MP3 of El señor don Gato

El señor don Gato
(Spanish)

Estaba el señor Don Gato
Sentadito en su tejado
Miarrau miau miau miau
Sentadito en su tejado.

Cuando le vinieron nuevas
Que había de ser casado
Miarrau miau miau miau
Que había de ser casado.

Con una gatita parda
Con un pinta en el rabo
Miarrau miau miau miau
Con un pinta en el rabo.

El gato de la alegría
Se ha caído del tejado
Miarrau miau miau miau
Se ha caído del tejado.

Se ha roto siete costillas
Y la puntita del rabo
Miarrau miau miau miau
Y la puntita del rabo.

Le llevaron a enterrar
Por la calle del pescado
miarrau miau miau miau
Por la calle del pescado.

Al olor de las sardinas
Don Gato ha resucitado
Miarrau miau miau miau
Don Gato ha resucitado.

English Translation

Lord Tom Cat was
Sitting on his roof,
Marrameow meow meow meow
Sitting on his roof.

He received news
Saying he had to get married,
Marrameow meow meow meow
Saying he had to get married.

With a grey kitty
With a spot on her tail,
Marrameow meow meow meow
With a spot on her tail.

From the exuberation, the cat
Fell down from the roof,
Marrameow meow meow meow
Fell down from the roof.

He broke seven ribs
And the end of his tail,
Marrameow meow meow meow
And the end of his tail.

He’s taken to be buried,
Through the fish street,
Marrameow meow meow meow,
Through the fish street.

Smelling some sardines
Lord Tom Cat resuscitated
Marrameow meow meow meow
Lord Tom Cat resuscitated.

Many thanks to Élodie Chebat for singing Senor Don Gato for us and for contributing this version of the song!

Check out the Don Gato Song Page for another version of Don Gato in Spanish, with English and French translations, and the sheet music and midi. Check out the Senor Don Gato English version too that’s sung in the US!

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

This song is originally from Spain. The first translation below was done to fit the tune, so you could sing along in English, as well as Spanish. However, I’m including a YouTube video that shows Pete Seeger actually teaching this song to his audience. So you can learn it from him!

De colores

De colores, de colores se visten los campos en la primavera
De colores, de colores son los pajaritos que vienen de afuera
De colores, de colores es el arco iris que vemos lucir
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí

Canta el gallo, canta el gallo con el quiri quiri quiri quiri quiri
La gallina, la gallina con el cara cara cara cara cara
Los polluelos, los polluelos con el pío pío pío pío pío pí
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí

De colores, de colores brillantes y finos se viste la aurora
De colores, de colores son los mil reflejos que el sol atesora
De colores, de colores se viste el diamante que vemos lucir
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí

All the Colors
(English Translation)

All the colors, all the colors, oh how they dress up the countryside in springtime,
All the colors, all the colors of birdies, oh how they come back to us outside,
All the colors, all the colors in rainbows we see shining bright in the sky,
And that’s why a great love of the colors makes me feel like singing so joyfully,
And that’s why a great love of the colors makes me feel like singing so joyfully.

The rooster sings, he sings cock-a-doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle-doo,
The chicken clucks, she clucks, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck,
The little chicks they cheep, they cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep,
And that’s why a great love of the colors makes me feel like singing so joyfully,
And that’s why a great love of the colors makes me feel like singing so joyfully.

All the colors, all the great, glowing colors that we see in the sky at sunrise,
All the colors, all the colors are seen in the thousand reflections in sunlight,
All the colors, all the colors are seen glittering in a diamond ring,
And that’s why a great love of the colors makes me feel like singing so joyfully,
And that’s why a great love of the colors makes me feel like singing so joyfully.

I tried to keep the translation as close as possible to the original, while making it fit the melody. The biggest liberty I took was in the line “Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores me gustan a mí”, which I translated as “And that’s why a great love of the colors makes me feel like singing so joyfully.” A more literal translation would be, “And therefore, the great love of many colors pleases me.” or “And that’s why I like so many colors so much.” -Mama Lisa

Come visit the De colores Song Page for the French Translation, Sheet music and midi.

Here’s a street performer in Tijuana, Mexico singing De colores…

Happy Spring to all of you in the Northern Hemisphere and I hope you enjoy the autumn hues if you’re in the Southern hemisphere!

Mama Lisa

Many Mexican mothers wake up to their children singing Las Mañanitas to them. Las Mañanitas is a song that’s also sung on birthdays.

Here are the lyrics to Las Mañanitas in Spanish, with an English translation and an mp3 so you can hear it sung…

MP3 of Las Mañanitas

Las Mañanitas

Éstas son las mañanitas
Que cantaba el rey David
Y en el día de tu santo
Te las cantamos a ti.

Despierta mi bien despierta
mira que ya amaneció
Ya los pajaritos cantan
La luna ya se metió

English Translation:

These are the little mornings,
That King David used to sing,
And on the Day of your Saint,
We sing them to you.

Wake up, my dear, wake up!
Look, it’s already dawning,
The little birds are already singing,
The moon has gone away.

Finally, according to Karen Hursh Graber of the site Mexican Hot or …Not, “One of the most charming customs of all is that practiced in many Mexican churches, the early morning singing of Las Mañanitas and distribution of tamales and atole to all the local moms.”

Atole is a special Mexican hot chocolate.

You can visit Karen’s page for recipes of some of the foods made for Mother’s Day breakfast in Mexico.

You can visit my Mexican Song Pages for a long version of Las Mañanitas and other Mexican songs.

