“Silencio” by Ojos De Brujo, English translation of lyrics

“Silence”
Group: Ojos de Brujo (Wizard Eyes)
Album: Techari, 2006
Style: Hip hop/flamenco fusion.
Country: Barcelona, Spain
Listen: YouTube. If you liked this song, you might also like “Papeles Mojados” by Chambao.

Translation:

Silencio.
Cuando llama uno a la suerte
No comparece en ese momento,
En silencio.

Silence.
When one calls on luck
It doesn’t present itself in that moment,
In silence.

Solo,
Recogiendo platos rotos,
Va mi compa’re [compadre] de puerto en puerto,
En silencio, solo en silencio.
Barquito velero, barquito velero!

Alone,
Picking up broken plates,
Goes my good friend from port to port,
In silence, alone in silence.
Little sailing boat, little sailing boat!

Mentira, todo es mentira.
Los sueños y las ilusiones
Sin timón hacia la deriva.

Lie, everything is a lie.
The dreams and the illusions
Without helm towards the drift.

Susurran callaítas, mares, cielos y ríos,
Tierras lejanas, madres y niñas,
Testigos de un tiempo
De tanto odio y tanta injusticia.

They whisper quietly, seas, skies, and rivers,
Faraway lands, mothers and girls,
Witnesses of a time
Of so much hate and so much injustice.

Miraba las estrellas una noche de verano,
Buscando la ternura, que tuvo y no volverá.
Juguete de papel desvanecía en sus manos,
Inocencia que tuvo y no volverá.

He gazed upon the stars one summer night,
Looking for the tenderness, that he had and that will not return.
Paper toy vanishing away in his hands,
Innocence he had and that will not return.

¿Quién entiende
Lo que es la vida y la muerte?
Los momentos aparentes que nos tocan de vivir
Y ay…

Who understands
What is life and what is death?
The supposed moments that are our turn to live
And oh…

¿Quién entiende?
Las apariencias engañan al más noble.
Amor y odio se confunden.
Tormenta y agua que va, que va y al mar
¡Quién entiende!

Who understands?
Appearances fool even the most noble.
Love and hate are confused (for each other).
Torment of water that goes, goes (and goes) to the sea
Who understands!

Sabiéndolo tó’ de tó’ [todo de todo],
Recoger la noche clara que la ternura fraguó
No busques la noche oscura por oscuro callejón.
No la esperes, llega sola.

Knowing everything about everything,
Picking up the clear night that the tenderness forged
Don’t look for the dark night by a dark alley.
Don’t wait for it, it comes alone (alt. by itself).

Miraba las estrellas y no veía ná [nada]
Más que puntitos luminosos en un mundo nublao [nublado],
Reflejo de galaxias en un cielo gris.
Espera los colores que están por venir.

He gazed upon the stars and he didn’t see anything
More than little luminous points in a clouded world,
Reflection of galaxies in a gray sky.
He waits for the colors that are about to arrive.

Miraba las estrellas una noche de verano,
Buscando la ternura, que tuvo y no volverá.
Juguete de papel desvanecía en sus manos;
Inocencia que tuvo y no volverá.

He gazed upon the stars one summer night,
Looking for the tenderness, that he had and that will not return.
Paper toy vanishing away in his hands;
Innocence he had and that will not return.

Translation Notes:

Barquito velero
Little sailing boat

velo (m. noun) = sail

—

Los momentos aparentes que nos tocan de vivir
The supposed moments that are our turn to live

aparente = apparent, supposed

[singular/plural noun] (que) nos toca/tocan = it’s our turn to have [noun]; we are entitled to [noun]

me toca = it’s my turn
te toca = it’s your turn

Not to be confused with:
tocar = to touch (something); to play (an instrument)

él toca el piano = he plays the piano
le toca tocar el piano = it’s his/her turn to play the piano
se toca = he/she touches himself/herself

—

Recoger la noche clara que la ternura fraguó
Picking up the clear night that the tenderness forged

fraguar = to forge; to set, to shape (e.g. metal forging, like to forge a sword)

—

Solo,
Recogiendo platos rotos,
Va mi compa’re [compadre] de puerto en puerto

Alone,
Picking up broken plates,
Goes my good friend [lit. godfather of my children] from port to port

There are several verbal shortenings in this song:

compare [compadre]
tó de tó [todo de todo]
ná [nada]
nublao [nublado]

Some Spanish dialects leave out the “d” sound when it comes near the end of a word.

—

Espera los colores que están por venir
He waits for the colors that are about to arrive

estar por venir = to be about to arrive, to be prepared to arrive, lit. to be “for” coming

It think this phase is related to an RSVP reply of “yes.” So… the person is listed as coming and you expect them. Note that this explanation is just my speculation, not the researched etymology.

—

Ojos De Brujo = lit. Eyes of Wizard, or Eyes of Witch Doctor