Jo competeixo [English translation]

When defeat is certain, some hide, some give in

and I compete.

Take a seat, comrades, let's talk about Beauty.

Some look for it in the first buds of Spring.

Some swear they've seen it in mathematical formulas,

floating in the harmony of the spheres.

And some found it by accident on the day that

they learned how to give without waiting to receive

or they learned how to have something without being afraid of losing it

others find it inside of an open mouth.

And you know what?

I really do agree with all of them.

I really do agree with all of them.

I'm in agreement with all of them

And I compete.

I can see that you're beautifully armed for the battle!

And the insolent bursts of your laughter resound where I'm going

And I can feel that you're convinced that your hearts

under your shirts, beat with a force unknown to this world.

But, you poor things, you don't suspect what is happening

A good friend ought to have explained it to you,

I've already defeated much better people than yourselves!

To be the most graceful dancer, to be the most witty and shine the brightest

to think of the deepest observations, to think of the most banal observations

to catch the attention of others' eyes, for all the natural resources

I compete.

When defeat is enormous there are those who recognise the forces of order, and there's me,

who competes.

And we've seen that you have certain talents, it's true, that they educated you, explaining to you

that you're splendid, that you're special, and that it would be a crime to not make the most of it,

but I fear that the difference between the protagonist

of a great night, of a great evening and a great rival, a specialist, has escaped you.

Being here isn't about being good with kids!

Being here isn't about having a beautiful wife!

Being here is about being willing to take a bullet!

Being here is about being the captain of foundering yachts!

What could you leave behind if it you had to? What would you sacrifice to change?

Would you give everything that your triumph demands of you?

Would you watch, laughing, doubling down, when your own people start to run?

Would you really stay here? Would you have the courage?

You know what? I think that, deep down, you're good kids.

You're good lads looking for a good life,

and sooner or later you'll want to achieve it,

you'll play cards with friends, you'll relax, you'll attend parties

or you'll whistle songs that some morons will have written about your deeds.

But, friends, the hatchet is never buried;

it hides in the highest drawer in the dining room,

it's rented by the hour, it's sold to the highest bidder,

it's given to your brother to keep for a while,

it's given to the museum with the lowest security,

but it's never buried, it's never buried,

and it gets sharper in the dark,

and it gets sharper in the dark,

and it gets sharper in the dark.

And, really, I'm truly sorry, but

perhaps I like your parties! Perhaps I like your style!

Perhaps I like your jobs! Perhaps I like your summer plans!

Perhaps I like your wives, your sisters, your flatmates!

Perhaps I like your dreams! Or perhaps not, perhaps I've lost interest on the way.

I arrive impatient and erratic, I know the tissues of your nervous system.

Watch where you step, fear the darkness, for I ruin self-esteem as if it were soap.

I come closer happily, applauding if I have to. I know how to fistbump, I know how to make people laugh with my jokes.

I'll be a son, a friend, a brother, a flatmate, a neighbour you share a lift with, a lover, I'll be an associate, I'll be a fan

Until the day when I'll be an unexpected depression, a bad smell in the air, a tense atmosphere,

the most sinister wind that the night could produce, the anger of the singer of the revolutionary Catalan band of 20081

The black angel of insomnia, the monster under your bed!

I'll be a howl that makes your blood run cold!

I'll be a heart attack, I'll be a phone call in the early hours!

I'll be the great wise man who will teach you the lesson

of with whom you can and can't play.

And at this point you will no longer expect a discrete celebration.

First, I watch respectfully, like someone who enjoys a fair fight, but,

if you look closely, I'm smiling with the smile of someone who's holding back a laugh.

After I've captured the audience's attention,

I pretend to be interested, I exaggerate prudently

and I tell the tale of the battle with details, stopping myself

to let people picture the faces of the poor, brave souls who one day arrived

just as you've arrived now,

just as you've arrived now,

just as you've arrived now.

When defeat is clear, there are those who search for a place elsewhere, and there's me,

who competes.

When defeat is clear, there are those who search for a place elsewhere, and there's me,

who competes.

When defeat is clear, there are those who search for a place elsewhere, and there's me,

who competes.

1. Referring to himself