[SOLVED] Ran Kan Kan - First four lines, transcription and translation

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Senior Member
<a href="/hu/translator/breezyday" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1394713">BreezyDay <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 31.08.2018
Pending moderation

Hola ¿Qué quieren decir estas palabras de la canción «Ran Kan Kan» de Tito Puente?

«Rana, sagüero y rumba, araña peludita» (thank you phantasmagoria for correcting lyrics to peludi-ta.

Enjovher explains, "Apparently the word 'sagüero, sagüera' [refers to] the people who live in the city of Sagua la Grande, Cuba."

So in English it would be, I guess, "frog, person of Sagua and party, hairy spider". But what does that mean?

¡Gracias!

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<a href="/hu/translator/citl%C4%81licue" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1109697">citlālicue <div class="moderator_icon" title="Модератор" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 31.03.2012

On other older forums users say it's: Rana, saguer y rumba, araña peludi-ta (I agree with at least "araña peludi-ta"). (so a little hairy spider = tarantula)

EDIT: These all sound like ingredients to a ritual :)

Editor
<a href="/hu/translator/anerneq" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1112972">Anerneq <div class="editor_icon" title="Revisore" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 10.05.2012

Maria, is that you?

Master
<a href="/hu/translator/blacksea4ever" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1390089">BlackSea4ever </a>
Csatlakozott: 19.07.2018

I don't get it - is there a purpose to this comment? And that liking of one's own comments is like a screaming announcement that you are back. Why don't you just come back and use your talent instead of this harmful behavior that will bring you psychological harm. You do know we aren't in a kindergarten and the word fuck does not insult us... Whatever are you thinking, stop, and turn to visualizing something pleasant.

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<a href="/hu/translator/citl%C4%81licue" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1109697">citlālicue <div class="moderator_icon" title="Модератор" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 31.03.2012

BAM! and like that she's gone. If she sees this I hope she realizes how stupid that was to reveal herself, I guess being a 10-year-old baby girl does nothing for her maturity. I personally think she's a 50 year old loner cat lady who has nothing better to do that bother people online.

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<a href="/hu/translator/enjovher" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1219642">Enjovher <div class="moderator_icon" title="Модератор" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 09.09.2014

I think that makes more sense now.  :-o
I was already wondering: What is the use of a spider as a lubricant? Hehehehe.

Senior Member
<a href="/hu/translator/breezyday" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1394713">BreezyDay <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 31.08.2018

Thank you for these insights.

I will research 'santería frog spider' to see if something comes from that. If the opening lines are a reference to santería, I may request to unpublish, because this is in opposition to my "religious" beliefs, although I love everyone and do not judge. However, one time maluca made the interesting point that even extremely offensive lyrics should be typed because it helps people to avoid purchasing music that goes against their personality (my words). So maybe I'll keep it either way.

For whatever it's worth, Tito had Puerto Rican parents and was born/raised in New York's Spanish harlem. However, according to Wikipedia, he mastered Afro-Cuban as well as other Latin music genres/styles.

I have done extensive and exhausting research and in so doing have ignored collections and some songs that need badly to be cleaned up.

I don't even know what genre/style Ran Kan Kan is. It was used in Mambo Kings, so my first guess would be mambo. "The story follows [two musicians] who flee from Havana, Cuba to New York City". If anyone feels like a challenge and can verify if this song is mambo, I would love it.

Also, it makes me crazy that lead vocalists are often not named in Cuban favorites. If anyone stumbles acro the name of the lead vocalist, I would love it. I found one long list for the entire soundtrack that mentions some vocalists' names. I will try researching those names.

Please note that I also uploaded ANOTHER version, but Puente released this song a million times, so my chances of figuring out which release it was (used in YouTube video) or who the singer was is slim. There is some applause, and it sounds live, but in theory, that could be a track added. ??

Finally, in the "extended version", it references someone named Rombi. If anyone figures out who Rombi is, please provide. "Rombi, prepárame los timbales." He may be someone famous. ?? I guess if he's setting up for Tito, he's probably not.

Extended, possibly live version: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/tito-puente-ran-kan-kan-different-version...

