Seikilos

It’s a common belief that the earliest Western music sheet we have is that of the Seikilos epitaph, a Greek grave stele from the first century AD. It’s a drinking song (skolion), written by Seikilos for her wife Euterpe, preceded by the following text:

I am an image in stone. Seikilos put me here, where I am forever, the symbol of eternal remembrance.


And the song itself is a melancholic melody on these words:

Shine, as long as you live;
do not be sad.
Cause life is surely too short,
and time demands its toll.

You can find a version of the same song arranged by me in the music section.

The stele was found in 1883 in Aydin, Turkey, and lost during the Asia Minor Holocaust (1922). Later it was found again, broken in its base: the woman who had it used …


Don’t give up

Traducción: (por Leandro Fanzone)

 

In this proud land we grew up strong
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail
No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I’ve changed my face, I’ve changed my name
But no one wants you when you loseDon’t give up
’cos you have friends
Don’t give up
You’re not beaten yet
Don’t give up
I know you can make it goodThough I saw it all around
Never thought I could be affected
Thought that we’d be the last to go
It is so strange the way things turn

Drove the night toward my home
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
The trees had burned down to the ground

Don’t give


No Surprises (“Sin Sorpresas”)

Traducción: (por Nicolás Rebelo)

A heart that’s full up like a landfill,
a job that slowly kills you,
bruises that won’t heal.
You look so tired-unhappy,
bring down the government,
they don’t, they don’t speak for us.
I’ll take a quiet life,
a handshake of carbon monoxide,
with no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
Silent silence.This is my final fit,
my final bellyache,

with no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises please.

Such a pretty house
and such a pretty garden.

No alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises,
no alarms and no surprises please.

Un corazón lleno como un vaciadero de basura,
un trabajo que mata lentamente,
contusiones que no se curan.
Te ves tan cansado e infeliz,
derroquemos al gobierno,
ellos no, no hablan

Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis

Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis – Tarjeta navideña de una prostituta en Minneapolis

Traducción: (por Leandro Fanzone)

 

hey charlie i’m pregnant
and living on the 9th street
right above a dirty bookstore
off euclid avenue
and i stopped takin dope
and i quit drinkin whiskey
and my old man plays the trombone
and works out at the track
and he says that he loves me
even though its not his baby
and he says that he’ll raise him up
like he would his own son
and he gave me a ring
that was worn by his mother
and he takes me out dancin
every saturday night.and hey charlie i think about you
everytime i pass a fillin station
on account of all the grease
you used to wear in your hair
and i still have that record
of little anthony & the imperials

Common People – Gente Común

Traducción: (por Leandro Fanzone)

 

She came from Greece she had a thirst for knowledge
She studied sculpture at St Martin’s college
That’s where I….
Caught her eye
She told me that her Dad was loaded
I said “In that case I’ll have rum and coca-cola.”
She said “Fine,”…..
And then in thirty seconds time she said”I want to live like common people
I want to do whatever common people do
I want to sleep with common people
I want to sleep with common people like you.”

Oh what else could I do?
I said “I’ll see what I can do.”

I took her to a supermarket
I don’t know why, but I had to start it somewhere
So it started …. there
I said “Pretend you’ve got no money.”
But she just laughed an said “Oh you’re so funny.”
I said “Yeah?
Well I can’t


Masters of War – Señores de la Guerra

Traducción: (por Leandro Fanzone)

 

Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks
You that never done nothin’
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets flyLike Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set