19 Días y 500 Noches – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Joaquín Sabina

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

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19 DíAs Y 500 Noches

19 DíAs Y 500 Noches

Joaquin Sabina

Joaquin Sabina

Lo nuestro duró

What we had lasted

lo que duran dos peces de hielo

as long as two ice fish

en un güisqui on the rocks,

in a whiskey on the rocks,

en vez de fingir,

instead of pretending,

o, estrellarme una copa de celos,

or smashing a glass of jealousy,

le dio por reír.

she started laughing.

De pronto me vi,

Suddenly I saw myself,

como un perro de nadie,

like a stray dog,

ladrando, a las puertas del cielo.

barking at the gates of heaven.

Me dejó un neceser con agravios,

She left me a toiletries bag of grievances,

la miel en los labios

honey on my lips

y escarcha en el pelo.

and frost in my hair.

Tenían razón

My lovers

mis amantes

were right

en eso de que, antes,

about how, before,

el malo era yo,

I was the bad one,

con una excepción:

with one exception:

esta vez,

this time,

yo quería quererla querer

I wanted to want to love her

y ella no.

and she didn't.

Así que se fue,

So she left,

me dejó el corazón

left my heart

en los huesos

in my bones

y yo de rodillas.

and me on my knees.

Desde el taxi,

From the taxi,

y, haciendo un exceso,

and going overboard,

me tiró dos besos...

she threw me two kisses...

uno por mejilla.

one for each cheek.

Y regresé

And I returned

a la maldición

to the curse

del cajón sin su ropa,

of the drawer without her clothes,

a la perdición

to the perdition

de los bares de copas,

of the cocktail bars,

a las cenicientas

to the bargain basement

de saldo y esquina,

Cinderellas on the street corner,

y, por esas ventas

and, for those sales

del fino Laina,

of fine Laina wine,

pagando las cuentas

paying the bills

de gente sin alma

of soulless people

que pierde la calma

who lose their cool

con la cocaína,

with cocaine,

volviéndome loco,

going crazy,

derrochando

squandering

la bolsa y la vida

my money and my life

la fui, poco a poco,

little by little, I wrote her off

dando por perdida.

as a lost cause.

Y eso que yo,

And the thing is, I,

paro no agobiar con

so as not to overwhelm María

flores a María,

with flowers,

para no asediarla

so as not to besiege her

con mi antología

with my anthology

de sábanas frías

of cold sheets

y alcobas vacías,

and empty rooms,

para no comprarla

so as not to buy her off

con bisutería,

with costume jewelry,

ni ser el fantoche

nor be the puppet

que va, en romería,

who goes, on a pilgrimage,

con la cofradía

with the brotherhood

del Santo Reproche,

of Saint Reproach,

tanto la quería,

I loved her so much,

que, tardé, en aprender

that it took me nineteen days

a olvidarla, diecinueve días

to learn to forget her

y quinientas noches.

and five hundred nights.

Dijo hola y adiós,

She said hello and goodbye,

y, el portazo, sonó

and the slamming door sounded

como un signo de interrogación,

like a question mark,

sospecho que, así,

I suspect that, in that way,

se vengaba, a través del olvido,

Cupid was avenging himself on me

Cupido de mi.

through oblivion.

No pido perdón,

I don't ask for forgiveness,

¿para qué? si me va a perdonar

what for? if she's going to forgive me

porque ya no le importa...

because she doesn't care anymore...

siempre tuvo la frente muy alta,

she always held her head very high,

la lengua muy larga

had a very long tongue

y la falda muy corta.

and a very short skirt.

Me abandonó,

She abandoned me,

como se abandonan

like old shoes

los zapatos viejos,

are abandoned,

destrozó el cristal

shattered the glass

de mis gafas de lejos,

of my distance glasses,

sacó del espejo

took her living portrait

su vivo retrato,

out of the mirror,

y, fui, tan torero,

and I was such a bullfighter,

por los callejones

through the back alleys

del juego y el vino,

of gambling and wine,

que, ayer, el portero,

that yesterday, the doorman

me echó del casino

kicked me out of the casino

de Torrelodones.

in Torrelodones.

Qué pena tan grande,

What a great sorrow,

negaría el Santo Sacramento,

I would deny the Blessed Sacrament,

en el mismo momento

at the very moment

que ella me lo mande.

that she orders me to.

Y eso que yo,

And the thing is, I,

paro no agobiar con

so as not to overwhelm María

flores a María,

with flowers,

para no asediarla

so as not to besiege her

con mi antología

with my anthology

de sábanas frías

of cold sheets

y alcobas vacías,

and empty rooms,

para no comprarla

so as not to buy her off

con bisutería,

with costume jewelry,

ni ser el fantoche

nor be the puppet

que va, en romería,

who goes, on a pilgrimage,

con la cofradía

with the brotherhood

del Santo Reproche,

of Saint Reproach,

tanto la quería,

I loved her so much,

que, tardé, en aprender

that it took me nineteen days

a olvidarla, diecinueve días

to learn to forget her

y quinientas noches.

and five hundred nights.

Y regresé... etc.

Y regresé... etc.

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
durar /duˈɾaɾ/ B1	verb - to last
pez /pɛs/ A2	noun - fish
hielo /ˈje.lo/ A2	noun - ice
copa /ˈko.pa/ A2	noun - cup, glass
fingir /finˈxiɾ/ B1	verb - to pretend
celos /ˈse.los/ B2	noun - jealousy
vi /bi/ A1	verb - to see
perro /ˈpe.ro/ A2	noun - dog
cielo /ˈsje.lo/ A2	noun - sky
labios /ˈla.βjos/ A2	noun - lips
amor /aˈmoɾ/ A2	noun - love
hueso /ˈwe.so/ B1	noun - bone
rodillas /roˈdi.ʎas/ B2	noun - knees
taxi /ˈtaks.i/ A1	noun - taxi