OK, Folks, you know the drill. Allright everyone, let’s gather in front of our large, 13″, Black and White TV set, and watch as a tall, lanky man in a khaki uniform, wearing a sombrero, strides out, introduces himself as Sheriff John, and says, “This morning, we have a special request. This is a traditional Mexican birthday song that is often sung at birthday parties, anniversaries, and serenatas. Today, we present Las Mañanitas (music here) for bdot.” He clears his throat, a bell note is heard, and he starts singing:
Estas son las mañanitas que cantaba el rey David
Hoy por ser día de tu santo te las cantamos aquí.
Despierta mi bien despierta
Mira que ya amaneció
Ya los pajaritos cantan
La luna ya se metió.
¡Qué linda está la mañana hoy que vengo a saludarte
Venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte!
El día en que tú naciste, nacieron todas las flores
En la pila del bautizmo cantaron los ruiseñores.
Ya viene amaneciendo ya la luz que ya Dios dió.
Levantarse de la mañana, mira que ya amaneció. |
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De las estrellas del cielo tengo que bajarte dos,
Una para saludarte, otra para decirte adiós.
Volaron cuatro palomas por toditas las ciudades
hoy por ser día de tu santo te deseamos felicidades.
Con rácimos de flores hoy te vengo a saludar.
Y hoy por ser día de tu santo te venimos a cantar. |
What is Las Mañanitas? It is a children’s song, poetically translated as: “These are the lovely mañanitas that were sung by King David. Today we sing them to a loved one who will be happy. Wake up this early morning and the sun you will see. As the moon leaves us this morning, all the birds they will sing. How beautiful is the morning that I come to share with you. We all come in celebration of this special day just for you. The day, it is a dawning and the light of day has come. Awaken early this morning to see all that we have done.”
[Did you know you can pick which song the Sheriff sings for you on your birthday? It’s easy. Just visit the 6th Annual Birthday Poll on Livejournal or the parallel note on Facebook. Note that if you want the birdie to be able to inform the Sheriff about your birthday, you need to make sure your birth month and day is in your LJ or FB profile, and it is visible to your friends. Note that the Sheriff only sings a song if I know you personally or you’re a regular commenter. So don’t lurk!]
