Detrás de la Música · Aura Radio
Grandpa Sings Off-Key
Una silla vacía, un vídeo en el móvil y toda la familia cantando desafinado
Escribí esta canción recordando un vídeo de cincuenta y siete segundos que guardo en mi teléfono. En él, mi abuelo cantaba desafinando, subido a una silla, un villancico inventado por él sobre el gato, el pavo y el perro. Este año su silla estaba vacía y nadie quería hablar, hasta que mi sobrino reprodujo el vídeo por accidente. Mi intención fue reflejar cómo ese momento rompió el silencio. Quise capturar esa transformación: de la ausencia a ponernos todos de pie sobre las sillas, cantando sus disparatadas palabras y desafinando con él. Cerramos grabando un nuevo vídeo para mantener su voz y su canción para siempre.
Letra de la Canción
[00:19.70] There's a video on my phone, [00:22.00] fifty-seven seconds long, [00:24.50] Grandpa standing on a chair [00:26.58] singing every note wrong. [00:29.40] He made it up that morning, [00:31.82] a carol of his own, [00:34.16] about the cat, the turkey [00:36.10] and the dog who stole a bone. [00:38.90] We laughed so hard that Christmas [00:41.18] I nearly dropped the phone, [00:43.72] the picture's all a tumble, [00:45.80] but the voice is all his own. [00:51.92] Sing it wro-o-ong, [00:54.18] sing it lou-ou-oud, [00:56.56] every note that missed the mark [00:58.60] is the one that made us pro-ou-oud. [01:01.34] This year his chair is empty, [01:03.10] the table's full and bright, [01:05.70] and no one wants to say it [01:09.62] on this first Christmas night. [01:39.06] Until my little nephew [01:44.58] grabs hold of my phone, [01:47.18] presses play by accident, [01:49.48] and Grandpa's singing on his own. [01:52.12] Sing it wro-o-ong, [01:58.66] sing it lou-ou-oud, [02:01.20] every note that missed the mark [02:03.10] is the one that made us pro-ou-oud. [02:20.52] And, Grandpa, you'd have loved it, [02:22.98] the way the silence broke, [02:25.04] the whole family singing badly [02:27.56] every word of your old joke. [02:30.10] We play it twenty times, [02:32.42] we learn the silly words, [02:34.82] my mother on the high notes [02:37.06] like a choir of startled birds. [02:43.52] And at eleven forty [02:46.22] we film it one more time, [02:48.88] all of us standing on our chairs, [02:51.62] every note out of line. [02:58.78] Sing it wro-o-ong, [03:01.04] sing it lou-ou-oud, [03:03.42] every note that missed the mark [03:05.48] is the one that makes us pro-ou-oud. [03:08.38] Sing it wro-o-ong, [03:10.24] like you did befo-o-ore, [03:12.98] a new video on the phone [03:14.82] and your song for evermo-o-ore. [03:22.80] Fifty-seven seconds [03:26.42] and now a few seconds more.