Niágara en Bicicleta (Niagara Falls on a Bicycle)

I fainted one Sunday morning

When I least expected it.

I fell hard, like a soursop fruit, onto a sewer grate.

Is it my blood pressure? Or has my bilirubin level gone up?

Me dio una sirimba un domingo en la mañana

cuando menos lo pensaba

caí redondo, como una guanábana, sobre la alcantarilla

será la presión o me ha subido la bilirrubina

I got a fever,

And started to turn white as a mothball.

They took me to a hospital “of the people” -- supposedly.

In the emergency room, the receptionist was listening to the lottery numbers.

(“30,000 pesos!”)

Y me entró la calentura

y me fui poniendo blanco como bola (d)e naftalina

me llevaron a un hospital de gente (supuestamente)

en la Emergencia, el recepcionista escuchaba la lotería

(¡treinta mil pesos!)

Someone take pity on me!

I shouted, losing consciousness,

And a nurse approached my ear and said

“Calm down, Bobby, calm down.” [A phrase used to talk to a dog]

She caressed me with her Ben Gay hands and asked me

“What happened, champ?”

And I told her, in intimate detail, what had happened to me.

¡Alguien se apiade de mi!

grité perdiendo el sentido

y una enfermera se acercó a mi oreja y me dijo:

"Tranquilo, Bobby, tranquilo"

Me acarició con sus manos de BenGay y me dijo:

"¿Qué le pasa, atleta?"

y le conté con lujo de detalles lo que me había sucedido

“We’ve got to check your blood pressure,

but the room is occupied.

And, my dear, in this hospital there’s no electricity for an EKG.”

I opened my eyes like the full moon,

and I grabbed my head,

Because it’s very hard

To cross Niagara Falls on a bicycle.

Hay que chequearte la presión

pero la sala está ocupada y, mi querido

en este hospital no hay luz para un electrocardiograma

Abrí los ojos como luna llena y me agarré la cabeza

porque es muy duro

pasar el Niágara en bicicleta

Don’t tell me that the doctors are gone.

Don’t tell me that you don’t have anesthesia.

Don’t tell me that someone drank the alcohol,

And that the thread for stitches

Has been sewn into a tablecloth.

Don’t tell me that the forceps are lost,

And the stethoscope is off partying,

That the x-ray machine has burnt out,

And the serum has been used to sweeten the coffee.

No me digan que los médicos se fueron

no me digan que no tienen anestesia

no me digan que el alcohol se lo bebieron

y que el hilo de coser

fue bordado en un mantel

No me digan que las pinzas se perdieron

que el estetoscopio está de fiesta

que los rayos X se fundieron

y que el suero ya se usó

para endulzar el café

I leaned on her shoulders like a lame man leans on his crutch

And I told her “What should I do, princess?”

And on a prescription slip she wrote very sweetly

“I’m sorry, champ.”

She caressed me with her Ben Gay hands and went on her way,

And I heard her clearly when she said to another patient

“Calm down, Bobby, calm down.”

I dropped my eyes to half-mast and I grabbed my head,

Because it’s very hard

To cross Niagara Falls in a bicycle.

Me apoyé de sus hombros como un cojo a su muleta

y le dije: "¿Qué hago, princesa?"

y en un papel de receta me escribió muy dulcemente:

"Lo siento, atleta"

Me acarició con sus manos de BenGay y siguió su destino

y oí claramente cuando dijo a otro paciente:

"Tranquilo, Bobby, tranquilo"

Bajé los ojos a media asta y me agarré la cabeza

porque es muy duro

pasar el Niágara en bicicleta

***
La Hormiguita (The Little Ant)

I met her one afternoon.

With her guitar she was chasing down boleros

She had on jeans

And a yellow rose in her hair.

“What are you going to do?” she asked me, smiling.

“Whatever you want,” I responded.

We went to the sea and soaked our dreams

I winked at her, and a dolphin painted an undulating wave on her breast

Then I laughed

And we broke the ice

And nibbled our fingers

Like the viola during a cello solo.

