Lyr Add: Clavelitos (perhaps)

Subject: Clavelitos (perhaps)
From: Watson
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 03:00 PM

The thread about Spanish lyrics sites reminded me of this one. I heard Sean Cannon of the Dubliners sing it. I found a set of lyrics somewhere - can't remember where, and altered them until they sounded something like the way he sang them.
The thing is, my holiday Spanish isn't good enough to know whether this is right, and if by chance some of it makes sense, what it all means.

I would be grateful for any corrections or translations. I assume it is traditional, but I don't know.

CLAVELITOS

Mocita, dame el clavel,
Dame el clavel de tu boca,
Para eso no hay que tener
Mucha vergüenza ni poca.
Yo te daré un cascabel,
Te lo prometo mocita,
Si tú me das esa miel
Que llevas en la boquita.

Clavelitos, clavelitos,
Clavelitos de mi corazón,
Yo te traigo clavelitos,
Colorados igual que un fresón.
Si algún día clavelitos
No logrará poderte traer,
No te creas que ya no te quiero,
Es que no te los pude coger.

La otra noche a media luz
Vi tu boquita de guinda,
Yo no he visto en Santa Cruz
Otra boquita más linda.
Y luego al ver el clavel
Que llevabas en el pelo,
Mirándolo creí ver
Un pedacito del cielo.

Clavelitos, clavelitos,
Clavelitos de mi corazón,
Yo te traigo clavelitos,
Colorados igual que un fresón.
Si algún día clavelitos
No logrará poderte traer,
No te creas que ya no te quiero,
Es que no te los pude coger.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Clavelitos (perhaps)
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 03:40 PM

Make your own comparison here : Clavelitos

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Clavelitos (perhaps)
From: Watson
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 03:42 PM

Not far off, allowing for the differences in Mr. Cannon's rendition and my limited knowledge, but what does it all mean?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Clavelitos (perhaps)
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 04:18 PM

Mocita, the pink lady, woman with the pink lips (clavel is the flower, pinks). Can't help. I have asked Escamillo to look at it. If you go to Google, enter Clavelitos, you will find a number of sites with the song in Spanish. Click on "translate this page," and look at the nonsense that comes up. Great fun! (or just frustrating). One site that came up on the first page of hits has the chords.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Clavelitos (perhaps)
From: Watson
Date: 28 Apr 02 - 04:39 PM

Thanks Dicho,
One of the sites Google finds translates som of the words - mainly the ones I can manage by myself.
I'd already tried Babelfish for a translation - I don't think I'll sing it that way!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Clavelitos (perhaps)
From: Escamillo
Date: 29 Apr 02 - 12:22 AM

Mocita dame el clavel, / Maiden, give me the pink
Dame el clavel de tu boca, / Give me the pink of your lips
Que pá eso no hay que tener / For that you don't have to feel
Mucha vergüenza ni poca. / Embarrassment more or less.
Yo te daré el cascabel, / I'll give you the jingle bell
Te lo prometo mocita, /Maiden, I promess
Si tu me das esa miel /if you give me the honey
Que llevas en la boquita. /you carry in your little mouth

Estribillo: Clavelitos, clavelitos, / Pinks, pinks
Clavelitos de mi corazón. / Pinks of my heart
Hoy te traigo clavelitos / Today I bring pinks to you
Colorados igual que un fresón./ as red as a strawberry
Si algún día clavelitos / If one day pinks
No lograra poderte traer, / I failed to bring to you
No te creas que ya no te quiero,/ don't beleive I don't love you
Es que no te los pude traer. / It's just I could not get them

La tarde que a media luz / The evening when in the dimness
Vi tu boquita de guinda, / I saw your cherry lips
Yo no he visto en Sta. Cruz / I've never in Santa Cruz
Otra mocita más linda. / seen a maiden more beautiful
Y luego al ver el clavel / And when I saw the pink
Que llevabas en el pelo, / that you wore in your hair>br> Mirándolo creí ver / looking at it I believed
Un pedacito de cielo. / it was a piece of the Heaven

Hope this helps, it doesn't keep rythm but shows the meaning of the words.

Un abrazo - Andrés

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Clavelitos (perhaps)
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Apr 02 - 02:33 PM

Many thanks, Escamillo!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Clavelitos (perhaps)
From: Watson
Date: 01 May 02 - 05:11 AM

Yes, thank you very much Escamillo, that's a great help, although I must say it's a much prettier song in Spanish!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Clavelitos (perhaps)
From: Escamillo
Date: 01 May 02 - 05:48 AM

Once again it can be seen that vowels, consonants, the intrinsec rythm of the spoken word, along with the music, is so important, that a naive lyrics, when analyzed in its meaning, reveals that the lyrics is just that: naive. :) And when sung in its original language, it shows its beauty.

That's why I always resisted to sing translated lyrics. (Though I know this is not the intention here).It is impossible to express the same. For example, there is an emblematic song, "Aurora", a song for the national flag, which is overwhelmingly beautiful. Its author was an Argentinean composer who lived in Italy, and created the song as an aria of the second act of his opera Aurora, in Italian of course. 90 years later, bright minds are still discussing about its translation which we all have learnt in elementary school, because it still sounds awful.

Un abrazo - Andrés