Monday, September 22, 2008

Singing Along at the Supermarket

Warning: If the thought of Christmas in September curdles your brain, move on to another post.

This carol, "Los Peces en el Rio," sung by a children's group, is played over the sound system at the supermarket starting any day now. Today I'm going to take the lyrics to my maestra Lolita and get some help with them. I need an early start if I'm going to memorize it, so I can sing along at the supermarket (just kidding). Here it's sung by Cecilia Echenique and a flock of little niños in monk garb at a magnificent church. I saw a few other videos but they all involved delirious kids opening presents, ice skaters and Santa costumes...they might as well have been made in the States.

I've given up sugar, white flour, frantic foraging for gifts and killing trees for decorative purposes. So what's left? For me, the excitement is in Mexican Christmas traditions (before they're lost), especially learning new songs. So I'm starting early to learn this one, a traditional and very upbeat tune. I found a video teaching how to play it, but of course the vid is in Spanish and I'm struggling to translate it, or at least figure out the chords.

A rough translation: while the fish in the river are getting excited about God (literally) being born, the Virgin goes about her daily life, combing her golden (?) hair, washing diapers, washing her hands, waiting.

The waiting part, I remember well.

6 comments:

Bob Mrotek said...

"Los Peces en el Rio" sounds pretty nice. What I am dreading is the sound of "Little Drummer Boy" before we even finish the Day of the Dead festivities :)

Ale said...

The video of how to play it is in Catalan, not in spanish. I didn't understand either. It´s sounds a lot like spanish but they use shorter words and talk very fast. =) But it was a great tip, they have all kinds of songs. Thanks!

1st Mate said...

Bob - Little Drummer Boy is the one that gets stuck in my head for days. What we need is to take our iPods around with us and plug 'em in at the supermarket.

Ale - Entonces es hecho en Espana? Pero no hay ceceos!

Overboard said...

Hey! What's wrong with singing along at the supermarket. I do it. There's this fab song in Japan called The Fish Song that is always playing near the fish section.
I love it.
Fish fish fish
If you eat fish
You'll be clever
Fish fish fish fish
If you eat fish you'll live forever

Or something like that.

Overboard said...

LOLOLOLOLOL Little Drummer Boy!! Hahahahah. That song gets stuck in my head, too. In fact, I'd only just gone and got rid of it. Now look what you guys have done!!
Grrrrrrr.

Jomamma said...

I'm with you Mate, the holiday isn't as fun as when the kids were little. I think I'll go work at the Food Kitchen this year on the serving line feeding the homeless.