Lyrics: Mendiño

Adaptation of the lyrics: Carlos and Fran Amil

Music: Fran and Carlos Amil

We start the album with one of the cantigas de amigo (friend songs) considered a milestone in traditional Galician-Portuguese poetry. It is preserved in the Songbook of the Vatican Library and in that of the National Library of Lisbon (Cancionero Colocci-Brancuti). A piece from the 13th century with a desperate and suggestively tragic lyricism at the end, in which Mendiño proposes to his listeners an anguished question with the final verse “E verrá?” (And will it come?). We transform that “E verrá?” in an ambiguous suggestion of sea waves. This verse is a recurring phrase after “Eu atendend’o meu amigo” (I am waiting for my friend) in the original poem, which we omitted in our adaptation for purely rhythmic reasons.

The funky vibe of the song gives me special satisfaction, due to the successful execution of the band, formed for the occasion by Paco Cerdeira on electric guitar, Ruchi de Baio on bass, Gueorgui Oganesian on tenor sax, María Quiroga on trumpet, Mandela on trombone, Miguel Vázquez on tambourine, Arturo Vaquero on keyboards, Ángeles Dorrio, Carmen Rey and Sara Vázquez on choirs, and myself on drums and lead vocals.

We decided to start the album with this song because, beyond its contagious rhythm, it served to mark the terrain in which we wanted to place our proposal: pop airs mixed with the deep Galician roots of our music.

Remember that you can read the lyrics while listening to the song.

Sedia-m’eu na ermida de San Simón	I was in the hermitage of San Simón
e cercáronme as ondas, que grandes son:	and the waves surrounded me, how great they are:
Que grandes son as ondas de San Simón.	How big are the waves of San Simón.
Que grandes son as ondas de San Simón.	How big are the waves of San Simón.
Eu atendend’o meu amigo!	Me waiting for my friend!
Eu atendend’o meu amigo!	Me waiting for my friend!
Estando na ermida ant’o altar	Being in the hermitage before the altar
cercáronme as ondas grandes do mar.	The great waves of the sea surrounded me.
Eu atendend’o meu amigo!	Me waiting for my friend!
Eu atendend’o meu amigo!	Me waiting for my friend!
Cercáronme as ondas, que grandes son;	The waves surrounded me, how big they are;
non hei barqueiro, nen remador.	I have no boatman, no oarsman.
Qué grandes son, as ondas sen remador.	How big they are, the waves without a paddler.
Cercáronme as ondas do alto mar;	The waves of the high sea surrounded me;
non hei barqueiro, nen sei remar.	I have no boatman, nor do I know how to row.
Eu atendend’o meu amigo!	Me waiting for my friend!
Eu atendend’o meu amigo!	Me waiting for my friend!
Non hei barqueiro, nen remador;	I have no boatman, no oarsman;
morrerei fermosa no mar maior.	I will die beautiful in the great sea.
Non hei barqueiro, non sei remar;	I don’t have a boatman, I don’t know how to row;
morrerei fermosa no alto mar.	I will die beautiful in the high sea.
No alto mar non sei remar	In the high sea I don’t know how to row
No alto mar non sei remar	In the high sea I don’t know how to row

If you want to see more lyrics from the album “Popsia Vol. I” click HERE.