Learning Spanish by Singing

My amiga Suzanne at "Living in San Miguel" made the comment the other day that perhaps it would be a good idea to learn some very traditional songs so that one could sing along with the crowd at fiestas and gatherings of any kind wherever music is played. I think that is a great idea. Not only does that help boost ones vocabulary but it can really make one feel like they are part of the crowd. It's a lot better than sitting there with a forced smile nodding your head and faking a hum when everyone else is singing. I thought I would do a series of posts and introduce some of the songs that I have learned that have generally come in handy when they pass me that karaoke mike. Here is a partial list to begin with:

"Si Nos Dejan"
"Cielito Lindo"
"La Vibora de la Mar"
"Las Mañanitas"
"Allá en el Rancho Grande"
"El Rey"
"Caminos de Guanajuato"
"México Lindo y Querido"
"Bésame Mucho"

This is a very basic list. It includes songs like "Las Mañanitas" that you will hear at every birthday party and "La Vibora de la Mar" that you will hear at almost every traditional wedding feast.

I'd like to start out with my all time favorite go-to song whenever I get near a microphone and the band doesn't mind. This is a song that you can really belt out and pretend that you are somebody else. It doesn't matter if you can't sing very well because a lot of other people will join in who can't sing very well either. The result generally ends up fairly good because there is camaraderie in cacophony and besides that by the time the singing starts everyone has had a nip or two of tequila. This song was written by Jose Alfredo Jimenez from the town of Dolores Hidalgo. Here in the state of Guanajuato he is a favorite son and a local hero but the song is famous and very popular all over Mexico. The song is called "Si nos Dejan"..."If They Let Us".

Si nos dejan,
If the let us,
Nos vamos a querer toda la vida
We are going to be in love all of our lives

Si nos dejan,
If they let us,
Nos vamos a vivir a un mundo nuevo
We are going to live in a new world

Yo creo podemos ver, el nuevo amanecer de un nuevo día
I think we can see a new dawn of a new day
Yo pienso que tu y yo, podemos ser felices todavía
I think that you and I can still be happy

Si nos dejan
If they let us
Buscamos un rincón cerca del cielo
We'll look for a corner nook close to heaven

Si nos dejan
If they let us
Hacemos con las nubes terciopelo
We'll make it with the velvet clouds

Y ahí juntitos los dos cerquita de dios sera lo que soñamos
And there, the both of us together, close to God will be like we are dreaming
Si nos dejan, te llevo de la mano corazón y ahí nos vamos
If they let us, I will take you by the hand dear heart and there we will go

Si nos dejan
If they let us
Hacemos con las nubes terciopelo
We'll make it with the velvet clouds

Y ahí juntitos los dos cerquita de dios sera lo que soñamos
And there, the both of us together, close to God will be like we are dreaming
Si nos dejan, te llevo de la mano corazón y ahí nos vamos
If they let us, I will take you by the hand dear heart and there we will go

Si nos dejan, de todo lo demás nos olvidamos
If they let us, we will forget all of the rest
¡Si nos dejan!
If they let us!