Silvio Rodríguez
Yo soy de donde hay un río lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- Intermediate
- Released
- 1988
- Length
- 4:14
Yo soy de donde hay un río
I am from where there's a river
de la punta hay una loma
from the tip there’s a hill
de familia con aroma a tierra
from a family with the scent of earth
tabaco y frío
tobacco and cold
soy de un paraje copn brío
I’m from a place full of energy
donde mi infancia surtí
where I flourished in my childhood
y cuando despues partí a la ciudad y la trampa
and when I later left for the city and the trap
me fui sabiendo que en tampa
I went knowing that in Tampa
mi abuelo habla con Martín
my grandfather speaks with Martín
supo la gran aventura
he knew the great adventure
supo la estación más triste
he knew the saddest season
supo el dolor que se viste de redencion en la cintura
he knew the pain that dresses itself in redemption at the waist
supo la traición mas dura
he knew the harshest betrayal
luego el silencio, el rumor
then silence, the murmur
luego el murmullo, el clamor
then the whisper, the clamoring
y al fin supo del aullido
and at last he knew the howl
y del ultimo estallido
and the final explosion
mi abuelo supo el amor
my grandfather knew love
así lo se porque quiero hecharme en su misma fosa
that's how I know because I want to lie in his same grave
sin oración y sin losa
without prayer and without tombstone
hueso con hueso viajero
bone with bone, a traveler
lo se como el aguasero sabe que acaba en la orilla
I know like the waters know they end on the shore
lo se como se su silla, su cuchillo, su mascada
I know how his chair, his knife, his scarf are
y su corona nevada
and his snowy crown
cual se tambien su rodilla
I also know his knee
Yo soy de donde hay un río
I am from where there is a river
de la punta hay una loma
at the tip there is a hill
de familia con aroma a tierra
from a family with the scent of earth
tabaco y frío
tobacco and cold
soy de un paraje copn brío
I am from a place full of spirit
donde mi infancia surtí
where my childhood blossomed
y cuando despues partí a la ciudad y la trampa
and when I later left for the city and the trap
me fui sabiendo que en tampa
I left knowing that in Tampa
mi abuelo hablo
my grandfather spoke
mi abuelo hablo con Martín
my grandfather spoke with Martín
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Key vocabulary
- infancia
- childhoodB1
- martín
- MartinB1
- orilla
- shoreB1
- paraje
- placeB1
- porque
- because; for the reason thatB1
- dolor
- painA2
- redencion
- redemption
- cintura
- waistB1
- familia
- familyA1
- hay
- there isA1
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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.