Today's letra has me dreaming. I wish it had occurred to me a couple of weeks ago while in San Diego when Margot asked to learn a new song. Because this one feels just right for my sobrinas.
I want what it speaks of.
Un puente. Yes, a bridge. And I would make it a magic bridge. A bridge that could take us over a thousand miles in mere minutes. Oh the visits we would have!
Anyway, we can sing it together next time.
For today, I share it with you.
Tangos de Cádiz...
A tí te pondría
un puente pá que pasaras
de tu casita a la mia.
For you I would put up
a bridge so that you could go
from your house to mine.
I sent the words to my sister yesterday. And almost immediately after doing so my phone rang. It was Margot. "Is that the whole song?" she wanted to know. I told her yes, that it was short, like the other one.
But this is not entirely true.
True it is the full verse, but it's not really a whole song.
I needed to tell her that a traditional flamenco "song" is made up of a bunch of these short verses. That the cantaor sings the verses he (or she) wants and thus creates a song.
Songs are always changing, and you never really know what you're going to hear.
Eso me encanta del flamenco.
Today's letra in some songs
Right here you can see Jesús Méndez singing it (at 7:32).
Here you can listen to a version by Camarón.
And here Aurelio Selles sings it about two minutes in.
And your bridge?
Whose house would your magic bridge (or just plain old ordinary bridge) go to? Or maybe just something you're dreaming of? Let me know below.
P.S. The other day I watched this interview with an artist named Lisa Congdon. She inspired me to write the words out, by hand that is. I know, no tiene nada que ver. But I wanted to see this verse hand written, llike last week's. So, that's what I did.
