The Celtic Folk Band Spinning Wheel (Austria) performs Hijo de la Luna. "Mecano, Loona, Bely Basarte and Sarah Brightman inspired the Austrian band Spinning Wheel to do this folk version of Hijo de la Luna."
Band Website: https://www.spinningwheel.at
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6TGJkEMeprPu94klBnwghG
Performed by Spinning Wheel
Vocals: Danika Ruso
Guitar: Markus Sauschlager
Special guest on nyckelharpa: Stephan "Stoney" Steiner
"I have known and loved the song Hijo de la Luna by Mecano ever since it first came into the top music charts in Austria.
There are dozens of cover versions already, and with good reason - the haunting beauty of the music, the tragic, fairytale-like folk story...It is one of these songs that stay with you for a long time.
Naturally, I jumped at the chance to do this song with the band. In our interpretation, we went for a very simple arrangement: just voice, nyckelharpa and guitar.
I hope you like it." Danika
The song is about a Spanish Gypsy woman who prays to the moon for a husband. The moon promises to grant her wish, in return, she demands the couples' first born child. When the child is born a moon albino with white skin and grey eyes, the dark-skinned man believes himself betrayed by his wife. In his rage, he stabs his wife to death and leaves the child in on a mountainside to die, but the moon becomes the baby's surrogate mother, taking care of it, which might have been her plan after all...
Here is an English translation of the lyrics:
Foolish is he who doesn't understand
A legend tells
Of a gypsy woman
Who pleaded with the moon
Until dawn
Weeping she begged
At the break of dawn
To marry a gypsy man
"You'll have your man,
Tawny skin,"
Said the full moon
From the sky
"But in return I want
The first child
That you have with him.
Because she who sacrifices her child
So that she is not alone,
Isn't likely to love it very much."
Moon, you want to be mother,
But you cannot find a love
Who makes you a woman.
Tell me, silver moon,
What you intend to do
With a child of flesh.
Son of the moon.
From a cinnamon-skinned father
A son was born,
White as the back
Of an ermine,
With grey eyes
Instead of olive --
Moon's albino child.
"Damn his appearance!
This is not a gypsy man's son
And I will not put up with that."
(Chorus)
Believing to be dishonoured,
The gypsy went to his wife,
A knife in his hand.
"Whose son is this?
You have certainly fooled me!"
And he wounded her mortally.
Then he went to the mountain
With the child in his arms
And left it behind there.
(Chorus)
And on the nights
The moon is full
It is because the child
Is in a good mood.
And if the child cries,
The moon wanes
To make it a cradle.
And if the child cries,
The moon wanes
To make it a cradle.
Source: http://lyricstranslate.com/en/hijo-de-la-luna-son-moon.html-0
