling
Country: Spain
Listen:
This is a song about a runaway seeking to escape to a better life. She's poor, and at times hopeless, but she doesn't give up. She still runs. Listen at YouTube here.
[Expand embedded video]
Unrelated, I recently found out that United States movie theaters will be showing the new Cantinflas movie, coming August 29. Watch the trailer! Mario Moreno (stage name: Cantinflas) was a witty, wildly popular, and prolific Mexican comedian actor. Cantinflas was one of those big names that anyone who pretends to know anything about Latin American film or just general comedy history should know. The movie will be in Spanish with English subtitles, so for all of you learning Spanish and seeking greater exposure to Spanish-language media, this is a great opportunity.
[See the Cantinflas trailer]
Translation:
Historias de perdedores
Siempre ha habido y siempre habrá.
Historias de almas gemelas
Valientes ante el azar.
Stories of losers
There have always been, and there always will be.
Stories of twin souls
Brave in the face of fate.
Historias de perdedoras
Siempre ha habido y siempre habrá.
Historias de almas que vuelan
De esta cruda realidad.
Stories of losers
There have always been, and there always will be.
Stories of souls that fly
From this harsh reality.
-Coda-
----------------------------------------
Corre, Lola, corre.
Corre alto y vuela,
Lejos de estas calles
Donde reparten miseria.
Run, Lola, run.
Run high and fly,
Far away from these streets
Where they distribute misery.
Corre, Lola, corre.
Corre alto y vuela,
Lejos de este infierno
Que te va a llevar a la trena.
Run, Lola, run.
Run high and fly,
Far away from this hell
That will imprison you.
¡Corre, Lola, corre!
Run, Lola, run!
----------------------------------------
Deambulando por la calle
Sin nada en los bolsillos.
Nada que ganar, todo que perder,
Sabiendo que te has ido.
Wandering the streets
With nothing in your pockets.
Nothing to gain, everything to lose,
Knowing you've gone.
Ay, ¿qué espero yo de un mundo
Donde vales lo que tienes
Y tú no tienes ná' de ná' [nada]?
Oh, what can I hope for from a world
Where you are worth what you have
And you don't have anything, anything?
Desesperá' [desesperada] por la calle,
Buscando una salida
Donde poder escapar
Miradas por las esquinas.
Desperate on the street,
Looking for a way out
To be able to escape
Eyes from the street corners.
Mientras lucen aparentes,
Mente en blanco,
Y solamente tú buscando un trago más.
While they seem to shine,
(It's another) blank mind,
And it's only you looking for another drink.
Y ésta es la vida que dice,
La vida que empuja, empuja.
(x3)
And this is life that's speaking,
It's life that's pushing, pushing.
(x3)
Y ésta es la vida que empuja,
Empuja, empuja, empuja.
And this is life that's pushing,
Pushing, pushing, pushing.
Yo no tengo más,
Mira, que este corazón.
I don't have anything more,
See, than this heart.
Guardo la distancia, ay, entre tú y yo.
Ni pena ni gloria,
Si esto es una noria. [*idiomatic]
Cariño sincero, añejo sabe mejor.
I keep the distance, oh, between you and me.
Neither sorrow nor glory,
Because this is a roller-coaster.
True love tastes better aged.
Que yo ya no quiero ná más ná [nada],
Que yo ya lo tengo tó' [todo].
For I no longer want anything, anything,
Because I now have everything.
Guardo tu recuerdo.
Tengo tu calor.
I keep your memory.
I have your warmth.
Ni pena ni gloria,
Si esto es una noria.
Corre, Lola, libre,
Así es como te quiero yo.
Neither sorrow nor glory,
Because this is a roller-coaster.
Run, Lola, free,
That's how I want you (to be).
Es la vida la que empuja y la que aprieta,
Quien conoce el camino de vuelta.
Es la vida la que empuja y la que aprieta.
It's life that pushes and presses,
That knows the way back.
It's life that pushes and presses.
[Repeat from coda]
Translation Notes:
Historias de perdedores/perdedoras [*masculine/feminine]
Stories of losers
Note that the gender changes through the song from the general (masculine) to the feminine.
---
la cruda realidad
the harsh/grim/cold/cruel reality
This is an expression.
