Admired analysis of Serrat's lyrics

The Mexican essayist Alfonso Reyes said that writers publish their books to stop correcting them.

Joan Manuel Serrat, whom I believe to be the greatest interpreter and songwriter, has announced that he will retire in 2022. And with that, it will be difficult for him to improve an arrangement, alter a chord, retouch a phrase.

Because he never objected to correcting his own lyrics.

The changes of Franco's censorship in

and in

(both from 1970), but we'll stick here with voluntary tweaks on several of his most popular creations.

More information

Joan Manuel Serrat's career, in pictures

For example, in

alters two verses from the original recording. The original version (1971) said: "It is a love letter that blows away the wind

in my voice." And that from the album

(1984), remained forever like this: "It's a love letter that the wind

on my voice." With this, what is painted is no longer the wind, but the letter.

Also in

the original verses tell: "Today I am looking in the sand for a full moon

the sea." But on the next occasion he will record, on the aforementioned live album: "Today I am looking in the sand for a full moon

the sea." With this, the action is no longer exerted by the moon scratching the sea but by the speaking subject himself (I look in the sand, scratching the sea, for a full moon). And it would also be theoretically possible to understand in the first option - the grammar allows it - that the sea scratched the moon ("I look for a full moon that scratched the sea": that is, a full moon that the sea scratched).

The book

(Aguilar, 2000), where his lyrics come together, collects “painted” and “that scratched”.

Therefore, correct the first but not the second.

In the original

(1971), you hear "One who believes

killing time and absence."

However, in all subsequent recordings and performances he will sing

killed".

Thus he passes from the implicit agreement with "memories" (he killed them) to the explicit relationship with "little things" (he killed them).

In the book it also appears "he killed them."

The lyrics of

(1981) say: “They carry our gods and our language (...). That is why it seems to us that they are made of rubber ”. The connector “for that” did not make much sense there, and Serrat replaced it in later versions with “sometimes”.

A verse from the

said at first

love, games and sorrows." However, in the 1984 album you can hear

love, games and sorrows." Later, in

(2003) and in the

(2014) he again sings “guardo” (as it also appears in the book). But on another live album, recorded in Mexico (2015), he returns to "I have." For this reason, it is possible to think of some intermittent neglect (the absent-minded we usually relapse), because "I have" appears in the immediate verse: "I, who in my skin

the heat...";

and in this way there is a reiteration that was avoided with "guardo".

In that song he also corrected, in the book and in later performances, an imperative with an infinitive

[

] my boat into the sea" ...).

A reciting the dedication of Miguel Hernandez prior to the poem

(1972), Serrat said on the album: "It is dead to

me like lightning Ramón Sijé,

whom he loved", although the oriolano poet had preferred

whom both wanted".

Later, Serrat would correct him live, always attentive to his noble desire.

Antonio Machado also suffered a slight modification.

Serrat sings when referring to Don Guido

young man who had to settle his head: "And he nods in a Spanish way, that he went

marry a maid of great fortune."

But Machado did not write the "was" of the verb to go (he was to marry), but rather the verb to be (it was to marry).

That is to say: "Settle in a Spanish way, which was to marry a maiden of great fortune."

They are undoubtedly

in the work of a titan of poetry and music.

Furthermore, I am sure that if Machado raised his head he would retouch this verse so that it would remain as Serrat sings it.

Subscribe here

Sign in to continue reading

Just by having an account you can read this article, it's free

Sign upLogin

Thanks for reading EL PAÍS