“Like the Olive Trees” Lyrics
Album: Pafuera Telarañas (Out with the Cobwebs), 2004
Style: Flamenco hip/hop, song about a passionate romance against the peaceful backdrop of Spain’s pastures.
Country: Spain
Listen: YouTube
Translation:
Como los olivos
Sudan aceite,
Mi cuerpo resbala sobre tu piel.
Duerme hombre tranquilo en el jardín del edén
Que la humedad desprende sabor a miel.
Like the olives
Sweat oil,
My body slips over your skin.
Sleep, man, serenely in the garden of Eden
For the humidity gives off a taste of honey.
Silueta de duende que duerme en mi cama
Con alma de río que quita mi sed,
Riega mis senderos hasta que florezca el edén
Que la humedad es fresca al amanecer.
Silhouette of an imp who sleeps in my bed
With the soul of the river that takes away my thirst,
Water my paths until Eden flowers,
For the humidity feels cool at daybreak.
Te robaré algún cabello
Para amarrarlo a las trenzas de mi pelo,
Y si te vas me iré contigo,
Sin movimiento nos perderá el tiempo.
I will steal a hair from you
To tie it to the braids of my hair,
And if you go then I’ll go with you,
Without movement, time will lose us.
Sobre las caderas se mueve mi falda (mirame)
Con el tintineo de tu risa y tu jaleo
Y al volver la noche me tendrás mimada
Bajo una luna de ceniza plateada
Porque…
(x2)
Over my hips, my skirt moves (look at me)
With the jingle of your laugh and your racket
And when night returns you will have me pampered
Below a moon of ashy silver
Because…
(x2)
Te robaré algún cabello
Para amarrarlo a las trenzas de mi pelo,
Y si te vas me iré contigo,
Sin movimiento nos perderá el tiempo.
(x2)
I will steal a hair from you
To tie it to the braids of my hair,
And if you go then I’ll go with you,
Without movement, time will lose us.
(x2)
Yo soy del sur, tu eres del norte,
No hablamos el mismo idioma
Pero haremos que no importe.
(x2)
I am from the south, you are from the north,
We don’t speak the same language
But we will make it not matter.
(x2)
Porque te robaré hasta el alma,
Te enseñare a bailar,
Que te voy a dar mi piel hasta hacerte enloquecer.
Because I will rob even your soul,
I will teach you to dance,
Because I will give you my skin until you go mad.
Te robaré hasta el alma,
Te enseñaré a bailar,
Que te voy a dar mi piel hasta pedirme más.
Because I will rob even your soul,
I will teach you to dance,
Because I will give you my skin until you ask me for more.
Te robaré algún cabello
Para amarrarlo a las trenzas de mi pelo,
Y si te vas me iré contigo,
Sin movimiento nos perderá el tiempo.
I will steal a hair from you
To tie it to the braids of my hair,
And if you go then I’ll go with you,
Without movement, time will lose us.
Te robaré algún cabello
Para amarrarlo a las trenzas de mi pelo.
Te robaré algún cabello
Para llevarte colga’o de mi cuello.
I will steal a hair from you
To tie it to the braids of my hair.
I will steal a hair from you
To carry you hanging around my neck.
Y si te vas me iré contigo,
En el camino nos sobrará destino.
And if you go then I’ll go with you,
On the road we’ll have plenty of destiny.
(Yo yo yo yo -) yo soy del sur, tu eres del norte,
No hablamos el mismo idioma
Pero haremos que no importe.
(I, I, I, I -) I am from the south, you are from the north,
We don’t speak the same language
But we will make it not matter.
(x2)
Porque te robaré hasta el alma,
Te enseñare a bailar,
Que te voy a dar mi piel hasta hacerte enloquecer.
Because I will rob even your soul,
I will teach you to dance,
Because I will give you my skin until you go mad.
Te robaré hasta el alma,
Te enseñaré a bailar,
Que te voy a dar mi piel hasta pedirme más.
Because I will rob even your soul,
I will teach you to dance,
Because I will give you my skin until you ask me for more.
Yo soy del sur, tu eres del norte,
No hablamos el mismo idioma
Pero haremos que no importe.
(x2)
I am from the south, you are from the north,
We don’t speak the same language
But we will make it not matter.
(x2)
Que no importe,
Que no importe,
Pero haremos que no importe…
Make it not matter,
Make it not matter,
But we will make it not matter…
Translation Notes:
Como los olivos sudan aceite,
Mi cuerpo resbala sobre tu piel.
Like the olives sweat oil,
My body slips over your skin.
Bebe is a singer from Spain, where they grow a lot of olives to make olive oil. The olive reference here sets the scene, somewhere idyllic and pastoral, peaceful, with olive trees. That’s where their passionate romance is taking place.
Silueta de duende que duerme en mi cama
Con alma de río que quita mi sed, [*correct transcription]
Con el mar de río que quita sed [*incorrect lyrics]
Silhouette of an imp who sleeps in my bed
With the soul of the river that takes away my thirst, [*translation of correct transcription]
With the sea from the river that takes away my thirst [*translation of incorrect lyrics]
The bold lyrics here were mistranscribed (Spanish lyrics were wrong) on some websites because alma and el mar sound similar in Bebe’s accent and el mar (the sea) is also water-related so it was thematically similar so some of the other words. She is singing alma, though. Her lover has the soul of a river, calming but wild, full of movement, satisfying her thirst.
Y si te vas me iré contigo,
Sin movimiento nos perderá el tiempo.
And if you go then I’ll go with you,
Without movement, time will lose us.
She means that they make their own little world unaffected by time, with just the two of them. She intends to go with him when he leaves, but right now they are resting and it doesn’t feel like time is passing.
This is another line that was mistranscribed in some websites as “no perderé tiempo” (I will not lose time).
Sobre las caderas se mueve mi falda
Con el tintineo de tu risa y tu jaleo
Over my hips, my skirt moves
With the jingle of your laugh and your racket
In Spanish, we often say “the body part” when we mean “my body part”. In this case, she is dancing for him while he enjoys. That’s the primary meaning. It is also possible that she left “the hips” instead of “my hips” on purpose as inuendo, but that would be a secondary meaning and not the main one.
Te robaré algún cabello
Para llevarte colga’o [colgado] de mi cuello.
I will steal a hair from you
To carry you hanging around my neck.
Bebe’s accent drops consonants sometimes, for example colga’o instead of colgado.
Y si te vas me iré contigo,
En el camino nos sobrará destino.
And if you go then I’ll go with you,
On the road we’ll have plenty of destiny.
On the road we will have excess/leftover destiny.
She means that the road and nomadic life has so many possibilities that they can pick their own destiny. There are so many choices.
Porque te robaré hasta el alma,
Te enseñare a bailar,
Que te voy a dar mi piel hasta hacerte enloquecer.
Because I will rob even your soul,
I will teach you to dance,
Because I will give you my skin until you go mad.
Que te voy a dar mi piel hasta pedirme más.
Because I will give you my skin until you ask me for more.
These lines are references to sex in case that wasn’t clear. This couple has a high libido.
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