I first wrote this song in 1997... in English. It was originally called "To Show You Me" - and the chorus went; "I will paint my face with the colours of my soul... to show you me... to show you me."
The original recording was on my 4-track cassette recorder, with me playing guitar (rather badly). In the years that followed, I recorded different versions with several different musical collaborators... but was never quite happy with it. So I recently decided to transcribe it into Welsh, which was an interesting experience...
I couldn't directly translate, word-for-word, as the new syllables wouldn't fit - so I had to think of different ways to convey the same message. For example, in the chorus in this version, I am literally now singing (in Welsh): "I am painting my face with the soul's colours. See who I am... who I am" - or "who am I?", depending on how you want to read it... I like the ambiguity of the phrase, which wouldn't work in English.
Essentially, the song is about authentic self-expression and the desire to be loved just as you are, without having to change to meet expectations...
I prefer singing this song in Welsh. Though I'm just a learner, so (after I'd already recorded it), I did panic slightly when my neighbour - who's a first-language Welsh-speaker - said that I'd been singing the Welsh word for "spoons" ('lwyau') instead of "colours" ('lliwiau')... thankfully, he was only teasing! Though, if I had got it wrong, "Soul Spoons" could have been interesting...
Another thing I prefer about this version (which is my favourite) is that it's in the key of A flat/ G sharp... and there's a bit of a controversey about that, because they are apparently not the same note! Check out this interesting music theory on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGEXJe3px68
Y dydd wnes i gwrdd â ti
Anghofiais gelu fy hun
Ti syrthiodd mewn cariad â fi
Pan welsoch fi
Dw i’n paentio fy wyneb
Gyda lliwiau’r enaid
Gweld pwy ydw i
pwy ydw i
Dw i’n cau fy llygaid
A’ch teimlo’n agos i ti
Dw i’n meddwl llawer am sut yr
Dw i’n teimlo am ti
Mae llais y tu mewn i mi yn dweud
fod hyn yn wir
Dw i’n caru ti…
Dw i’n caru ti
- Ydw dwi’n!
Mae fy nghalon gyda ti am byth
A chadwaf eich rhai ti
Mewn lle diogel iawn
Yma gyda fi
Dw i’n paentio fy wyneb
Gyda lliwiau’r enaid
Gweld pwy ydw i
pwy ydw i
from
Eurdy,
released June 4, 2019
Tony Browne: guitars, bass
Mark Davies: cello
Alex Matthews: piano
Hanner Chant: vocal melody, lyrics