Ricardo Arjona
Jesús, verbo no sustantivo lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1988
- Genre
- Pop, Rock
- Length
- 6:48
Ayer
Yesterday
Jesús afinó mi guitarra y agudizó mis sentidos
Jesus tuned my guitar and sharpened my senses
Me inspiró
He inspired me
Papel y lápiz en mano, apunto la canción y me negué a escribir
With paper and pencil in hand, I point to the song and refuse to write
Porque hablar y escribir sobre Jesús
Because to speak and write about Jesus
Es redundar
Is to be redundant
Sería mejor actuar
It would be better to act
Luego
Then
Algo me dijo que la única forma de no redundar es decir la verdad
Something told me that the only way not to be redundant is to tell the truth
Decir que a Jesús le gusta que actuemos
To say that Jesus wants us to act
No que hablemos
Not that we speak
Decir que Jesús es más que cinco letras formando un nombre
To say that Jesus is more than five letters forming a name
Decir que Jesús es verbo
To say that Jesus is a verb
No sustantivo
Not a noun
Jesús es más que una simple y llana teoría
Jesus is more than a simple and plain theory
Que haces, hermano, leyendo la Biblia
What are you doing, brother, reading the Bible
Todo el día
All day long
Lo que allí está escrito se resume en amor
What is written there is summed up in love
Vamos, ve y practícalo
Come on, go and practice it
Jesús, hermanos míos, es verbo, no sustantivo
Jesus, my brothers, is a verb, not a noun
Jesús es más que un templo de lujo con tendencia barroca
Jesus is more than a luxury temple with a baroque style
Él sabe que, total, a la larga
He knows that, in the end,
Esto no es más que roca
This is nothing more than rock
La iglesia se lleva en el alma y en los actos
The church is carried in the soul and in the deeds
No se te olvide
Don't forget
Que Jesús, hermanos míos, es verbo, no sustantivo
That Jesus, my brothers, is a verb, not a noun
Jesús es más que un grupo de señoras de muy negra conciencia
Jesus is more than a group of ladies with a very dark conscience
Que pretenden ganarse el cielo
Who pretend to earn their way to heaven
Con club de beneficencia
With a charity club
Si quieres tú ser miembro activo
If you want to be an active member
Tendrás que presentar a la directiva
You will have to present to the board
Tu cuenta de ahorros en Suiza y vínculos oficiales
Your savings account in Switzerland and official ties
Jesús es más que persignarse, hincarse y hacer de esto alarde
Jesus is more than just crossing yourself, kneeling and boasting about it
Él sabe que quizá por dentro
He knows that maybe inside
La conciencia les arde
Their conscience burns
Jesús es más que una flor
Jesus is more than a flower
En el altar salvadora de pecados
On the altar of sin's salvation
Jesús, hermanos míos, es verbo, no sustantivo
Jesus, my brothers, is a verb, not a noun
Jesús convertía en hechos todos sus sermones
Jesus turned all his sermons into deeds
Que si tomas café es pecado
That if you drink coffee, it's a sin
Dicen los mormones
They say the Mormons
Tienen tan poco que hacer
Have so little to do
Que andan inventando cada cosa
That they're inventing all sorts of things
Jesús, hermanos míos, es verbo, no sustantivo
Jesus, my brothers, is a verb, not a noun
Jesús no entiende por qué en el culto le aplauden
Jesus doesn't understand why they applaud him in worship
Hablan de honestidad
They talk about honesty
Sabiendo que el diezmo es un fraude
Knowing that the tithe is a fraud
A Jesús le da asco el pastor
Jesus is disgusted by the pastor
Que se hace rico con la fe
Who gets rich from faith
Jesús, hermanos míos, es verbo, no sustantivo
Jesus, my brothers, is a verb, not a noun
De mi barrio, la más religiosa era doña Carlota
From my neighborhood, the most religious was Mrs. Carlota
Hablaba de amor al prójimo
She spoke of love for others
Y me ponchó 100 pelotas
And she popped 100 balloons for me
Desde niño fui aprendiendo
Since I was a child, I learned
Que la religión no es más que un método
That religion is nothing more than a method
Con el título: "prohibido pensar que ya todo está escrito"
With the title: 'forbidden to think that everything is already written'
Me bautizaron cuando tenía dos meses y a mí no me avisaron
They baptized me when I was two months old, and I wasn't informed
Hubo fiesta, piñata, y a mí
There was a party, a piñata, and for me
Ni me preguntaron
They didn't even ask me
Bautízame Tú, Jesús
Baptize me, Jesus
Por favor así entre amigos
Please, just among friends
Sé que odias el protocolo, hermano mío
I know you hate the protocol, my brother
Señores, no dividan la fe
Gentlemen, don't divide the faith
Las fronteras son para los países
Borders are for countries
En este mundo hay más religiones que niños felices
In this world, there are more religions than happy children
Jesús pensó: "me haré invisible
Jesus thought: 'I will make myself invisible
Para que todos mis hermanos
So that all my brothers
Dejen de estar hablando tanto de mí
Stop talking so much about me
Y se tiendan la mano"
And extend a hand to each other'
Jesús, eres el mejor testigo del amor que te profeso
Jesus, you are the best witness of the love I profess to you
Tengo la conciencia tranquila
I have a clear conscience
Por eso no me confieso
That's why I don't confess
Rezando dos Padres Nuestros
Praying two Our Fathers
El asesino no revive a su muerto
The killer doesn't bring back his dead
Jesús, hermanos míos, es verbo, no sustantivo
Jesus, my brothers, is a verb, not a noun
Jesús, no bajes a la tierra, quédate allá arriba
Jesus, don't come down to earth, stay up there
Todos los que han pensado como Tú, hoy están bocarriba
All those who have thought like You, today are face up
Olvidados en algún cementerio
Forgotten in some cemetery
De equipaje sus ideales
Carrying their ideals as baggage
Murieron con la sonrisa en los labios
They died with a smile on their lips
Porque fueron verbo y no
Because they were a verb and not
Sustantivo
a noun
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- jesús
- Jesus
- afinó
- tuned
- agudizó
- sharpened
- sentidos
- sensesB1
- inspiró
- inspired
- apunto
- aim
- negué
- denied
- porque
- because; for the reason thatB1
- redundar
- be redundant
- sería
- would beB1
Test yourself
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A quick quiz on the key words from this song.
About this song
Ricardo Arjona is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter and actor in the Latin pop and Latin ballad genres. He is known for the chart-topping hits “Mujeres” and “El Problema,” and for a long-running career with numerous Billboard Latin chart entries and honors, including induction into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.