Silvio Rodríguez
Las ruinas lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1998
- Length
- 4:03
Los caldeos, los asirios, la Roma del poder
The Chaldeans, the Assyrians, the Rome of power
Supieron resumir mejor
They knew how to sum it up better
Los helenos, los egipcios, los hijos de Israel
The Hellenes, the Egyptians, the children of Israel
Ya estaban conversando del amor
They were already talking about love
Hubo templos y ciudades solo para adorar
There were temples and cities just for worship
El culto del alma y la piel
The cult of the soul and the skin
Hubo diosas seductoras y bosques para amar
There were seductive goddesses and forests to love in
Y hasta la guerra hubo por una mujer
And there was even war over a woman
¿Qué te podría decir desde hoy?
What could I possibly say from today?
¿Qué ceremonia podría venerar?
What ceremony could I venerate?
Siglos pesados como coliseos
Heavy centuries like coliseums
Aplastan cualquier invención
Crush any invention
Hay piedras, hay ruinas oyéndome hablar
There are stones, there are ruins listening to me talk
Oyendo decir: "te amo, te amo"
Listening to say: 'I love you, I love you'
Palabras que han cruzado el desierto entre dos
Words that have crossed the desert between two
Circundaron la tierra y volvieron del sol
They circled the earth and returned from the sun
Te amo, te amo
I love you, I love you
Después de pasado tanto, no puede importar
After so much has passed, it can't matter
Que ponga un dedo en el amor
That I put a finger on love
Que me guste observarte a través del cristal
That I enjoy watching you through the glass
De un vaso dibujado con color
From a glass drawn with color
Es lo que nos han dejado, me debo conformar
It's what they've left us; I have to settle for it
Con la simpleza de querer
With the simplicity of wanting
Me dedico a poner flores alrededor de ti
I dedicate myself to placing flowers around you
Y palmo a palmo a bendecir tu piel
And inch by inch to bless your skin
El siglo XX no da tiempo a más
The 20th century gives no time for more
En su corriente se ahogan las ruinas
In its current, the ruins drown
Mas el torbellino se para a momentos
Yet the whirlwind pauses at times
Y hay calma y hay contemplación
And there's calm and contemplation
Entonces las ruinas pueden escuchar
Then the ruins can listen
Pueden sonreír, te amo, te amo
They can smile, I love you, I love you
Cuelgan de las palabras zargazos del mar
They hang from the sea's cerulean words
Son cristal de la nieve y sabor de la sal
They are crystal of snow and flavor of salt
Te amo, te amo
I love you, I love you
Del polvo de las ruinas se levanta el amor
From the dust of ruins love rises
Polvo que se respira y de nuevo voló
Dust that is breathed and flew again
Te amo, te amo, te amo (te amo)
I love you, I love you, I love you (I love you)
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- caldeos
- Chaldeans
- asirios
- Assyrians
- roma
- Rome
- poder
- canB2
- adorar
- adoreB2
- desierto
- desertA2
- guerra
- warA2
- culto
- worshipA1
- palabras
- wordsB1
- supieron
- they knew
About this song
Silvio Rodríguez is a Cuban singer-songwriter associated with nueva trova and nueva canción. He is known for politically charged, lyric-driven protest songs set against tender folk balladry, and for helping define the style that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s.