---
Deambulando por la calle sin nada en los bolsillos.
Wandering the streets with nothing in your pockets.
Wandering the streets without anything in your pockets. [*alt.]
In case you are confused about the word sin (without) in this line:
In Spanish, nada is usually either "nothing" or (negated) "anything." Here, sin nada can be either "without anything" or "with nothing."
---
Y tú no tienes ná' de ná' [nada]?
And you don't have anything, anything?
Here, nada de nada [*lit. nothing of nothing] is idiomatic, emphasizing that the song's character has nothing in all categories of "having." The wording comes from other phrases, like nada de/que comer [*lit. nothing to eat], nada de/que tomar [*lit. nothing to drink].
---
Buscando una salida donde poder escapar / miradas por las esquinas.
Looking for a way out to be able to escape / eyes from the street corners
Looking for an exit through which to escape / eyes from the street corners [*alt.]
Word-for-word literal for the first part:
[Buscando] {una salida} //donde// [poder] [[escapar]]
[Seeking] {an exit} //where// [to be able] [[to escape]]
In the second line, las esquinas [*lit. the corners] commonly refers to street corners.
---
Mientras lucen aparentes, mente en blanco,
Y solamente tú buscando un trago más.
While they seem to shine, (it's another) blank mind,
And (it's) only you looking for another drink.
This stanza is referring to the judgement of people who see her on the street. They see her, but they don't think too much about it, and just assume she has an addiction. Ojos de Brujo is alluding to the social psychology idea of a "just world", which describes the assumption that the world is a just place and that therefore people's circumstances are their own doing. The assumption is false, but has consequences for what people think about, for example, homelessness, crimes with victims, and upward social mobility (which is actually really slow).
---
Cariño sincero, añejo sabe mejor.
True love tastes better aged.
True love, aged, tastes better. [*lit. syntax]
The more common term for "true love" is amor verdadero. The term cariño sincero means something very similar, but is literally "sincere affection."
The adjective añejo (aged) is usually a term used when speaking of aged wine, tequila, whiskey, cheese, etc. It has positive connotations.
Album: Techari, 2007
Style: Reggae and flamenco fusion, storytelling
Country: Spain
Listen:
This is a song about a runaway seeking to escape to a better life. She's poor, and at times hopeless, but she doesn't give up. She still runs. Listen at YouTube here.
[Expand embedded video]
Unrelated, I recently found out that United States movie theaters will be showing the new Cantinflas movie, coming August 29. Watch the trailer! Mario Moreno (stage name: Cantinflas) was a witty, wildly popular, and prolific Mexican comedian actor. Cantinflas was one of those big names that anyone who pretends to know anything about Latin American film or just general comedy history should know. The movie will be in Spanish with English subtitles, so for all of you learning Spanish and seeking greater exposure to Spanish-language media, this is a great opportunity.
[See the Cantinflas trailer]
Translation:
Historias de perdedores
Siempre ha habido y siempre habrá.
Historias de almas gemelas
Valientes ante el azar.
Stories of losers
There have always been, and there always will be.
Stories of twin souls
Brave in the face of fate.
Historias de perdedoras
Siempre ha habido y siempre habrá.
Historias de almas que vuelan
De esta cruda realidad.
Stories of losers
There have always been, and there always will be.
Stories of souls that fly
From this harsh reality.
-Coda-
----------------------------------------
Corre, Lola, corre.
Corre alto y vuela,
Lejos de estas calles
Donde reparten miseria.
Run, Lola, run.
Run high and fly,
Far away from these streets
Where they distribute misery.
Corre, Lola, corre.
Corre alto y vuela,
Lejos de este infierno
Que te va a llevar a la trena.
Run, Lola, run.
Run high and fly,
Far away from this hell
That will imprison you.
¡Corre, Lola, corre!
Run, Lola, run!
----------------------------------------
Deambulando por la calle
Sin nada en los bolsillos.
Nada que ganar, todo que perder,
Sabiendo que te has ido.
Wandering the streets
With nothing in your pockets.
Nothing to gain, everything to lose,
Knowing you've gone.
Ay, ¿qué espero yo de un mundo
Donde vales lo que tienes
Y tú no tienes ná' de ná' [nada]?