Many thanks to Celia Andrés for singing Las Mañanitas for us!

Here are some other posts about Mother’s Day, including some Spanish poems:

Senor Don Gato
(English)

O Senor Don Gato was a cat.
On a high red roof Don Gato sat.
He was there to read a letter,
Meow, meow, meow!
Where the reading light was better,
Meow, meow, meow!
‘Twas a love-note for Don Gato!

“I adore you,” wrote the lady cat,
Who was fluffy white, and nice and fat.
There was not a sweeter kitty,
Meow, meow, meow!
In the country or the city
Meow, meow, meow!
And she said she’d wed Don Gato!

O Senor Don Gato jumped with glee!
He fell off the roof and broke his knee,
Broke his ribs and all his whiskers,
Meow, meow, meow!
And his little solar plexus
Meow, meow, meow!
“Ay Caramba! ” cried Don Gato.

All the doctors they came on the run,
Just to see if something could be done.
And they held a consultation,
Meow, meow, meow!
About how to save their patient,
Meow, meow, meow!
How to save Senor Don Gato.

But in spite of everything they tried,
Poor Senor Don Gato up and died.
No, it wasn’t very merry,
Meow, meow, meow!
Going to the cemetery,
Meow, meow, meow!
For the ending of Don Gato.

But as the funeral passed the market square,
Such a smell of fish was in the air,
Though the burial was slated,
Meow, meow, meow!
He became reanimated,
Meow, meow, meow!
He came back to life, Don Gato!

Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World USA page for more Children’s Songs in English.

El señor don Gato
(Spanish)

Estaba el señor Don Gato
sentadito en su tejado
marramiau miau, miau, miau,
sentadito en su tejado.

Ha recibido una carta
por si quiere ser casado,
marramiau, miau, miau, miau,
por si quiere ser casado.

Con una gatita blanca
sobrina de un gato pardo,
marrama, miau, miau, miau,
sobrina de un gato pardo.

El gato por ir a verla
se ha caído del tejado,
marramiau, miau, miau, miau,
se ha caído del tejado.

Se ha roto seis costillas
el espinazo y el rabo,
marramiau, miau, miau, miau,
el espinazo y el rabo.

Ya lo llevan a enterrar
por la calle del pescado,
marramiau, miau, miau, miau,
por la calle del pescado.

Al olor de las sardinas
el gato ha resucitado,
marramiau, miau, miau, miau,
el gato ha resucitado.

Por eso dice la gente
“siete vidas tiene un gato”,
marramiau, miau, miau, miau,
“siete vidas tiene un gato”.

Lord Tom Cat
(English)

Lord Tom Cat was
Sitting on his roof
Marrameow meow meow meow
Sitting on his roof.

He received a letter
Asking if he wants to get married
Marrameow meow meow meow
Asking if he wants to get married.

With a white kitty
Niece of a brown cat
Marrameow meow meow meow
Niece of a brown cat.

As the cat went to visit her
He fell down from the roof
Marrameow meow meow meow
He fell down from the roof.

He broke six ribs
His spine and his tail
Marrameow meow meow meow
His spine and his tail.

He’s taken to be buried
Through the fish street
Marrameow meow meow meow
Through the fish street.

Smelling some sardines
The cat resuscitated
Marrameow meow meow meow
The cat resuscitated.

That’s why people say
“A cat has seven lives”
Marrameow meow meow meow
“A cat has seven lives”.

There’s another English version of Senor don Gato that’s different from the direct translation. I’ll post that version next.

Many thanks to Monique Palomares of Mama Lisa’s World en français for finding the lyrics to El señor don Gato for me, and for
translating them into English.

Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Spain Page for more Spanish Songs with their English translations and the Mama Lisa’s World en français Espagne page for Spanish songs with their French translations.

Below you’ll find the lyrics in Spanish, with an English translation and an mp3 recording of Monique singing the song. The last two lines of each verse are repeated.

MP3 Recording of Una tarde fresquita de mayo

Una tarde fresquita de mayo
(Spanish)

Una tarde fresquita de mayo
Cogí mi caballo y me fui a pasear
Por las sierras más altas que había
Donde mi morena solía pasear.

Yo la vi que cogía una rosa
Yo la vi que cogía un clavel
Y le dije – jardinera hermosa
¿Me das una rosa, me das un clavel?

Y me dijo muy fina y galante
Al instante yo se las daré
Si me jura que nunca ha tenido
Flores en la mano de otra mujer.

Yo te juro que eres la primera
De quien flores espero coger
Por lo tanto, jardinera hermosa
¿Me das una rosa, me das un clavel?

On a Cool Evening in May
(English)

On a cool evening in May
I took my horse and went for a ride
In the highest mountains
Where my brunette used to stroll.

And I saw her pick a rose,
And I saw her pick a carnation,
And I told her, pretty gardener,
Would you give me a rose?
Would you give me a carnation?

And she told me, very shrewdly and gallantly,
I’ll give them to you at once,
If you’ll swear to me you’ve never held
Flowers from another woman.

I swear to you you’re the first one
From whom I hope to pick flowers
Then, pretty gardener,
Would you give me a rose?
Would you give me a carnation?

Monique asked me to post this question about Une Tarde de Mayo…

I’d like to know whether anyone from the Murcia area in Spain heard it sung this way. (Quisiera saber is algún Murciano la oyó cantar así.)

If anyone can answer Monique’s question, please comment below.

Many thanks to Monique, my colleague at Mama Lisa’s World en français, for sharing this song and for singing it for us.

-Lisa

Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Spain Page for more Spanish Songs.