By Mike Sain't Louis ·
El espejo de enfrente: abs one day, disgust the next
We all have a mirror that hates us. The one in the lift, the one in a shop's fitting room, the bathroom one with that white operating-theatre light. Mine is right opposite, and I've dedicated a whole song to it.
El espejo de enfrente (The Mirror Opposite) begins in the small hours, in half-light, with the moon hiding a pale shadow. All very poetic, very Gothic novel. Until one of my favourite comparisons arrives: I feel my head is a weather balloon. And from there things veer off exactly where they had to go.
The chorus has no filter whatsoever. «¡Ay! Qué asco me doy» (Oh! I disgust myself). And then the line that sums it all up: being sick of seeing your face in the mirror opposite, with a rather more forceful adjective in the song. It's that feeling we've all had some morning after a bad night, when the last thing you want is to run into yourself.
A mirror with changeable moods
What amuses me most is the bridge. It turns out the mirror has its days. There are days when it behaves: your abs are showing, you're radiant, you're queen of the house. And there are others when it behaves terribly and you can't even feel your vital signs. As if the mirror were the one with mood swings, and not you.
I find it a very funny, and very honest, way of talking about self-esteem. About how fragile it is, how it depends on a reflection, on the lighting, on whether you've slept or not. And about how cruel we can be to ourselves, something the song also acknowledges: I'm so cruel, so cruel.
There are a lot of people in our world, especially on the gay scene, who live fixated on the body, on abs, on how you look in photos. The song laughs a little at all that, starting with myself.
I'd dedicate it to anyone who has had one of those mornings when you can't stand yourself. Listen to it while you get ready to go out, and see what face your mirror pulls at you today. And if it misbehaves, turn off the light and that's that.
The full lyrics are below. Listen on Spotify
Lyrics · EL ESPEJO DE ENFRENTE
En la penumbra de la madrugada,La luna esconde mi pálida sombra,Miro al espejo y no vivo el presente,Siento que mi cabeza es un globo sondaPor este maldito espejo de enfrente
¡ Ay! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente,Soy tan cruel, tan cruel…Tan cruelAy! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente
Cada reflejo una burla me trae,Los ojos cansados de tanto mirar,En el silencio mi mente se desvanece,Buscando un respiro, un lugar para escaparDe este maldito espejo de enfrente
¡ Ay! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente,Soy tan cruel, tan cruel…Tan cruelAy! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente
hoy se está portando bien el espejo de enfrenteYa se me marcan las abdominalesHoy estoy resplandecientehoy se está portando fatal el espejo de enfrenteY no siento mis constantes vitalesCreo que ya es suficiente
Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente,
¡ Ay! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente,Soy tan cruel, tan cruel…Tan cruelAy! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente
Puente:hoy se está portando bien el espejo de enfrenteYa se me marcan las abdominalesHoy estoy resplandecientehoy se está portando fatal el espejo de enfrenteY no siento mis constantes vitalesCreo que ya es suficiente
Estribillo:¡ Ay! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente,Soy tan cruel, tan cruel…Tan cruelAy! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente
Puente:hoy se está portando bien el espejo de enfrenteYa se me marcan las abdominalesHoy estoy resplandecientehoy se está portando fatal el espejo de enfrenteY no siento mis constantes vitalesCreo que ya es suficiente
Estribillo:¡ Ay! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente,Soy tan cruel, tan cruel…Tan cruelAy! Qué asco me doy,Estoy harto de verme la puta cara en el espejo de enfrente
Final:hoy se está portando bien el espejo de enfrentehoy se está portando fatal el espejo de enfrente
Lyrics as published with the official music video, on the MIKE SAIN'T LOUIS label.