Oh, what can I hope for from a world
Where you are worth what you have
And you don't have anything, anything?
Desesperá' [desesperada] por la calle,
Buscando una salida
Donde poder escapar
Miradas por las esquinas.
Desperate on the street,
Looking for a way out
To be able to escape
Eyes from the street corners.
Mientras lucen aparentes,
Mente en blanco,
Y solamente tú buscando un trago más.
While they seem to shine,
(It's another) blank mind,
And it's only you looking for another drink.
Y ésta es la vida que dice,
La vida que empuja, empuja.
(x3)
And this is life that's speaking,
It's life that's pushing, pushing.
(x3)
Y ésta es la vida que empuja,
Empuja, empuja, empuja.
And this is life that's pushing,
Pushing, pushing, pushing.
Yo no tengo más,
Mira, que este corazón.
I don't have anything more,
See, than this heart.
Guardo la distancia, ay, entre tú y yo.
Ni pena ni gloria,
Si esto es una noria. [*idiomatic]
Cariño sincero, añejo sabe mejor.
I keep the distance, oh, between you and me.
Neither sorrow nor glory,
Because this is a roller-coaster.
True love tastes better aged.
Que yo ya no quiero ná más ná [nada],
Que yo ya lo tengo tó' [todo].
For I no longer want anything, anything,
Because I now have everything.
Guardo tu recuerdo.
Tengo tu calor.
I keep your memory.
I have your warmth.
Ni pena ni gloria,
Si esto es una noria.
Corre, Lola, libre,
Así es como te quiero yo.
Neither sorrow nor glory,
Because this is a roller-coaster.
Run, Lola, free,
That's how I want you (to be).
Es la vida la que empuja y la que aprieta,
Quien conoce el camino de vuelta.
Es la vida la que empuja y la que aprieta.
It's life that pushes and presses,
That knows the way back.
It's life that pushes and presses.
[Repeat from coda]
Translation Notes:
Historias de perdedores/perdedoras [*masculine/feminine]
Stories of losers
Note that the gender changes through the song from the general (masculine) to the feminine.
---
la cruda realidad
the harsh/grim/cold/cruel reality
This is an expression.
---
Deambulando por la calle sin nada en los bolsillos.
Wandering the streets with nothing in your pockets.
Wandering the streets without anything in your pockets. [*alt.]
In case you are confused about the word sin (without) in this line:
In Spanish, nada is usually either "nothing" or (negated) "anything." Here, sin nada can be either "without anything" or "with nothing."
---
Y tú no tienes ná' de ná' [nada]?
And you don't have anything, anything?
Here, nada de nada [*lit. nothing of nothing] is idiomatic, emphasizing that the song's character has nothing in all categories of "having." The wording comes from other phrases, like nada de/que comer [*lit. nothing to eat], nada de/que tomar [*lit. nothing to drink].
---
Buscando una salida donde poder escapar / miradas por las esquinas.
Looking for a way out to be able to escape / eyes from the street corners
Looking for an exit through which to escape / eyes from the street corners [*alt.]
Word-for-word literal for the first part:
[Buscando] {una salida} //donde// [poder] [[escapar]]
[Seeking] {an exit} //where// [to be able] [[to escape]]
In the second line, las esquinas [*lit. the corners] commonly refers to street corners.
---
Mientras lucen aparentes, mente en blanco,
Y solamente tú buscando un trago más.
While they seem to shine, (it's another) blank mind,
And (it's) only you looking for another drink.
This stanza is referring to the judgement of people who see her on the street. They see her, but they don't think too much about it, and just assume she has an addiction. Ojos de Brujo is alluding to the social psychology idea of a "just world", which describes the assumption that the world is a just place and that therefore people's circumstances are their own doing. The assumption is false, but has consequences for what people think about, for example, homelessness, crimes with victims, and upward social mobility (which is actually really slow).
---
Cariño sincero, añejo sabe mejor.
True love tastes better aged.
True love, aged, tastes better. [*lit. syntax]
The more common term for "true love" is amor verdadero. The term cariño sincero means something very similar, but is literally "sincere affection."
The adjective añejo (aged) is usually a term used when speaking of aged wine, tequila, whiskey, cheese, etc. It has positive connotations.