NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

I haven't translated an English pop song into Chamorro in very long time. I was feeling nostalgic the other day and decided to translate "Sex and Candy" by Marcy's Playground. Note that the translation isn't meant to be literal and I changed things where I saw it appropriate in particular lines such as "disco candy" and "platform double suede." **************** --> Kichichi yan Bukåyu Humahaggan yu’ Guahu na maisa Åpmam na tiempo Para bai fanhasso Put Guahu Ya desnek gui’ Kulang mesgo’ yan minangnge’ Hu’u ayugue Mannginge’ yu’ Kichikichi yan bukåyu Håyi matata’chong Gi siyå-hu? Håyi mana’atan båba giya Guahu Nåna siempre Guinife ha’ este! Humahaggan yu’ Guahu na maisa Ya hu dafflokgue Kafe gumimen Ya duru manhasso yu’ Put Guahu Ya desnek gui’ Gi dogga’ na yore’ Hu’u ayugue Kulang tuban binakle Mannginge’ yu’ Kichikichi yan bukåyu Håyi matata’chong Gi siyå-hu? Hå

Tomorrow for my free Chamorro lessons at a Hagåtña coffee shop, we'll be focusing on translating four Chamorro songs into English. The reason for this focus is that next week is the "Na'lå'la': Songs of Freedom" concert being organized by Independent Guåhan (July 4th, 2-5 pm at the Adelup Front Lawn). After the success of the Respect the Chamoru People Rally in April, our group decided to have a similar public event, although this time focus more on art, music and poetry, as opposed to speeches. To get my Chamorro students into the mood for the event (as most of them will be there or are even volunteering), I picked out four interesting songs, with various social/political messages. One of those songs was this one, "Ingrato" a traditional song written by Tun Jose Pangelinan, but made famous by Candy Taman and the groups Tropic Sette and Chamolinian. It has a simple, yet powerful message, especially profound in times of rapid social and cultural cha

My Pacific Daily News columns from the past two weeks focused on Chamorro music and how to determine what makes a great Chamorro song. It didn't pick any favorite Chamorro song, but it was fun thinking about the issues and how one might go about it. Here are the two columns. ******************* The decades since World War II have brought a great number of changes to Chamorro culture and Chamorro life. Practices and trades once considered essential to life have disappeared or been adapted to societal and technological changes. The decline of the Chamorro language is one of the clearest ways you can perceive these changes. But there is one way in which the Chamorro language, even as it was banned in schools and not taught to children in many homes, remained alive and well, and that was in Chamorro music. During a time of rapid Americanization, where Chamorros were actively giving up and tossing away things that had once defined them proudly as Chamorro