Spanish Song of the Week

The last two weeks have been so crazy at work. Crazy. I've got a new modular class (less than 3 credits so its taught on a modified semester schedule) that I am teaching that started this week. It is an experimental class with all different English proficiency levels and each student gets individualized instruction.

And do you know how many students I have? 22. Ay Dios Mio! This will be an interesting rest of the semester! Right now I am so exhausted I can barely type or put together an intelligible sentence so I will post something I was working on last week, my new favorite video that Paul came across surfing around YouTube:

"Ya No Se Que Hacer Conmigo" by Cuarteto de Nos

I can't stop watching this video. When it gets to the end I just push play again and get mesmerized watching all of the new Spanish words whizzing across the screen. I get so excited when I find a new Spanish speaking group to listen to. Well, I suppose technically El Cuarteto de Nos is not exactly new. The Uruguyan quartet has been performing together nearly as long as I have been alive, but they are new to me and I love them. If you like this video they have another inventive video, "Yendo la casa de Damian," that you can find on YouTube too.


For all of your Spanish speakers or learners, here are the lyrics and my attempt at translation into English. This is a great video if you are learning because all of the words are displayed in the background so you have multi-sensory input for your learning.
*I am not finished with my translation yet, but I'll do an update hopefully later this week.

"Ya no se que hacer conmigo”

Ya tuve que ir obligado a misa
ya toqué en el piano “Para Elisa”
ya aprendí a falsear mi sonrisa
ya caminé por la cornisa
ya cambié de lugar mi cama
ya hice comedia ya hice drama
fui concreto y me fui por las ramas
ya me hice el bueno y tuve mala fama
ya fui ético y fui errático
ya fui escéptico y fui fanático
ya fui abúlico fui metódico
ya fui púdico fui caótico
ya leí Arthur Conan Doyle
ya me pasé de nafta a gasoil
ya leí a Bretón y a Mollier
ya dormí en colchón y en sommier
ya me cambié el pelo de color
ya estuve en contra y estuve a favor
lo que me daba placer ahora me da dolor
ya estuve del otro lado del mostrador

Chorus

Y oigo una voz que dice sin razón
vos siempre cambiando ya no cambias más
y yo estoy cada vez más igual
ya no sé que hacer conmigo
ya planté café en Nicaragua
ya me fuí a probar suerte a USA
ya jugué a la ruleta rusa
ya creí en los marcianos
ya fui ovolacto, vegetariano, sano
fui quieto y fui gitano
ya estuve tranqui, estuve hasta las manos
hice el curso de mitología pero de mi los dioses se reían
orfedrería la salvé raspando
y ritmología aquí la estoy aplicando
ya probé, ya fumé, ya tomé, ya dejé
ya fimé, ya viajé, ya pegué, ya sufrí, ya eludí
ya huí, ya asumí, ya me fui, ya volvi, ya fingí, ya mentí
y entre tantas falsedades
muchas de mis mentiras ya son verdades
hice fácil las adversidades
y me compliqué en las mil edades

Y oigo una voz que dice con razón
vos siempre cambiando ya no cambias más
y yo estoy cada vez más igual
ya no sé que hacer conmigo

Ya me hice un lifting, me puse un piercing
fui a ver al Dream Team y no hubo feeling
me tatué al Che en una nalga
arriba de mami para que no se salga
ya me reí y me importa un bledo
de cosas y gente que ahora me dan miedo
ayuné por causas al pedo
ya me empaché con pollo al spiedo
ya fui al sicólogo, fui al teólogo
fui al astrólogo, fui al enólogo
ya fui alcohólico y fui lambeta
ya fui anónimo y ya hice dieta
ya lancé piedras y escupitajos
al lugar donde ahora trabajo
y mi legajo cuenta el estrajo
que me porté bien y que armé relajo.

Y oigo una voz que dice sin razón
vos siempre cambiando ya no cambias más
y yo estoy cada vez más igual
ya no sé que hacer conmigo

Y oigo una voz que dice con razón
vos siempre cambiando ya no cambias más
y yo estoy cada vez más igual
ya no sé que hacer conmigo

Jessica's English Translation
I already went to mass out of obligation
I already played "Para Elisa" on the piano
I already learned to fake a smile
I already walked through the cornice I already changed the location of my bed I did comedy, I did drama I've already been clear and I've beat around the bush
I've pretended to be good and had a bad reputation
I've been ethical and erratic
I was skeptical and fanatical
I was apathetic and methodical
I was modest and chaotic
I already read Arthur Conan Doyle
And I passed the NAFTA gas oil
I already read Breton and Mollier
I already slept on a cushion and on a sommier (not sure about this word - might be French?)
I already changed my hair color
I was already against and already for
What used to give me pleasure now only gives me pain
I was already on the other side of the counter

Chorus
And I hear a voice that says without reason
You're always changing yourself, don't change anymore
And every time I'm just more the same
I don't know what to do with myself

I already drowned in a glass of water
I planted coffee in Nicaragua
I already went to try my luck in the USA
And already played Russian Roulette
I already believed in martians
I was a vegan, vegetarian, healthy not sure on this one either, do we have a word ovolacto?
I was quiet and I was a gypsy
I was calm and I was manic
I took a mythology course but the gods laughed at me
_________________________
___________________
I already experimented, smoked, drank and quit
I already signed, traveled, hit, suffered, eluded
I ran away, I assumed, I went away, I came back, I pretended and lied
And among so many falsehoods
Many of my lies are still true
I made easy

***To Be Continued