[Chorus]

You are like a little ant,

Who kisses and nibbles me

Who runs across my back

And settles in my beard to study geography.

You’re like a trapeze artist

Who swings across my tongue.

Your circus of flowers

Picks me up and lets me go,

Losing count,

Losing count.

And I wanted to weep, but only from my right eye.

She spoke of the moon

And of Chopin

While I played Prelude to a Kiss.

Then I laughed, and we broke the ice.

We nibbled our fingers

Like a viola during a cello solo.

[Chorus]

SPANISH

La conocí una tarde

con su guitarra cazaba boleros

tenía puesto un jean

y una rosita amarilla en el pelo

Qué vas a hacer, me preguntó, sonriendo

lo que tú quieras, respondí

fuimos al mar y mojamos los sueños

guiñé mis ojos y un delfín

pintó una ola rizada en su pecho

Luego reí y rompimos el hielo

y rompimos el hielo

nos mordimos los dedos

como viola en un solo de chelo

[Chorus]

Eres como una hormiguita

que me besa y me pica

que recorre mi espalda

y se acuesta en mi barba

a estudiar geografía

Eres como un trapecista

que atraviesa mi lengua

y tu circo de flores me carga y me suelta

perdiendo la cuenta

perdiendo la cuenta

Y tuve ganas de llorar

pero tan sólo en mi ojo derecho

ella hablaba de la luna y de Chopin

y yo tocaba el Preludio de un beso

Si Tú No Bailas Conmigo (If You Don’t Dance With Me)

ENGLISH

The moon with the rosemary,

The dawn with a pine grove,

The wind with the tide,

And the wheat with the canopy.

The night looks for a partner,

The party is about to start,

If you don’t dance with me,

I prefer not to dance.

The rain with the orange tree,

The fog with the window pane.

The basil has some thyme

Waiting for her in the rose garden.

I’ve seen a starry sky

Dancing on the sea.

I’ve seen a disheveled sun

Dance with a cloud.

The butterfly danced

With a grain of salt.

The acacia tree with the mill

The grass and a thicket of bushes.

If you don’t dance with me,

I prefer not to dance.

The cassava with ginger

In a mortar for mashing

Starched each other with kisses

Clutched tightly in a waltz.

And even the white lily

Has someone to dance with.

If you don’t dance with me,

The night is suspended.

If you don’t dance with me,

I prefer not to dance.

SPANISH

La luna con el romero

La aurora con el pinar

El viento con la marea

y el trigo con la enrramá

La noche busca pareja

la fiesta ya va a empezar
Si tú no bailas conmigo

prefiero no bailar

La lluvia con el naranjo

La niebla con el cristal

La albahaca tiene un tomillo

que la espera en el rosal

Yo he visto un cielo estrellado

bailando sobre la mar

Si tú no bailas conmigo

la noche se queda en vilo

Si tú no bailas conmigo

prefiero no bailar

Yo he visto un sol desgreñado

con una nube bailar

Bailaba la mariposa

con un granito de sal

La acacia con el ingenio

La yerba y el matorral

Si tú no bailas conmigo

prefiero no bailar

La yuca con el Jengibre

en un pilón de majar

Se almidonaban de besos

apretaditos en vals

y hasta la flor de azucena

ya tiene con quien bailar

Si tú no bailas conmigo

la noche se queda en vilo

Si tú no bailas conmigo

prefiero no bailar
Ojalá Que Llueva Café (May It Rain Coffee)

ENGLISH

May it rain coffee in the countryside.

Let a downpour of cassava and tea fall.

From the skies a drizzle of white cheese,

And to the south a mountain of watercress and honey.

May it rain coffee in the countryside.

Comb a tall hill with grain and yams

Go down the slope of fluffy rice

And keep plowing with your love.

In the autumn, instead of dry leaves,

may my harvest be dressed in pitisalé [a bacon-like salted pork].

Plant a field of sweet potatoes and strawberries

May it rain coffee.

So that down on the farm, there isn’t so much suffering, oh man,

May it rain coffee in the countryside.

