"Sueños de habitación" ?

Question

Guys

Here I am again working my way through another lyric. This time I'm getting pretty far but the last verse just doesn't come together for me. The song is called "El sol no regresa".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mSNnobHcYQ

Please let me know how close I am to a decent translation.

Hace días perdí en alguna cantina La mitad de mi alma, más el 15 de propina No es que sea el alcohol, la mejor medicina Pero ayuda a olvidar, cuando no ves la salida.

Days ago I lost half my soul in some bar and 15% tip. It's not that alcohol is the best solution But it helps you forget when you don't see light at the end of the tunnel.

Hoy te intento contar Que todo va bien aunque no te lo creas Aunque a estas alturas Un último esfuerzo no valga la pena

Today I try to tell you That everything is fine even if you don't believe it Even if, at this point, One last effort might not be worth the pain.

Here I get the gist but have grammar questions.

1. Why pick "creerse" over "creer". I think of "creerse" as to "think oneself". You have such examples but also have one that simply says : "No me lo creo" - "I don't believe it" There is probably a subtle difference between "No me lo creas" and "No te lo creas". I assume it's "You don't believe it" vs. "You don't believe me" If anyone can clarify.

2. I believe the subjunctive for "creerse" and "valer" is triggered by "aunque" and although not always used with this word it is used here to express her uncertainty about whether or not he might believe her and whether or not this final effort might be worth the pain or not. She isn't saying that it is or isn't but rather expressing her uncertainty correct ? I guess I'm not sure whether she is really saying to him "Everything is fine" and she knows that he doesn't believe her or whether she muses about saying that to him and isn't sure what his reaction might be.

Hoy los buenos recuerdos Se caen por las escaleras Y tras varios tequilas Las nubes se van Pero el sol no regresa

Today the good memories Are going down the toilet And after a few tequilas The clouds disappear But the sun doesn't return.

Now this last verse is where she totally looses me :

Sueños de habitación en un hotel de carretera Y unas gotas de lluvia que guardo en esta maleta Ruedan por el colchón de mi cama ya desierta Es la mejor solición para el dolor de cabeza.

I can't figure out what's going on here ! She dreams of being in a hotel room by the freeway ? She keeps raindrops in her purse and they roll around the mattress of her now empty bed ? All that helps with headache ? Now I have a headache ! I can't help feeling there are tons of colloquialisms in there and idioms I don't know so I need some real help here.

Thanks

Answer 1

Here is my suggestion for translating the first section:

Days ago I lost half my soul in some bar along with the 15% tip. It's not that alcohol is the best medicine But it helps you forget when you don't see the way out.

In the second section I would say that your translation of "aunque no te lo creas" is correct - even if you don't believe it! The rest of your second section translation is also OK (at least, in my opinion).

Now for the third section:

Today the good memories Are falling down the stairs And after several tequilas The clouds disappear But the sun doesn't return.

---

Sueños de habitación en un hotel de carretera Y unas gotas de lluvia que guardo en esta maleta Ruedan por el colchón de mi cama ya desierta Es la mejor solución para el dolor de cabeza.

The final section is a bit mysterious to me, too. I can't help but think that it must relate to the tequilas of the previous section. Maybe the lyricist had a few too many! Maybe sueño refers to sleep, rather than dreams, and it is plural to indicate that it was a fitful sleep.

Keeping the above in mind, here is a possible translation of the words themselves, but it may not communicate the songwriter's meaning:

Light sleep in a roadside motel room / And some raindrops that I keep in this suitcase / Roll on the mattress of my now deserted bed / It is the best headache (or hangover) remedy.

Answer 2

However, I think your example for reflexive verb usage is slightly different. In your example we're literally adding information. My mother died and I was affected. I understand that nuance. Creerse, however to me is about thinking of oneself to be something:

Se cree Dios -> He thinks he's God ¿Pero tú quién te has creído que eres? -> Just who do you think you are?

As taken straight from this dictionary.

So adding the "te" in "No lo creas" seems to make it sound like "You wouldn't believe yourself to be ....blabla"

I suppose I have to accept that creerse mainly means the above but can also simply mean believe. I struggle with this all the time. Olvidar, olvidarse has that same issue.... I'll get over it eventually. I'd simply like to be able to "feel" when I should add this extra layer and when not.

The "feeling" will only come with tons of practice, and ideally, immersion in a Spanish-speaking environment. You won't get a "feel" from grammatical rules. - waltico, May 30, 2010

Answer 3

Waltieco

Thanks for your answers.

1. I know the literal translation of "se caen por las escaleras" but I was trying to make it a bit more English. I didn't think the memories falling down the stairs was something you'd say in English so I improvised. I figured she meant that those memories were going down the crapper or something like that. You don't agree ?

2. I also knew the words to the last verse and had written them down pretty much like you did now. I just cannot make sense of them and, apparently, I'm not alone.

3. Isn't "a few" pretty much the same as "several" ?

4. I'd love to discuss the creerse thing some more.

If I wanted to say "You don't believe it" I'd naturally say "No lo crees". Or "You don't believe me" would be "No me (lo) crees".

What am I trying to express with "No te lo crees" that isn't expressed in "No lo crees" ?

Is this one of those focus shifting thingies again where I'm focusing on the fact that you don't believe it. I focus on you and not on it ?

Also, any opinion on the subjunctive ?

It seems that you're doing quite well with Spanish. Maybe you should upgrade your language ability in your profile to intermediate. - waltico, May 30, 2010

Answer 4

Thanks Waltieco !

I'm glad to see my gut is beginning to produce ideas that are not too far off eventhough I dont' have the proper grammar background yet (and prolly won't for years to come).

Yeah "out the window" works for me. That might be the "downs the stairs" for English speakers.

Still baffled about that last phrase. Any natives who can help or learners who wanna take a crack ?

We can have a little contest to see what learner comes up with the best one. I'm not advanced enough to even take a shot but how about you 5-10 year vets ?

Answer 5

1. If I were to substitute an English expression, I would probably use "going out the window" or something along those lines. I would stay out of the restroom!

2. De acuerdo.

3. In my own mind (this is just me), "several" implies more than "a few". In the context, "several" could mean "a few too many", while "a few" would not have that implication. Again, this is just my opinion.

4. a) Yes, no lo crees is essentially the same as no te lo crees. Native Spanish speakers often use the reflexive form when it is not strictly necessary. It may add some sort of emphasis. I recently asked some one about her mother, and the response I got was: Se me murió. The same meaning could have been conveyed by Se murió. The reflexive maybe personalized it for her: "She died on me."

5. b) I think that what you wrote about the subjunctive in your original question is essentially correct. The speaker doesn't know if the listener believes her or not - "even if you don't believe it" could also be expressed by the common phrase "believe it or not". The speaker also doesn't know for sure whether or not her efforts are worth it, and so the subjunctive expresses that doubt.