I'm continuing Adriana Varela's recordings, because she is awesome! I like when songs take an old piece of poetry, and then write lyrics inspired by it. What does this song mean? Have you ever been in a situation like this?

[Spoken Section ]
Why is that blue sky that we all see,
not sky, nor even blue?
Such a shame, that so much beauty, is not true.
-Lupercio Leonardo de Argensola, 1559-1613

No...
It's not the sky, nor is it blue
Nor is it true, your candor
Nor, by the end of it, your youth
You buy the lipstick
and the pot of blush
that shudders on your cheeks
and on your under-eye circles, you use concealer
to fill your powder mask with love

You
How shy, and fatal
you arrange the pain
after sobbing*
You'll know how I loved you,
One day upon awaking,
without faith nor makeup
Already ready for that trip,
that descends unto the final shade

Lie
They are lies, your virtue
your love and your goodness
and finally, your youth

Lie
you put makeup on your heart
Lies without piety
What a shame of love
You buy the lipstick
and the pot of blush
that shivers in your cheeks,
and on your under-eye circles, you use concealer***
to fill your powder mask with love

You
How shy, and fatal
you rearrange the pain
after sobbing
You'll know how I loved you,
One day upon awaking,
without faith nor makeup
Already ready for that trip,
that descends unto the final shade

Personally, I am "pro-makeup," meaning I don't think women should be criticized for wearing makeup. It is kind of a double standard, to simultaneously critize women's flaws, but also criticize women for trying to cover up those flaws! But I think in this song, make-up is a metaphor, 'painting' the picture of a person with artifice, that goes more than skin-deep. I hesitated to publish this translation, because as a feminist, it seems to me they lyrics are kind of ageist; are they shaming the subject for simply the passage of time? However, the metaphors and the singer’s point of view seem to more take issue with artifice in general, how the subject is duplicitous in her actions. But the make-up cannot cover her other sins. After all, the song concludes, when we meet our maker, it will be without any make-up on.

* I like how Adriana Varela kinda sobs herself on this word, on the first lyric
** The original Spanish uses a word called “verdín,” which I couldn’t find a translation for, which seems related to green. I know that some under-eye concealers are green tinted, to hide redness.

Hear Adriana Varela sing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ1obel2-7o

See original Spanish lyrics here: https://www.letras.com/adriana-varela/1012627/

I used these images from Pixabay to make my collages:
Image by jplenio from Pixabay
Image by まきこ川崎 from Pixabay
Image by Adina Voicu from Pixabay
Image by Pexels from Pixabay
Image by Irina Gromovataya from Pixabay