“Todo Tiende” by Ojos de Brujo, English translation of lyrics

“Todo Tiende”
Album: Techarí (Free), 2006
Style: Fast-paced flamenco/hip hop.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Mendigando eternidades,
Mendigos piden a mendigos
Lo que no tienen ni pueden darse.

Panhandling eternities,
Vagrants ask vagrants
For what they do not have nor can give each other.

Traspasar los siete mares,
Espejismo tatuado,
Laberinto de conciencia y nacen cantes.

Crossing the seven seas,
Tattooed mirage,
Labyrinth of conscience, and cantos are born. [*cantos = the sections of a long poem]

Ser errante,
Bandolero de galaxias y fronteras infinitas.
¡Cuanto viaje!
¡Cuanto viaje!

To be errant,
Bandit of the galaxies and infinite borders.
How much travel!
How much travel!

Dueleleré duelelakínlakínderé
Duelelakín duelelakínda duelelakínderé
Duelelelakínda duelelakínlakínderé.
Ay ay
(x2)

[No translation – it’s not Spanish]

Coge las riendas al vuelo, aspira, mira,
Tira desde ras del suelo lo que divida,
Corazón que palpite, sangre que se agite
Y quite mierda que te impida movimiento y movida.

Take the reigns of the change, aspire, look,
Strip from ground level that which divides,
Heart that pulses, blood that will be excited (agitated)
And get rid of shit that inhibits your movement and your moving.

Temperamento que crezca por dentro
Intenso y lento como fuego ardiendo
Al cien por ciento mente en blanco, puño al viento
Siéntelo como lo mueve, navegando, zig zag sentimientos.
Elementos desatan momentos aquí y así, para más intentos.

Temperament that grows from the inside
Intense and slowly like blazing fire
Blank mind at one hundred percent, fist to the wind, [*alt. At one hundred percent, blank mind, fist to the wind]
Feel (it) how it moves it, navigating, zig zag feelings.
Elements untie moments here and like this, for more attempts.

Falta esperanza.
¡Avanza!
A pasos de gigante más guerra que avanza.

Hope is absent. [*alt. Hope is lacking.]
Advance!
At the pace of giants, more war advances.

El mundo está loco, elijo hablar y grito.
¡Levanta! ¡Levanta!
Quien no sabe el principio del final,
Cristales rotos cada mañana,
Gritos y ritos, causas, efectos, efectos y causas
Siempre tiende-ende-ende, todo tiende-ende entiéndeme!

The world is crazy, I elect to speak and I yell.
Rise up! Rise up!
Who does not know the beginning of the end,
Broken crystals every morning,
Yells and rites, causes, effects, effects and causes
Always tend-end-end, everything spreads-eds understand me!

Pal lo que más nos pesa-esa o es lo que más nos duele-ele
Algo tiende-ende ay! Siempre tiende.
Veinte gramos pesan más que toda mi suerte.

For what weighs on us the most-ost oh is what pains us most-ost
Something lays there, always lays.
Twenty grams weigh more than all my luck.

Música lanzando llamas recuerda miseria mordiendo tajante
Aleja la hoguera, la rabia, el impacto, la gloria por unos instantes.
Pulmones cansados recogen oxígeno, vida, revelan talante,
Mutantes, elásticos, tácticos, críticos, prosicosónicos, bruto diamante aquí.

Music shooting flames remember misery hacking a bite
Move the stake away, the fury, the impact, the glory of a few instances.
Tired lungs pick up oxygen, life, reveal a mood (a will),
Mutants, elastics, tacticians, critics, sonicprosers, brute diamond here.

Dueleleré duelelakínlakínderé
Duelelakín duelelakínda duelelakínderé
Duelelelakínda duelelakínlakínderé.
Ayyyyyy!

[No translation – it’s not Spanish]

Mendigando eternidades,
Mendigos piden a mendigos
Lo que no tienen ni pueden darse.
Mendigando eternidades.

Panhandling eternities,
Vagrants ask vagrants
For what they do not have nor can give each other.
Panhandling eternities.

Translation Notes:

Ojos de Brujo = Wizard Eyes

Todo Tiende = Everything Tends (literal), but there might be another slang meaning that I am not understanding. The normal Spanish phrase is todo tiende a ___ (everything tends to ___) and this is missing the “a/to”.

Keeping up with this song’s speed is difficult, but the lyrics are interesting. I hope it’s at least somewhat coherent (both the original and the translation). If you have a translation for the non-Spanish parts, please post in the comments. I would love to know.

—

Tira desde ras del suelo lo que divida
Shoot/throw/pull/strip from the ground that which divides
Shoot/throw/pull/strip from ground level that which divides

My uncertainty with “tira” is that it could be from the verb tirar (to throw, to drop, to launch) or a shortening of the verb estirar (to stretch, to pull, to tug at). I think it’s the second based on the context.

ras del suelo = level with the ground

Comments on the original LJ post convinced me to change the translation from “the ground” to the more literal “ground level”.

—

Siempre tiende-ende-ende, todo tiende-ende entiéndeme!
Always tend-end-end, everything spreads-eds understand me!

I am not 100% sure about the title of this song. “Everything spreads” is a valid translation, but I feel like it needs notes to expand on the meaning. I will mull over this and come up with a few explanations.

tiende comes from tender.

—

Falta esperanza
Hope is absent/missing/lacking

—

Pal lo que más nos pesa
For what weighs on us the most

pal is short for para, originating from the contraction pa’ and taking on the extra consonant by borrowing from the next word.

—

Mutantes, elásticos, tácticos, críticos, prosicosónicos, bruto diamante aquí.
Mutants, elastics, tacticians, critics, sonicprosers, brute diamond here.

prosicosónicos – made up word, I think
sónico = sonic, and I think prosico might be related to prosista (prose writer)