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<a href="/hu/translator/breezyday" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1394713">BreezyDay <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 31.08.2018

Reply to #2 and #7: I know some of Celia Cruz's music, although of modern style, makes reference to santería. She learned about it or its music from a neighbor when she was twelve. And she was involved in Yoruban culture. In one of her hits from the 50s, she prays to a goddess for rain, and in another she references, I believe, the ile (house of initiation into the religion).

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<a href="/hu/translator/breezyday" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1394713">BreezyDay <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 31.08.2018

And I thought it was «el año belubicá»!

Moderátor Rosa
<a href="/hu/translator/roster-31" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1158631">roster 31 <div class="moderator_icon" title="Moderator" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 15.02.2013
BlackSea4ever wrote:

I don't get it - is there a purpose to this comment? And that liking of one's own comments is like a screaming announcement that you are back. Why don't you just come back and use your talent instead of this harmful behavior that will bring you psychological harm. You do know we aren't in a kindergarten and the word fuck does not insult us... Whatever are you thinking, stop, and turn to visualizing something pleasant.

Why to invite her back?
Thank God she is gone!

Master
<a href="/hu/translator/blacksea4ever" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1390089">BlackSea4ever </a>
Csatlakozott: 19.07.2018

Rosa, it's really easy to say "good riddance", but if the girl is truly 19, she can learn. I'm always cautious of giving a rejection to one so young with hopes they will mature. I know her actions so far weren't promising, but...hope spring is eternal. She has tendency to be overly dramatic and I'd hope she channel this into acting or writing rather than real life. Rejection is a very dangerous tool.

Moderátor Rosa
<a href="/hu/translator/roster-31" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1158631">roster 31 <div class="moderator_icon" title="Moderator" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 15.02.2013

I don't know anything about the girl, I just read her comment.
Sorry, I change my mind: Let her in.

Master
<a href="/hu/translator/blacksea4ever" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1390089">BlackSea4ever </a>
Csatlakozott: 19.07.2018

Think about it - if someone was nice to Trump when he was young, he may have turned out human instead of greedy, insecure, heartless jerk. Lol/cry

Senior Member
<a href="/hu/translator/breezyday" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1394713">BreezyDay <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 31.08.2018

Phantasmagoria's comment that this is a reference to ritual seems to be correct.

For the record, he was into santería according to a book author https://latintrends.com/tito-puentes-private-life-revealed/

This forum is painful to read but shows how great LT is. but again as a record for future inquiries https://www.proz.com/forum/off_topic/20017-ran_kan_kan_lyrics_tito_puent...

https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/27/nyregion/after-years-of-secrecy-sante...

Enjovher - 1) I will clean this comment w (aref=) later ;) and 2) Please take ownership of the song as it is your transcription, if you desire to do so and if rules allow. Future generations will have the same questions I had, so I suggest to explain in footnotes or submitter's comments the word sagüero and the comment that the entire line is a reference apparently to santería ritual.

Master
<a href="/hu/translator/sandring" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1263066">sandring </a>
Csatlakozott: 18.10.2015

Actually, I've always understood it completely differently.
Rana sagüera y cumba, arañan pa' lubricar (The first time they sing "cumba", then rumba. Cuban rumba.)
Rana .... is a slang word for a laundry girl. The idea is that like a laundry girl who rubs the washing to make them smooth, cumba roughs you up to anoint you in the end. I may be wrong about it though.

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<a href="/hu/translator/breezyday" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1394713">BreezyDay <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 31.08.2018

Thank you. I would like to believe that is a possibility.

I'd like to take this opportunity to express frustration that so many artists don't post their official lyrics. Would it have killed him to write them down with an explanation in his memoirs? He loved music so much; he of all people should have understood the importance of this sort of thing. If it is santeria, the article cited in my last post says it has been kept secret until recently, so maybe he didn't want to draw attention to it.

I'm going to see if the library has that biography referenced in my previous post. Maybe the author has the story.

Has anyone tried listening to the line at .75 or .5 speed? I can't do it at the library because it's too noisy. I tried to learn how to do it on my phone; I'll have to try again.

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<a href="/hu/translator/breezyday" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1394713">BreezyDay <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Csatlakozott: 31.08.2018

Publicist and close friend Joe Conzo: “I respected him in life and also in death. I used to tell people who were going to interview him, don’t ask him about his private life—or religion. He was very private about that,” opting to keep some things sacred to the decease musician still private.