LINER NOTES: Just me. The house band's on a gig at the Royal Fat Albert Hall, so I thought I would play you some old songs I love. These are my (very very very loose but emotionally and musically accurate) English-language tranlations of a few songs by the Spanish pop group Mecano- my admiration for which I've previously stated plenty. These lyrics are then best credited to J.M. Cano, I. Cano, and H. Castro.
NO FUN (EL CLUB DE LOS HUMILDES)
I'll pay you for the window pane
Just keep me from this hurricane
And would you kindly ignore the time I went insane
And thought I wanted to be one against the wind?
What can one conclude?
I went and understood
It's no fun to make it without you
- To check my weather when I'm weak
And cure my nonsense when you speak
And when I feel this humbled ship begins to leak
I'll wave a flag for you, so send your boat to me
What can one assume?
I guess I'll make you room
It's no fun to make it without you
And if I act like dirt again
If I relapse and flirt again
Feel free to smack me twice and wash my mouth with rain
So that I realize and come the hell back in
What can one conclude?
I went and understood
It's no fun to make it without you
FUTUREWORLD
Why don't we rent a room
Away from this sonic boom
Put on your best perfume
And I will text you what to do next
Send me your fax
Full of sex
Out from the solar glow
Into the net we go
And on the virtual show
You're going to learn the best way to dance
Some techno-waltz
Flamenco-trance
And nothing changes and we're dreamers on and on
I'm planting flowers on this artificial lawn
You're sending kisses through your robo-phone
Buying tons of ice cream for our second clone
Nothing changes and we're dreamers on and on
Went to the condom shop
Got one with zoom and pop
Twirls with vibrating pearls
Has a GPS to the G-Spot
And gets you a discount with all the girls
And nothing changes and we're dreamers on and on
I'm planting flowers on this artificial lawn
You're sending kisses through your robo-phone
Buying tons of ice cream for our second clone
Nothing changes and we're dreamers on and on
I FIND IT HARD TO FORGET IT
Between Heaven and Hell so scalding
There is someone slightly balding
From
Thinking of your face
And that someone who tried to beat your
Big premiere with my double feature
Loves
Tragical displays
This radio single is a jingle for an ad
The hidden track is devastated
It could use another edit
I find it hard to forget it
I find it hard to...
Find it hard just to find my beer
Raise a glass to the bright idea
Of
Giving up on you
Giving up on your daily splendor
For the wisdom of this bartender:
"Chicks!
Whatcha gonna do?"
But it was me who set you free and let you out
It was always me I hated
It was me who ruined my credit
I find it hard to forget it
But I know that all things equal
We should never have a sequel
Yes, I know we can't reset it
And I try not to regret it
I find it hard to forget it
I find it hard to forget it
PAWN TO BLACK KING
I came out black and short with a big head
No need to guess:
A black pawn in chess
I'm daring, tenacious and adhering to the rules
I played by those pale fools
And made it as pawn to the black king
-But I was still a pawn
Holding a lamp on the lawn
And I'm a boyfriend to the killing,
Blood spilling,
Courageous mercenary
Better kill Whitey or face submission
That's our mission,
Our fight is legendary
(See, the thing is that our Lord, with his sword
Wants to tangle with that Rook
And the Queen is open minded, or blinded,
And the Bishop loves to look.
Up in their towers and high horses
With all their armored tanks and forces
Someone should give them the hook)
And I'm a boyfriend to the killing,
Blood spilling,
Courageous mercenary
Better kill Whitey or face submission
That's our mission,
Our fight is legendary
But should I fall during the struggle
No need to cry, this isn't Boggle;
Back in the box with all the pieces
The White Queen knows that this boy pleases,
After this game we all roll to that place
Where there's nothing like hatred or race.
THE 7th OF SEPTEMBER
They wouldn't have guessed
But even long after we messed
With too much conversation
We never break the vow
To make it every year, right here,
For our celebration
The same little corner
Where we used to get undressed
The same anticipation
- You should call ahead
Make sure that they've kept our reservation
And even though you're better as a friend
And we both know we had to let it end
Every year when we two come around
There are flames that even seas can't drown
With time I suppose
The lips that now are filled with rose
And prepped for this occasion
Will be thin and dry
Your hair look like a sky
So grey- and I'll be charged with tax evasion
We'll try to make fun
Out of the stupid and the young
The latest sad invasion
- And worry about the way things die
But not this celebration
The Seventh of September is
(It's our celebration)
Talk abour our husbands, wives, our kids, our boring situation
The Seventh of September is
(It's our celebration)
And we don't kiss in case we miss that old-time fascination
LAIKA
She was Russian and her name was Laika
She was just a normal doggie-girl
Quite an animated little animal
Then she was a star to the world
When they locked her up inside a cabin
She was so surprised she had to bark:
"Maybe I'll rather not become an astronaut
Let's go back to walking in the park."
Rocket men were waiting for a signal
No one said a word inside the base
Sudden came the sound that they had prayed for:
Just a yelp they swore went on for days.
There was peace for once back in the planet
Laughing, kissing, popping of champagne
Meanwhile Laika's heart was beating quickly
As she pressed her nose against the pane
"Why am I here floating in the darkness?
What is that fantastic little ball?
Wait until I tell this to the person
Who will gently catch me when I fall"
On the telescope, there's something shining
Some sort of mysterious satellite
Chasing at the sun if it's by daylight
Howling at the moon if it's at night
That's the legend just the way I heard it
I confess it makes me want to cry
Why would people kill a star among us
Just to put another in the sky?
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