Rules for Life by Celia Cruz

Anyone who talks to me long enough will eventually learn, at least in passing, that I love Celia Cruz. She was a wonderful songstress and quite a character; I still lament that I never had a chance to hear her perform live.

Her songs, besides being great fun to listen and dance to, also had advice for living life with gusto and ignoring naysayers and critics who speak out of spite. Her lyrics are fun to listen to, and even more fun to translate into English. Sometimes, though, I don't understand her slang terms.

She also loved sugar, with her catchphrase being, "Azucar!" Damn, she was cool. She died in 2003, and over 400,000 people came to pay their respects.

Hay Que Empezar Otra Vez or, in English, We Need to Try Again, translates into something like the following.

We need to try again,
what's done is done.
If you are weeping, suffering because of a love that abandoned you,
likely it's because God is clearing the way for something better.
The person who says they give up because life is cruel,
perhaps it's because they don't understand the great value of friendship.

The people who always envy, and criticize without cause,
they need to wake up or they will end up very alone.
And he who makes empty promises to rise up in the world,
he needs to learn that he doesn't fool anyone and will sink himself in lies.

Living in a foul mood gets you nowhere, change that scowling face.
Don't believe that money buys you happiness,
too many have everything and end up alone.

Live your life fully, we don't know when we'll go.
Smile, show the world your joy, or we'll need to get a surgery to fix that face of yours.
Don't let a situation bother you, smile and walk away.
Don't vex yourself over nothing.

Watch this video long enough, and you will see people doing the trademark Peralta dance move, "One hand on stomach, one in air." The song she's singing is great, because near the end, they basically tell a list of people that suck to get the hell out. Fuera!

I want to go dancing, now...