So that in Villa Vazquez, they hear this song,

May it rain coffee in the countryside.

May it rain, may it rain, oh man,

May it rain coffee in the countryside

May it rain coffee.

May it rain coffee in the countryside,

Let a downpour of cassava and tea fall.

From the skies a drizzle of white cheese

And to the south a mountain of watercress and honey.

May it rain coffee in the countryside,

Comb a tall hill with grain and yams

Go down the slope of fluffy rice

And keep plowing with your love.

So that down on the farm, there isn’t so much suffering, oh man,

May it rain coffee in the countryside.

So that in Los Montones they hear this song,

May it rain coffee in the countryside…

So that all the children, sing in the countryside,

May it rain coffee in the countryside.

So that in La Romana they here this song,

May it rain coffee in the countryside...

SPANISH

Ojalá que llueva café en el campo

que caiga un aguacero de yuca y té

del cielo una jarina de queso blanco

y al sur una montaña de berro y miel

oh, oh, oh-oh-oh, ojalá que llueva café.

Ojalá que llueva café en el campo

peinar un alto cerro de trigo y mapuey

bajar por la colina de arroz graneado

y continuar el arado con tu querer

Ojalá el otoño en vez de hojas secas

vista mi cosecha de pitisalé

sembrar una llanura de batata y fresas

ojalá que llueva café.

Pa’ que en el conuco no se sufra tanto, ay ombe

ojalá que llueva café en el campo

pa que en Villa Vásquez oigan este canto

ojalá que llueva café en el campo

ojalá que llueva, ojalá que llueva, ay ombe

Ojalá que llueva café en el campo

ojalá que llueva café.

Ojalá que llueva café en el campo

sembrar un alto cerro de trigo y mapuey

bajar por la colina de arroz graneado

y continuar el arado con tu querer

Ojalá el otoño en vez de hojas secas

vista mi cosecha é pitisalé

sembrar una llanura de batata y fresas

ojalá que llueva café.

Pa que en el conuco no se sufra tanto, oye

ojalá que llueva café en el campo

pa que en Los Montones oigan este canto

ojalá que llueva café en el campo...

Pa que to los niños canten en el campo

ojalá que llueva café en el campo

pa que en La Romana oigan este canto

ojalá que llueva café en el campo...

Medicine for My Soul

Yeah yeah yeah yeah,

I was listening to a radio station last night

A shrink, Dr. Luis, was giving counsel on the line.

I dialed 305-594-1185.

Hey doc, I'm calling about a Latin girl I met on a web site.

She tastes to me like a honeycomb,

y tiene la llave de mi corazón (and has the key to my heart).

Yeah yeah yeah yeah

I'm from Louisiana, she's from San Pedro de Macoris,

You know, the land of baseball players,

Where Sammy Sosa lives.

She likes to drink papaya juice and paint Caribbean trees.

Oh, we don't have too much in common,

But love is blind as you can see.

She tastes to me like a honeycomb,

Sweet to my heart, medicine for my soul.

Girl I want to feel your heart

And hope you love me too.

You know I can't stop loving you, babe.

I said mambo.

Love me, yeah.

Love me, yeah.

Establish your emotions,

make a point, you're on the air.

“Should I go and visit her?

Should I learn Spanish words?

Should I cry, should I face,

some political concerns?

Should I join a social club,

Should I peel a coconut,

Movin' in, movin' on,

Merengue bachata y son, now (merengue, bachata and son: three Caribbean musical genres).

She tastes to me like a honeycomb,

Y tiene la llave de mi corazón.

Dance !

Dance !

Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Dance !

Should I get down on my knees?

Should I dance a Latin beat?

Should I laugh, should I get

A romantic membership?

Should I play my conga drums?

should I sing 'La Vie en Rose'?

Moving in, moving on

merengue, bachata y son, now

She tastes to me like a honeycomb

y tiene la llave de mi corazón.

Girl I want to feel your heart,

and hope you love me too

You know I can't stop loving you, babe.

She tastes to me like a honeycomb,

y tiene la llave de mi corazón.