Thursday, June 28, 2012

Si El Norte Fuera El Sur

There are some songs that are so poetic and profound that they are meant to be discussed in length, as is the song I am now going to post here and translate.  I hope you enjoy its lyrics and find it as truthful and poignant as I did.  Ricardo Arjona is of Guatemalian descent, a talented singer/song writer who writes about social injustices.  A former teacher and basketball player in his homeland.  He has been in the music scene since 1985; this song was released in 1996.
Si El Norte Fuera El Sur
(If the North Where the South)
Artist: Ricardo Arjona
Album: Si El Norte Fuera El Sur

El Norte, sus McDonald's, basketball y Rock n' Roll
[The North, with its McDonald's, basketball and Rock n' Roll]
Sus topless, sus Madonas y el abdomen de Stallone
[It's topless (bars), it's Madonnas and the abdomen of Stallone]
Intelectuales del bonceados, eruditos de supermercado
[Intellectuals of tanning, scholars of the supermarket]
Tienen todo pero nada han pagado
[Have everything but have paid for nothing]

Con 18 eres un niño para un trago en algún bar
[At 18, you are a child for a drink at any bar]
Pero ya eres todo un hmbre pa' la guerra y pa' matar
[But, you are already a grown man for war and to kill]
Viva Vietnam y que viva Forest Gump
[Long Live Vietnam and Long Live Forrest Gump]


Viva Wall Street y que viva Donald Trump
[Long Live Wall Street and Long Live Donald Trump]
Viva el Seven Eleven
[Long Live Seven Eleven]

Polvean sus nariz y usan jeringa en sus bolsillos
[Dust their nose and use syringes in their pockets]
Viajan con Marihuana para entender la situación
[They travel with Marijuana to understand the situation]
De este juez del planeta que lanza una invitación
[Of this judge of the planet which sent forth an invitation]
Cortar se lo a tú marido y ganarás reputación
[Cut it off your husband (as in Lorena Bobbit) and you will earn a reputation (become famous)]

Coro:
[Chorus]

Las barras y las estrellas se adueñan de mi bandera
[The stripes and stairs are overpowering my flag]

Y nuestra libertad no es otra cosa que una ramera
[And our liberty is nothing more than a whore]

Y si la deuda externa nos robo la primavera
[And if the external debt robbed us of our spring]

Al diablo la geographia se acabaron las fronteras
[To the Devil with geography, the borders are no more]

Si el Norte fuera el Sur, los Sioux los marginados, 
[If the North were the South, the Sioux would be the ones marginalized,]


ser moreno y chaparrito sería el look mas cotizado.
[being brown (mixed) and short would be the look most desired]


Marco sería el Rambo Mexicano y Cindy Crawford la Menchú de mis paisanos, 
[(Subcommander) Mark (Leader of the Zapatista Movement) would be the Mexican Rambo and Cindy Crawford the (Rigoberta) Menchú (Activist) of my countrymen]


Reagan sería Somosa.
[(Ronald) Reagan would be (Anastasio) Somosa (Marxist)]


Fidel sería una atleta corriendo bolsas por Wall Street.
[Fidel (Castro) would be an athlete running bags for Wall Street]
Y el Ché hara hamburguesas al estilo Double Meat.
[And Che (Guevarra) (Revolutionary Rebel) would be flipping hamburgers to the order of Double Meat]
Los yankees de mojados a Tijuana.
[The yankees (Americans) wetbacks to Tijuana]
Y las balsas de Miami a la Habana, si el Norte fuera el Sur.
[The floats from Miami to Havana, if the North were the South]

Seríamos igual o tal vez un poco peor
[We would be the same or perhaps a little worst off]
Con las Malvinas por Groenlandia
[The Falkland Islands by Greenland]
Y en Guatemala un Disneylandia
[And in Guatemala a Disneyland]
Y un Simón Bolivar rompiendo su secreto
[And a Simon Bolivar breaking his secret]
Ah les va el 187, fuera a los yankees por decreto
[Oh, there goes the 187, outcast the yankees (Americans) by decree]
Coro:  2 X
[Chorus] 2 X

Si el Norte fuera el Sur, sería la misma porqueria
[If the North were the South, it would be the same rubbish]
Yo cantaria un Rap y esta canción no existiría.
[I would be singing Rap and this song would not exist]

Once again, thank you Wikipedia for information on these comparisons; www.musica.com/letras.asp?letra-93672 for the lyrics; Google Translate for help with the translations; Yours Truly for translating the song to English; and Ricardo Arjona for this inspiring creation.

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